There’s no denying the fact that first impression rose recipients on The Bachelorette have a history of making it far in the competition — especially compared to contestants on The Bachelor — but not all love connections lasted.
The first impression rose became a staple after DeAnna Pappas’ season 4 of The Bachelorette, with Jesse Csincsak receiving the honor — along with two other men — and the final rose. Their relationship didn’t last, but a long history of first impression rose winners getting down on one knee began with Ali Fedotowsky, Kaitlyn Bristowe, JoJo Fletcher, Rachel Lindsay, Becca Kufrin, Clare Crawley and Michelle Young’s men following suit.
“What I loved about Greg is he was just true to himself, which was this very nervous, very uncomfortable guy,” Katie Thurston exclusively told Us Weekly in June 2021 about giving her first impression rose to Greg Grippo. “He didn’t try and act cool or, like, be this guy that he’s not. He was just like, ‘This is me and I’m really freaking scared.’ And I thought it was really endearing, you know? And I could tell as long as he opened up, there was something more there. And so I thought, you know, giving him the first impression rose would give him that validation of, ‘I’m into you. Let’s figure this out.’”
The pair’s romance imploded ahead of the overnight dates when he accused her of dismissing his feelings and not seeing past the show. In turn, Katie claimed Greg was a gaslighter. She ultimately got engaged to Blake Moynes, but the twosome split in October 2021, three months after the finale aired.
The following season, Michelle got engaged to Nayte Olukoya, who received the coveted flower.
“Obviously, you can assume that it’s just who Michelle had a really good first impression of, right? But, like, the world of Bachelor Nation? I didn’t have a clue,” the Texas resident said on “Bachelor Happy Hour” after the October 2021 premiere. “Later that day, [Rodney Matthews] was like, ‘Man, that’s big time.’”
Six months after their engagement aired, the pair called it quits in June 2022.
“I’m struggling to say that Nayte and I will be going out separate ways but I stand with him in knowing the heaviness that is present in both our hearts as this relationship has been very real for us,” Michelle wrote via Instagram Stories at the time. “To you, Nayte, you quickly became my best friend and the love I have for you is incredibly strong. I will never stop wanting to see you succeed.”
With the exception of season 9 of The Bachelorette, which prompted Desiree Hartsock to hand out six first impression roses, keep scrolling for an update on the past recipients: