Here's Everyone Matt Sent Packing On 'The Bachelor' Week 1

Matt James' season of The Bachelor just kicked off, but it's already shaping up to be a memorable one. The 29-year-old made history when he was cast as the first Black Bachelor back in June 2020, and later unexpectedly revealed that he's never been in love before his season. Matt set out to change that when he met the 32 women vying for his heart in the Jan. 4 premiere, but not all of them could make it past the first night. So, who goes home on Week 1 of Matt James' Bachelor season, and what does this mean for the remaining 24 contestants?

As Bachelor Nation devotees know, Night 1 is a crucial time for contestants to make a good impression on the lead and stand out from the competition. But since The Bachelor Season 25 has a record number of women in its cast, eight of them had to pack their bags after just one night of filming. Even if they didn't get a rose, at least they can *hopefully* gain more Instagram followers when all is said and done.

Season 25 is pretty different from a usual Bachelor season, since it was filmed in one location during the pandemic, but Night 1 was still filled with plenty of romantic connections, gimmicky entrances, and drama that fans have come to know and love.

Although Matt wasn't able to spend quality time with everyone, sparks still flew between him and several women (especially Abigail, the first-ever deaf Bachelor contestant and the recipient of Matt's First Impression Rose).

But as Matt said at the rose ceremony, "I'm here to find my wife, and that means that there's gotta be tough decisions made." He was certainly forced to make hard choices when he sent contestants home for the first time. By the end of Night 1, Matt ultimately said goodbye to eight women: Alicia, Amber, Carolyn, Cassandra, Corrinne, Emani, Kimberly, and Saneh (aka "goat girl").

However, as a season preview at the end of the episode showed, even more women will eventually arrive in hopes of winning Matt's heart. When and why, exactly, these new contestants come into the picture is unclear, but there are clearly going to be a lot of ups and downs in Matt's journey to find his future wife.

Season 25 of The Bachelor continues on Monday, Jan. 11, at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.