In the premiere episode, we meet the Bachelor, Alex, and learn about his past. Alex then hosts a cocktail party and is introduced to the women for the first time. By the end of the evening, he faces the daunting task of selecting 15 whom he would like to know better, and presents each one with a single red rose. But at this point and at every point thereafter, the women can either accept or decline the Bachelor's invitation to continue on the journey.

After much deliberation, Alex offered a rose to Kim, Cathy, Trista, Amy, Alexa, LaNease, Tina, Angelique, Rhonda, Christina, Katie, Amanda, Angela, Melissa and Shannon.

The women who accepted the rose will now move into a sprawling mansion overlooking the Pacific Ocean for much of their courtship with the Bachelor.

First Date: Angelique, LaNease, Shannon, Kathryn, Christina

Alex's first date was to Las Vegas for a night of gaming and pleasure. While playing billiards in the penthouse suite at the Venetian hotel, Angelique made a power move and asked to see Alex in private. When the other four ladies realized that Angelique was out-smarting them, they crashed the party.

During dinner, Alex asked Shannon if she would go for a walk with him — in front of his other shocked dates. During their walk, Alex told Shannon he felt a connection with her.

Alex and his dates then went and played Blackjack in the casino; the date with the most money after twenty minutes would get a private gondola trip down the Venetian canal with Alex. LaNease won, and as they got in the gondola, the gondolier told them that it was tradition to have a kiss under each bridge they passed under. Alex and LaNease maintained the tradition, sharing several intimate kisses.

Second Date: Angela, Amy, Melissa, Amanda, Trista

The next d

We meet Alex's friends Stephanie and Sam, who move into the guest house at the Ladies' Villa. Stephanie and Sam have created a compatibility test to give the remaining eight ladies, with a very special prize: the three women whose answers are the most compatible with Alex's will get private one-on-one dates with Alex. The other five women will share Alex in one group date.

First Date: Amanda

Amanda won the first date, and the sparks were very clearly flying. In the limousine on the way to their Sushi & Massage date, Alex and Amanda just couldn't deny their mutual attraction, and ended up making out.

During dinner, Amanda and Alex again kiss passionately, but are interrupted by a shocked and bewildered waitress. Later, they both change into Kimonos, and Alex gives Amanda a sensual massage. Alex makes a point, though, of not going to far with Amanda sexually, as he is aware that living for the moment may cause him to miss an entire future. The next morning, Amanda reveals that they were

The remaining four Bachelorettes all get a chance to say goodbye, as they vacate the Ladies' Villa to return to their hometowns and introduce Alex to their families and friends.

First Trip: Kim

Knowing he hasn't spent very much one-on-one time with Kim, Alex arrives in Phoenix, Arizona and makes a point of getting some private time with her … and the two go speed boating on a lake! They had a great time, and even managed to sneak in a kiss or three.

Afterwards, it was on to Kim's parent's house to meet the family. Alex got to spend time with Kim's mom, dad, two sisters, brother-in-law, niece and nephew. It was important to Kim to see if Alex connected well with kids, which he seemed to — up until he accidentally made her nephew cry by playing with him a little too rough. The rest of the visit was pleasant, as Alex seemed to connect well with his date's family.

Second Trip: Trista

An excited and energetic Alex arrives in St. Louis, Missouri to spend some quality time with Trista and me

We open in Malibu, where Alex is looking forward to the overnight dates and the opportunity to spend some real time with each of the remaining bachelorettes, but is worried about the upcoming Rose Ceremony.

First Dream Date: Amanda in New York City

Amanda is thrilled to have the chance to get closer to Alex, and this is her first time going to New York City. While taking a double-decker bus tour through the city, Alex asks some questions to Amanda — including asking her about her breasts. Amanda takes the question in stride, and admits that when she was a child, she was obsessed with Dolly Parton, and that she had an augmentation. Alex was thrilled with Amanda's honest, straight-forward, and friendly demeanor.

After a romantic ice-skating session, they go on a chilly-but-romantic horse carriage ride through Central Park, in which Alex sings a little They Might Be Giants as they discuss the pleasures of dressing-up and role playing — specifically, dressing Alex up in some Chaps!

On the

A ""reunion"" special, of sorts, 'The Bachelor: Women Tell All' brings back the 23 women Alex rejected to ""dish"" about the experience, the other women, and the Bachelor. This special episode will reveal new footage, never before viewed behind-the-scenes clips, and one-on-one interviews between our favorite Bachelorettes and host, Chris Harrison.

In Dallas, Texas, Alex explains how he feels good about the final two women he's dating — but can't wait to find out what his family thinks of Amanda and Trista.

Alex first brings Trista home to meet his folks. Alex admits that his family is a tough group, and that his mother thinks it is too short of a time period to get to know someone. Trista and Alex arrive, and they sit down in the living room for everyone to get to know each other.

Alex's sister gets the ball rolling by asking Trista why she thinks they're compatible; Trista explains that she was impressed by his love of family, his love of travel, his attention to education, his innate athleticism, and his kindness and strength in uncomfortable situations.

When asked by Alex's mother what she's learned about herself, Trista admits that she's difficult to open up to people, and when Alex's father asks if she is competitive and just wants to win, regardless of the consequences, Trista explains that she wouldn't have let it go this

In the premiere episode, we see the final stages of the casting process as the quest to find the next Bachelor draws to a close. We are introduced to the final five possible bachelors: Mark, Jason, Robert, Aaron and John.

We are then introduced to the twenty-five Bachelorettes who will be vying for the Bachelor's attention, and brought up to date on Trista, who will be on her own quest for love as The Bachelorette this January.

In an exclusive interview with Alex and Amanda, we learn that they are still together, even though Amanda is still in Kansas City, and Alex is in Los Angeles. Amanda and Alex also debunk the rumors Alex is gay once and for all. Amanda advises the next Bachelor not to make out with every girl he dates, and Alex advises him to not think too much. Alex also discussed how the hardest part of the show was having to breaku with all of the women each week. This interview marks the last time Alex and Amanda are doing a public interview about their relationship.

At the e