The Bachelor: Patrick Dempsey May Have Competition for the Dr. McDreamy Title

Well, there will always be our FIRST Dr. McDreamy, but if you have seen this season's The Bachelor, then you know what I mean when I say our first McDreamy has some serious competition this year. Meet Andy Baldwin, or sorry, are we supposed to call him Dr. Baldwin? Is it just me, or is he a smidge too good to be true. You did not even need to be 5 minutes into the episode to peg him as Mr. Perfect, Dr. Perfect, Mr. Right, whatever you want to call him. And his initial 25 Bachelorettes caught on to this very quickly. What does this mean? 25 women all fighting over a too good to be true amazing man. Drama and dreamy, all in the same show. Who could ask for anything more? If you missed Monday's episode, this article will recap it for you and you can get to know both Andy and the girls a little bit better.

Let's first meet our new Dr. McDreamy. He is a lieutenant in the United States Navy, a doctor in the Navy. He lives in Hawaii and is a 6 time Iron man triathlete. And did I mention gorgeous? I could watch that man take off his shirt more than once. As you get into the show you really got to know him a little better. He wasn't just a Navy hunk, he was a real guy. He is a surprisingly down-to-earth boy next-door type. He smiled sweetly, complimented graciously, and even said gosh a few times. He is the kind of man that set up a foundation for his uncle when he passed away; the kind of guy who is moved to tears when he hears the Star Spangled Banner; and the type who loves down home family values, and once taught Sunday School. And like any of us, his just looking for his soul mate. He is a true officer and a gentleman, but if I seriously hear our host Chris Harrison say that one more time I may gag.

The eve of Andy's 30^th birthday started off with a bang. Preparing to meet his 25 Bachelorettes, Andy is given a rose, the First Impression Rose, and instructed to give it to the one who impresses him the most. It can be either the first or the last woman, it doesn't matter. Andy decides to give it to the woman who he feels an immediate spark with. It takes him a while to figure out who that is though.

The first quintet of Bachelorettes introduces us to Alexis (26) from Dallas; Nicole (26) from Charleston; Amanda (26) from Dallas; Peyton (24) from Tennessee but is currently living in uh, Dallas; and Catherine (23) a former Miss Illinois from Chicago. In this group Andy tells Amanda her dress is beautiful, and Peyton that he loves Southern women. That's good, because he is going to meet a LOT of those tonight. No one in the first limo received the rose, but there was a lot of talk about it.

The second limo brings us Amber (23) from Sugarland, TX; Blakeney (29) from Birmingham; Danielle V. (26) from the Bronx; Jackie (23) from Minnesota, and Stephanie W. (23) from Kansas. In this group Amber gets a "Wow" from Andy, Andy gets a hug from Blakeney and a handshake from Stephanie, and Danielle kisses his cheek.

In limo number three we meet Tina (26) from Hollywood; Erin (24) from Dallas; Susan (23) from Woodlands, TX; Stephanie T. (27) from South Carolina; and Danielle I. (25) from Connecticut. BAM we have a winner folks, as Stephanie walked away with the first rose. As she walks in to meet the other girls, you hear Blakeney instructing the others to get out the claws.

By the fourth limo Andy is feeling a little overwhelmed, but excited at the same time. He is introduced to Bevin (28) from California; Tessa (26) also from California; Candace (23) from South Carolina; Jeanette (27) from Florida; and Lindsay (22) from Kansas. Bevin flirts with him in the whole "man in uniform" sense, and boisterous Lindsay pulls out the "fan of Duke" pitch knowing this is his alma mater.

Bachelorettes numbers 21 through 25 introduce Andy to Kate (24) from South Carolina who self-acknowledged she won the shortest dress award. Then came Linda (33) the eldest of the bunch from Ohio who seemed a little shy. Tiffany F. (27) from Minnesota pretended to mix up his name and then told him he had a lot of beauty to choose from. Ever the charmer he responded with "You're one of them!" Jessica (32) from New York admitted how nervous she was, but he put her right at ease. And last we meet Tiffany F. (28) from Boston, who he reassures they saved the best for last.

This is when the party hit full force. And this is when each and every woman pulled out every stop to make sure she was noticed, and more importantly, remembered when it came time for the Rose Ceremony. The claws come out as instructed by Blakeney earlier when Lindsay decides Andy is "hotter than the Kansas sun", and Stephanie T. our First Impression Rose recipient states her goal is to get rose after rose until she gets a ring.

One on one time starts with Andy lying on the couch to admire the stars with Amanda. She can't help but "slip in" her adventures at the Great Wall of China. Bevin has no shyness when she hikes up her dress to show him her mountain biking scars, which he thinks are "hot". Is he talking about the scars, or the leg he is staring at? Then the musical interlude begins when Tina, a medical student who feels she needs to pull out the stops since she's "not the prettiest girl there", decides to serenade him with "The Star-Spangled Banner". Gotta give strategy points to this one, the way to a military man's heart is through the National Anthem. Wait - was that a TEAR from Andy?

Danielle I confides her belief in fate, stating a psychic prediction that her third boyfriend would be The One - Capital T, Capital O. Of course, she's already had two boyfriends, sooo.....He responds with "third time's a charm" as any gentleman would. Sadly, Catherine was not able to interrupt this fate filled fest and her impression was lost on him.

Our first look at the drama that is The Bachelor starts up with Lindsay and some jealousies toward Stephanie being the First Impression girl. To the camera girls start hinting that Lindsay is just a bomb waiting to go off. Blakeney takes a tipsy tumble which gives Lindsay fuel for more drama. Pleasing the viewers we get our second mini-cat fight of the evening.

As the party begins to draw to a close, the girls amp it up to make a final lasting impression.
One on one time continues as Andy sits with Nicole and Peyton to find out it is Peyton's birthday as well. Of course this disheartens the rest of the flock as they know this is one less rose for them. Nicole then decides to make her impression by making a cake for Andy. Sadly, no eggs but she didn't think twice to improvise with tequila instead. Linda has a push-up competition with Andy, Lindsay hikes up her skirt and does squats, and short-skirted Kate kicks it up a notch by doing a sexy fish dance across the floor. Stephanie W. tops them all by doing flips on the balcony and landing perfectly on the bench. These girls will stop at nothing.

Enter dramatic music as Chris arrives and announces it is time for the Rose Ceremony. Andy only has 15 roses which means 10 women will be on their way very shortly. With Stephanie T. being the first to receive a rose earlier, Andy gives the rest of the roses to Peyton, Bevin, Kate, Alexis, Danielle I., Amber, Tiffany W., Tessa, Nicole, Susan, Amanda, Erin, Tina, and Stephanie W. It is interesting to watch the expressions on the faces of the remaining girls as each rose is given out and their lottery chances slim down. When Lindsay does not receive a rose she storms out and demands she leave throwing in a few *bleeps* while she is at it. She continues to show her lack of class by knocking his height, size of his head, and fake looking teeth. It is too bad she got the boot; she would have made for some interesting drama this season. Inside however, Andy is oblivious to all of it and he ends the evening toasting his final 15.

The show ends with previews not just for the upcoming episode, but for the season. If you are a Bachelor fan, this is going to be an exciting season. The previews promise lots of drama, hysterics, tears, cat fights, and emotional upset. We are also assured to see some medical emergencies, and theatrical exits. Lastly, it seems there will indeed be a proposal this season as we hear a voice over of Andy asking someone to marry him, with some high pitched giggling in response. Who will it be? You have to tune into the season to find out, or catch these recaps as they come in. You can also go to the abc.com website where you can get caught up on the episodes, read about the girls, see photos, join some message boards, play a Rose Ceremony game, and even watch the show again. Keep an eye out, this season promises to be one of the most dramatic and romantic ever. If you are a Bachelor fan, you will not be disappointed.