Byron Velvick

Last Wednesday night, ABC premiered this season's The Bachelor with Chris Harrison once again as host.

Twenty-five women. Two men. This season, the women got to choose first. Would it be the rugged outdoors man from Downey, California (Lake Mead Nevada on the show) or the elegant entrepreneur who lives in Ridgewood, New Jersey, Jay Overbye?

Jay Overbye

In the first-ever lady's choice rose ceremony, the women chose Byron Velvick, the 40 year-old professional bass fisherman over the 40 year-old, residential real-estate agent from New York.

About Byron Velvick

While Byron hopes to marry someone who would like to have kids, he told a number of the women that he'd marry someone who didn't "in a heart beat."

Velvick believes marriage before 28 or 30 should be illegal. He explained "...because you don't know who you are yet."

Healthy

When he's off tour, he goes mountain biking and to the gym.

He also loves to hike and ski.

He resides on a lake outside Las Vegas.

Adventuresome

He has been a professional fisherman for thirteen years who calls his office "every beautiful lake or river in the country."

To date, he has won the U.S. Open twice (1991 and 1996). He claims he is 3rd or 4th on the all-time money winners for the Western United States. His web site claims he has won over $400,000 in tournament winnings.

He admits to watching the Weather Channel.

Soulful

Charisma? Yes. Soulful? Yet to be seen.

Fortunately, he is at least looking for someone who offers more of a soul connection than simply a physical connection.

Repeatedly he said on the show last Wednesday, "I am looking for my soulmate."

In last week's rose ceremony:

The evening Byron walked into the house with fifty eyes staring at him, Cynthia described it as "a cool breeze walking into a hundred degree desert."

Byron said, "Men are not conditioned for this."

Fortunately going into the show, Velvick did not know what he was getting himself into, as he had never watched The Bachelor prior to being considered by the show's producers. It was his friends who encouraged him to apply.

Velvick is hoping that some "divine intervention" has landed him in the right place at the right time.

He communicated that he is looking for "an intelligent women with wisdom, someone with a good heart and someone with strong opinions."

In last week's ceremony, five women did not receive a rose.

Presented in the order Byron offered them last week:

Cheresse, 31, who currently resides in St. Louis, Missouri, is a Director of Advertising/Marketing/PR.

Cheresse was also the first woman chosen for a one-on-one date in tonight's second episode.

Grammy award-winning R&B and pop singer Brandy provided the pair with a private performance. The night club, Club XES, closed exclusively for Byron and Cheresse, set up a magical evening for the couple.

For Brandy, it was an ideal venue to promote her latest CD, Afrodisiac.

During tonight's second rose ceremony, Cheresse was the fourth woman to receive a rose.

Wende, 28, who currently resides in Austin, Texas, is a model.

The red-head called herself a "wild ass woman from Texas" who admitted to also being a jealous woman out to find out what kind of test The Bachelor will be for her.

Three words she uses to describe herself: loyal, outgoing, adventurous.

Wendy did not receive a rose tonight. She said, "Initially with Byron, I think that we were able to connect. But we couldn't ever reconnect and have another spark."

Tanya, 31, who currently resides in Plano, Texas, is a special ed teacher. She was a bit nervous that she would be voted off if Byron found out that she gave Jay the rose. However, she made a great first impression on him.

Three words she uses to describe herself: witty, intelligent, emphathetic

Tanya was the first to receive a rose in the second ceremony tonight.

Leina, 28, who currently resides in Chula Vista, California, is an advertising associate. The three words she used to describe herself: outgoing, spontaneous, energetic.

Last week, Leina gave a rose to Jay, but Byron picked her to stay in the game. The following evening she gave Byron a lei, a symbol of her Polynesian culture.

This week, she decided she was in love with her best friend, and decided to leave the show before the rose ceremony.

Kelly, 34, who currently resides in Beverly Hills, California, is an actress. Fortunately, this year's bachelor loves dogs, as she has brought her four-month-old French bulldog with her on the show. She referred to Byron as having this "amazing, rugged, sexy kind of quality about him."

Three words she used to describe herself: kind, direct, diverse.

Kelly, one of our favorites, did not receive a rose tonight. She said that she didn't think she got a rose because she believes she is not his type. She said, "I don't think we're a match. It stinks but it's true."

Jayne, 37, is a dog groomer and makeup artist, who currently resides in Key Largo, Florida. She claims she is a little shy. But while Byron watched the videotape as a way of being introduced to the women, he admitted that Jayne was his favorite.

Three words she uses to describe herself: animated, genuine, passionate.

Jayne was chosen by Byron for the other one-one-one date in tonight's second episode.

Byron took her fishing. And on her first cast, she caught a fish.

Jayne's personality came out in the natural setting. As long as she was to come out of her shell, it appeared she had a clear shot at getting a rose tonight.

Her heart sank when her name was called for one of three "last chance" conversations. In that conversation, Jayne made it clear that she was interested in him, but that he needed to make the first move.

Jayne was the seventh woman to receive a rose in the ceremony tonight.

Natalie, 34, who currently resides in Santa Monica, California, is in retail sales. Natalie claims she has a lot of love in her heart. She loves romance.

Three words she uses to describe herself: genuine, loyal, kind.

Natalie was selected for one of the one-on-one "last chance" conversations. While she made it clear to him that she was interested in him, the brief talk they had didn't impact him enough to keep her around.

She said, "Do I wish that what I did could have enamoured him a little more? Absolutely. But it didn't. I'm just a little surprised."

Elizabeth, 28, is in pharmaceutical sales, who currently resides in Chicago, Illinois. Her dream man is someone who is confident and someone who could be this strong woman's strength.

Three words she uses to describe herself: adventurous, social, loving.

Elizabeth was the third woman to receive a rose in tonight's ceremony.

Krysta, 28, who currently resides in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, is a financial analyst and a self-proclaimed "high maintenance" woman.

Frankly, we think ABC plants a resident troublemaker in each show. And this year, Krysta is it.

Three words she uses to describe herself: outgoing, striking, intelligent.

Krysta, unfortunately from our perspective, was the ninth woman to receive a rose in tonight's ceremony. What was he thinking?

Amanda, 27, who currently resides in New York, New York, is a cosmetics buyer. She admitted to being more physically attracted to Byron than Jay. In "the spirit of the wolf" as Byron called it, the brunette dressed in blue last week, shaked her booty and accepted one of ten red roses.

Three words she uses to describe herself: confident, unique, happy.

Amanda was the second woman to receive a rose in tonight's ceremony.

Kristie, 32, is a bar owner, who currently resides with her parents in Windsor, Canada. While she has a feminine side to her, she doesn't mind getting a little dirty and watching football all day. She was the only woman to give Byron a kiss as she accepted her rose last week.

Three words she uses to describe herself: adventurous, outgoing, honest.

Kristie was one of the three women chosen for a "last chance" conversation tonight. Unfortunately, Byron felt she was trying to sell herself. Nonetheless, Byron offered her the eighth of ten roses tonight.

Susie, 32, who currently resides in Hollywood, California, is an insurance broker.

Three words she uses to describe herself: ambition, adventurous, fun.

Susie was the sixth woman to receive a rose in tonight's ceremony.

Cynthia, 37, is a charity foundations director, who currently resides in Hermosa Beach, California.

Cynthia claimed she was "like a ripe fruit that is ready to fall off the vine" looking to be picked by the right guy. Upon being introduced to the women at the beginning of the show, Cynthia referred to Byron as "hot, very, very hot."

Three words she uses to describe herself: smart, sexy, sassy.

Cindy was the tenth and final woman to receive a rose in the second ceremony tonight.

Ashley, 31, who currently resides in Santa Barbara, California, is a teacher.

Three words she uses to describe herself: loyal, fun, genuine.

Ashley did not receive a rose tonight. While she could imagine Byron in her life, her lack of aggressiveness, she believes, was the reason he did not choose her.

The final rose of last week's ceremony went to Andrea, 33, a dental hygienist, who currently resides in Denver, Colorado.

Andrea was the fifth woman to receive a rose in tonight's ceremony. Just as she said last week, she accepted her rose "with all my heart."

Andrea already has eight yards of silk to use for her wedding dress. To her, Byron represents everything she's been looking for in a man. While Byron did not offer his coat to Cheresse, during their one-on-one last week, he did offer it to Andrea. During this one-on-one, she admitted that she had already started to open her heart to him.

The women who didn't get a rose last week included:

Abby, 29, an acrobat, Henderson, Nevada
Alma, 35, a cafe owner, Astoria, Oregon
Amy, 27, a marketing consultant, San Diego, California
Carolyn, 36, a financial advisor, Tulsa, Oklahoma
Jennifer, 31, an account executive, Seattle, Washington
Kerry, 31, a traveling nurse on labor and delivery, San Francisco
Kristin, 27, an office manager, Pensacola, Florida
Lisa Larsen, 33, a teacher, West Palm Beach, Florida
Melinda, 39, a photographer, Nashville, Tennessee
Nicole, 28, a headhunter, Libertyville, Illinois

Last week Byron said, "I had no idea it was going to be that tough to let the women go that I did."

He added, "But, I think the group of fifteen women that I've chosen are the best fifteen I could possibly imagine being with. I believe I am one step closer to meeting the woman of my dreams."

Hopefully, Jay and Melinda, who called Jay "a wonderful guy, the perfect dream man" have hooked up since they are no longer on the show.

Meanwhile, Byron has great hopes that one of the - now ten - women he has given a rose to is his soulmate.

This week, Byron and his Shar Pei / Ridgeback dog named Sabrina moved into the ladies' villa.

In the coming weeks, Velvick’s friends and fishing fans will get to see a different side of the Nevada pro who first captured attention on the BASS circuit with a 2000 victory at a Bassmaster California Invitational.

In additional, two of The Bachelor's past "All-Star" women will return for another attempt to find true love.

After the first episode, Byron said:

The hardest part about tonight was watching the expressions on the women's faces while I was handing out the roses. They had this look of anticipation and hope, and it just killed me knowing that I couldn't ask them all to stay, but I know they understood how I felt. Last night when the women were deciding between Jay and I, we both had that same look of hope in our eyes. They chose to send Jay home, and tonight, I had to send 10 of them home. It wasn't easy.

There were a few tears tonight. Abby looked especially sad, and that was difficult. But there were also some great moments. Cindy was among the women who looked thrilled when I called her name. I have no doubt that I chose the best 15 women for me. They are beautiful, intelligent, fun and I can't wait to get to know them better.

At this point, I feel like I got over the first two big hurdles. The rose ceremony with me and Jay is over. The first rose ceremony with the women and me is over. Now it's time to really get to know these 15 women, and I can't wait.

After tonight's episode, Byron said:

Tonight's Rose Ceremony was incredibly important to me. I'm really starting to get to know these women on much more than a physical level and starting to feel something for them. I didn't want to make the wrong decision.

I decided to keep Krysta tonight because, in addition to her just being a great person, she'll keep everybody laughing and relaxed in the house. She lightens the mood and creates this great atmosphere that makes us all really comfortable. I really like that about her.

(If he only knew!)

Jayne intrigues me. She's acting the exact opposite of everybody else, actually making me pursue her. If she's playing a game, she's playing it very well; if it's not a game, it's still working — but in the next couple of dates, I have to figure out if she'll open up and come out of her shell a little more.

I let Natalie go because she and I just weren't connecting on a lot of levels, and I felt as though she wanted to be with somebody that had not had any history of marriage in the past.

When it came to Ashley, I was never really able to uncover anything about her other than she's just a really nice, pleasant girl. We just didn't relate to each other anymore than that.

Kristie has this really great energy that I love. She's exciting to me. She's talkative and vibrant, and she's really into me, too.

Cheresse has also grown on me pretty quickly after our first date. She's beautiful, elegant, in a good place, and I'm very attracted to her. I feel the same way with Andrea, even though we haven't spent a lot of time together. But the things Andrea and I have shared so far have been very meaningful.

I have to believe — and honestly do — that my soulmate is one of the remaining women. It's exciting to know that she's one of 10 now instead of one of 25, but at the same time, it's still early. I'm still operating a lot on gut feeling, but I see the little rays of light in each of the ladies' personalities. I haven't gotten anywhere near the sun yet, but I see it.

For further details and photos of Byron's potential soulmate, go to:

To see "the professional side" of The Bachelor, go to:

Here's to healthy, adventuresome, soulful and even - going - on - tv - to - find - your - soulmate living!

~ Jennifer King