Assessing the Field

As I said in the previous post, there will be no serious prognostication yet, but I present to you the first tiered list of candidates, with commentary:

Bottom Feeders

• Jeff - The mask thing is already tiresome, and would still be completely dumb on someone with a thousand-fold his charisma.  So far, Jeff is a pretty big bore.  Time is running out on the Phantom.  Cue the organ.
• Chris D. - I think he was the "rapper."  Yeah, I know.
• Lucas - Who?  This is the new "stealth guy" that no one sees or remembers.  Maybe he'll just leave without telling anyone.
• Stephen - Cuts hair for some high end salon in California.  He couldn't resist telling Ashley that he liked her new hair color.  I'd keep those bags packed.
• Ryan M. - I wonder if he ever got that picture with Chris Harrison.  He reminds me of another Ryan:  Seacrest.  You see where I'm going with this?
• Matt - He's the brother of this guy who also happens to be 320 lbs. and a Dallas Cowboy offensive tackle.  I guess there was only food enough for one of the Colombo boys growing up.

Water Treaders

• Blake - Yes, he is a dentist, but here's where my experience comes in handy.  Dentists hate dating other dentists.  Why?  Because they don't want to talk shop constantly, and most of them exhausted that angle in dental school.  Maybe Blake is an interesting dude, but his days are probably numbered.
• Nick - A personal trainer and former baseball prospect.  Also, like Roberto before him, he went to the University of Tampa.  Interesting parallels there, but the personality seems a little too "dude."  Reminds me slightly of Matthew McConaughey (whom I hate), probably because of his attitude and minor resemblance.  I'd issue a sell rating here.
• Will - I'm really curious to see if my Weatherman comparison will pan out with this guy.  Apparently he wants to be a stand up comedian, which I'm sure will result in plenty of awkward moments where he tests out his material.  He has a few grade C impressions in his arsenal, which I guess is good for a few giggles.  Probably amusing enough to keep around for a couple of episodes, but not much more.
• Mickey - Apparently this guy was Cosmopolitan Magazine's Bachelor of the Year for 2010.  It seems Cosmo's editors failed to observe their guy out in the wild.

Party Boaters

• Ryan P. - Getting the first impression rose is usually a good sign, but again, there's just too much fabulosity going on there.  Ashley seemed to like his energy.  We'll put him here for now.
• West - Gave her a memorable piece of flair and has a heart wrenching story about his wife.  He's therefore obligated to make it fairly deep into this season.
• Constantine - There's not much to go on here, but I get the feeling Ashley likes this guy.  This is really nothing more than a hunch.
• Ben C. - I think speaking French was a good opening tack, and he's got some worldly appeal.  He almost seems like a normal human.
• Bentley - As wary as she is about him, Ashley considers him to be the forbidden fruit.  Contrary to how the editing portrays it, I doubt that he lasts all that deep into the show, or that Ashley falls madly in love with him only to learn that he wants Emily instead.  I would think she'd be more pissed off than sad about that little nugget.  There's probably a groan-inducing letdown with this staged drama.  He'll stick around long enough to be hated by millions of scornful women.  You tell him, sisters. 
• Ben F. - Great icebreaker with the hand-crafted Sonoma wine, but is there anything else going on there?  He seemed to be the most natural and at ease during the introductions.  I'll throw a few bucks on him getting somewhere on this show.
• Ames - While the khaki pants/jacket look was pretty odd in a prep school kind of way, the guy seems to be mega successful and motivated.  This is something our little dentist can probably appreciate and/or exploit.
• J.P. - I read somewhere that this guy resembles Ashley's ex.  I think it's more than apparent that she's clearing off space for his portrait on her little Bachelorette shrine.  I usually don't trust guys with initials for a first name.  If I had to wager on a winner based on what we know after only one show, this is where I'd put my money.

At this point, I could be totally wrong, but whatever.  I like my chances.