Happy Friday Everyone! In this post, our expert Diana brings the world of Bracketology to The Bachelorette Brackets.

In most post-season sports tournaments, bracketology has become an in-depth field of study. The science of prediction and art of playing the odds has consumed many a waking hour of diehard sports fans everywhere.

We here at Bachelor Bracket certainly don’t think the skill of bracketology should be limited to competition on a court, field, or pitch. The Bachelorette is as high stakes and cut throat a contest as any! And though we may not have a formal tradition, we have an equally illustrious history to tap. Our judgments are positioned. Our emotions are swift. Our love tanks are full (we’ll miss you, Jonathan). Here are a few strategies for starting your own Bachelorette Bracketology.

Consider the first rose:

On the opposite end of the spectrum, some people can make a strong impression right out of the gate. The historical analysis of "the first impression rose" is certainly worth greater study of past seasons (which we encourage you to explore). But for now, we know that Ben received Des’ first rose. He brought his son, he melted her heart, and it resulted in a big premiere win. Then again, Tierra received Sean’s first rose and we all know how that turned out... #lostyoursparkle

Rank your contenders:

In the Bachelor Bracket’s setup, it’s easy to dive in and start pondering who will be eliminated in which rounds. But first, consider ranking all of the beaus to give yourself a framework to work in.

Rank your contenders as if you were Des:

Real-talk - your taste and Des’ taste might be very different. And as much as you have a thing for abs, a jones for the baby face, or a weakness for tall dudes – you ain’t the one picking her future husband. Make sure to re-check your rankings with your Des hat on.

Listen to your gut:

At the end of the day, it’s just you and your bracket out there. Take a deep breath, and go with that indescribable feeling telling you who’s out and who’s a WINNER!

So go on, champ. We know you can do it. Let’s bracket for love.

---

What did you think? Discuss in the comments section below or let us know on @BachBracket or on : The Bachelor Bracket.

Bracketing...there's still time for that!

Hey Everyone, hope you had a blast watching the season premier last night. I know we saw some guys that we thought would go far ...cough - Jonathan - cough... crash and burn; saw those we thought would "Larry"... well they "Larry'd", and others who we thought could only be perfect bringing along their son, Brody, be depicted in the previews as the next Tiarra!

We're going to be in for one heck of a season, everyone!

Also, we wanted to let you know that there is still time to create brackets, modify them, and create and join leagues. You can modify your bracket up until the league administrator locks your bracket. For most of you, this has not happened yet. In fact, we think a good plan of action is to use this first episode and this week to fine tune your picks and just get that first round all right. For those who have already locked, we'll be updating the master bracket to reflect these first round picks.

Anyways, great start to the season! We'll be sure to post some stuff we noticed about the guys during this week, so stay tuned!

---

Watching the “After the Final Rose” episode is both my favorite and least favorite part of any season of the Bachelor or the Bachelorette. The reasons to hate this episode are plenty—forcing the runner-up to confront his or her rejection all over again in front of a live television audience, the long, drawn-out lead-ups to ultimately disappointing announcements, and of course, the saccharine proclamations of love.

The main reason I do actually enjoy watching the After the Final Rose episode is to see how the contestants have changed their “look” since the season aired. Invariably there is one girl who got extensions, one who changed her hair color, and a dude trying out some new facial hair. (Juan Pablo, please shave your neck beard).

Imagine my reaction, then, to Desiree’s new ‘do on when it was revealed that she would be our newest Bachelorette. I was pretty disappointed—I thought Desiree’s fringe was refreshing on Sean’s season—it set her apart from the rest of the side-parting, loose-curl wearing ladies and was sweet and fashionable at the same time.

---

---

Why the regression? Did the producers of the Bachelorette think this hairstyle was more universally appealing? The change has sparked more than a few heated conversations in the blogosphere.

Seeing Desiree’s new look got me thinking about perceptions of beauty. Perhaps this is personal; as a card-carrying fan of specific hairstyles (I’ve had my fair share—bobs, pixies, bangs), in my many years of watching this show I have always delighted in seeing bachelorettes with funky cuts and daring style choices. Sadly, these bold bachelorettes very rarely seem to get far. People.com posted an intelligent article regarding the elimination of Katie in Sean’s season, quoting NYU Sociology professor Dr. Anna Akbari:

This type of traditional femininity is the rule and the norm on The Bachelor — there doesn’t appear to be much room for androgyny or ‘edginess.’ Dr. Anna Akbari via People.com, 1/15/2013

With that in mind, let’s take a look back through some of the more recent seasons at the ladies who sported trendy cuts and how close to that final rose they got:

You only get one first impression, and these guys are working to get it right! Desiree will be weeding out six suitors on night one -- maybe they could use some tips from the pros on how to catch her eye right out of the limo.

Below is a breakdown of the past six seasons of the show and what the most successful contestant's (winner or runner up) strategies were to inspire love at first sight:

Overall First Impressions

Contestants with big confidence or quiet intrigue win at this game. Contestants who brought props didn't fare so well, and killer lines can be tough to pull off during your debut on national TV.

Check out the table below to find out more about each strategy:

Strategy	Includes	Example
Simple Hello	Hello, my name is, how are you, you look amazing...	Chris Lambton. When meeting Ali Fedotowsky for the first time he extended a handshake, said "wow, hi" and capped it off with a simple compliment -- I'm excited to meet you. Short and sweet almost won that race.
Killer Line	Elements of the "Simple Hello" with a sassy, memorable phrase or compliment.	Courtney Robertson. She locked Ben Flajnik down from night one. How did she do it? Killer line. "Hey cutie pie, come here often? I watched you all last season and I had the biggest crush on you."
Prop	Bringing a charming item from work or home; giving them a glimpse into your world.	Ben Flajnik: He brought Ashley wine he grew himself at his CA vinyards! Combo this prop with his goofy boy charms, she couldn't resist.
Stunt	When "Go Big" feels better than "Go Home".	One of the most memorable Bachelor stunts is fresh on our minds: Lindsay Yenter. Showing up in a wedding dress to meet Sean Lowe certainly took conviction, and she wasn't shy about letting him know. "You may now kiss the bride," she proclaimed, later tacking on, "I've got balls."

Another interesting wrinkle is the difference in preferences between Bachelors and Bachelorettes. Gender absolutely plays a role here in what folks are looking for:

The Bachelorettes First Impressions

The Bachelors First Impressions

If Desiree's tastes are anything like her predecessors, she would be wise not to get caught up in stunts or props, but to look for the men with simpler tastes. And men, pull back on those reins; just because you would love to see a wild stunt, it doesn't mean that she does.

---

So, we are finally here, the public premier of The Bachelor Bracket!

First, a little about how we got here:

The Bachelor Bracket was born out of a group's love of reality TV shows and competition. We had been playing a paper version of the game where you keep track of elimination and it was fun. But, we thought there has to be a better system to track all of this and a more engaging way to compete against one another. A system where we could view our standings at any time, talk smack with each other at any time, and share information we found about the shows. And, thus, The Bachelor Bracket idea was born.

After some beta testing last season with Sean and the girls, we are ready to open this platform up to the public! We all think we know Desiree after last season, but how well do you really know her and her wants? In this upcoming season, you can use The Bachelor Bracket to predict who she chooses and compete against your friends, colleagues and whoever else you feel like.

And, while you're doing that we will continue to add new features to the site. Stuff we hope to open up in the near future includes: trading, week-to-week picks, and other methods of chance to increase your score. Keep checking the blog for more insights on the season and new features. If you run into any trouble, our Tutorials and Contact page has information that can help.

Overall, welcome to The Bachelor Bracket, we're glad you're here and hope you're ready to start bracketing. So, get to it!

-The Bachelor Bracket Team