I'm Colton Underwood I'm 26 and I never expected to be the next Bachelor
I know not everybody's gonna like me I know I have a lot of room to grow but I
also have an idea of what I want now and that's what's so exciting about all this
I am the first a virgin bachelor and it's crazy to even think about that
this is an opportunity of a lifetime I couldn't be more hopeful and excited but
then I also feel real nervous grade-school colton probably would be
really shy and timid the fact that he was just named the bachelor I grew up in
a pretty conservative environment I was at a Christian school and I was always
like the fat chunky awkward weird kid I didn't have girlfriends I wanted to fit
in so bad I felt very um alone a lot of days I didn't want to go to school my
confidence and myself didn't come until my later years in high school the one
thing I knew how to do really well was football when things were good it was
because of football and that's why I got lost in it I made it to men FL
and for me it was so special I've had such a great life I've had so many cool
opportunities but the one thing I've been missing is somebody to share those
with I do know what love is I mean I've been loved before and I remember how
good I felt in those relationships there we go look at that falling in love with
Becca it was very eye-opening the comfort level was there the chemistry
was there but you're making it easier for me to take my walls down come here
I was so open I was so vulnerable I know that I'm in love with you I was ready to
really take the next step next week is fantasy suites how you
choose to handle that as a couple up to you I was ready to lose my
virginity to Becca Colton I'm sorry take him on it
say goodbye see
I was devastating when that relationship ended and as tough and as challenging as
that was everything that's happened over the last year has been so transformative
and so good for me it's just the perfect time for me to
focus on finding a person who I'm gonna be spending the rest of my life with I'm
here to fall in love and I'm here because I know how real it was when I
was on the other side what's it like being announced The Bachelor for me was
it was a little bit unexpected but it was something that I was so grateful for
just the opportunity that I now know I'm gonna have in front of me you weren't
expecting it I wasn't you were a controversial choice yeah I mean I would
be lying if I said I didn't look at any of the negative reactions course some of
the comments I could see where they come from I I get it
where they think I'm not ready and it's a fine balance because I'm not here to
do it for the fans or do it to win people over I'm doing this from me how
much of the negativity and and he's not ready do you think has to do with your
virginity that's that's sort of the stigma around being a virgin is oh he's
not romantic oh he's not gonna be a good bash he's not a man yeah I've been in
that that got thrown at me this year that was the thing for the first time in
my life what I feared people might say to me I actually got said to me I mean
it's one of those things it's I am I'm not waiting for a ring I'm not waiting
for marriage I'm waiting to be in love I'm waiting for it to feel right to take
our relationship to the next step you're about to have women from all over the
country coming here just to meet you yeah do you believe in love at first
sight I do think you'll see a girl tonight go
that's my one yeah I thought about that I haven't I mean I think up to this
point it is very cool to think about but then part of me I don't want I don't
want that because I just want to treat every relationship differently
being back here at the mansion reminds me that this works this is real and I'm
so humble and I'm so grateful for this opportunity but I'm also so hopeful
it's my time I'm diving headfirst I'm going and I can't wait to get started
you