Wow! I mean, wow! The time has come to find out who will be the next Bachelorette, and apparently, this is a life or death situation we’ve got on our hands. Maybe there’s a cute EMT on standby who can also serve as a good rebound guy.

Britt says she’s “hopeful,” but she’ll be “devastated” if it doesn’t work out. Something tells me Britt gets devastated pretty easily, like if the barista at Starbucks messes up her order. Kaitlyn isn’t much better off. She’s convinced her future husband is in this bunch, and if she goes home, it’s going to be “the worst thing in the world.”

The Bachelorette Season 11 Premiere Recap: The Men Cast Their Votes >>>

The Next Bachelorette Is…

Chris Harrison really knows how to drag out a moment. He goes to see Britt first, and even though he promises to get right to it, he takes the long way around. But it’s worth the wait because Britt is not going to be the next Bachelorette. Close but no cigar, Britt-Britt. Whoo-hooo!!!!!! There’s hope for this season yet. I know there are going to be some cranky bachelors, but somehow, I think they’ll muddle through.

To her credit, Britt doesn’t cry; I’m guessing that will come later when the shock wears off. Oh, wait, once the limo pulls away, the water works begin. Britt, who wants to be a wife and mom more than anything in the world, is grateful she got to meet some men who were ready for that level of commitment — at least for the duration of filming — but she’s also kind of bummed because now she knows what she’s missing. Darn, darn, darn, darn. Now this breathtakingly gorgeous woman is going to have to meet Mr. Right the old-fashioned way. He’s out there, Britt. Keep hope alive.

Now that Britt has left the building, the fun can begin. Chris Harrison breaks the good news to Kaitlyn, and to her credit, her first thoughts are of Britt. Chis assures her that Britt took the news well. The rest of this journey is now all about Kaitlyn finding love, and Chris promises her he’s going to do everything in his power to help her do that.

As soon as the desire to barf subsides, Kaitlyn’s got work to do because there is a rose ceremony that night. First, she calls her mom to tell her the good news.

Bachelor Star Chris Soules Not Rushing to Move in with Whitney Bischoff >>>

The Men Scramble

Chris Harrison introduces Kaitlyn as the Bachelorette, and a couple of men — Shawn B. and Ian — can hardly contain their enthusiasm. The group, as a whole, gives her a standing ovation, but you can see that some “Team Britt” guys — Brady, a singer-songwriter from Tennessee, and Johnathan — are going to have to fake it until they make it.

The voters have become the votees (I know it’s not a word), and it’s time to sweep Kaitlyn off her feet ASAP. Joshua, a farmer and welder from Idaho, crafted a rose out of steel and presents it to Kaitlyn. Well played, Joshua, well played.

“Black-Eyed Tony” is reeling. He came in with the intention of focusing on Kaitlyn, but after meeting Britt, she stole his heart. Since she’s gone, he’s trying to regroup but isn’t psyched about the circumstances.

Bachelor Star Chris Soules on Whitney Bischoff: “We’re Together and We’re in Love” >>>

The Britt Factor

Jared, a restaurant manager from Rhode Island, decides to take the direct approach with Kaitlyn. He admits to her that he voted for Britt. He makes it clear that he doesn’t want to go anywhere, and he thinks Kaitlyn is just super, but he didn’t want to feel like he wasn’t withholding information.

The whole voting thing is going to be the elephant in the room for a few of these guys, so Jared sets himself apart from the pack by coming clean, and Kaitlyn tells him she appreciates his honesty.

Kaitlyn knows that some of the men probably aren’t feeling her right now, and she’s got to flush out Britt’s acolytes pretty quickly. JJ, a single dad who referred to Britt as his future wife a hot minute ago, tells Kaitlyn that she was initially his first choice, but he didn’t get a chance to spend time with her before the vote. I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt since he was the one who said he wanted to “puck her.”

JJ tells Kaitlyn he has a 3-year-old daughter and wants to know how Kaitlyn feels about that. She says the fact that he’s a parent makes her take him a bit more seriously. Kaitlyn admits to JJ that she finds him very attractive and she’s into him. Kaitlyn urges him not to hold back and he swears he’s all in.

Bachelor Couple Chris Soules and Whitney Bischoff Plagued with Breakup Rumors >>>

First Kisses

But it’s the dentist, Chris, who rolled up in the cupcake car, that makes it to first base. He has got some moves. Nothing like the prospect of free teeth whitening to get a girl all hot and bothered.

Kaitlyn gets enough positive feedback to feel that the men are just as much there for her, if not more so, than for Britt, and she’s ready to move forward with a clean slate.

Kaitlyn may have locked lips with Chris, but she gives the first impression rose to Shawn B. A solid choice. Kaitlyn plants one on him, and it’s all about the swelling background music, butterflies and fireworks.

Summer 2015 Calendar: 98 Premiere Dates >>>

The Rose Ceremony

The first rose goes to Chris. A cupcake car coupled with a game of tongue hockey must be like Spanish Fly.

Ben H., JJ, Joe and Kupa (Team Britt), an entrepreneur from Boston, all make the cut. Ryan B., a realtor from Florida, says that in a perfect world, the guys who voted for Britt would go home before the guys that voted for Kaitlyn.

Daniel (a fashion designer from Tennessee), Ryan B., Joshua and Tony make it. Some of the guys are starting to sweat it, especially since men who were all about Britt are potentially staying while a Kaitlyn-ite could go home.

In the middle of the ceremony, Brady asks to have a private moment with Kaitlyn. It’s no big surprise that he’s taking himself out of the running. In an interesting twist, Brady’s off to find Britt, and Chris Harrison is only too eager to do a little matchmaking on the side.

The ceremony resumes, and Clint (an architectural engineer from Illinois) and Corey (an investment banker from NYC) get the next two roses.

Johnathan, Cory (a residential developer from Texas), Ben Z. (a fitness coach from California), Ian and Justin are all still in the game.

The final rose goes to Jared.

As the credits roll, Brady’s on his way to see about a girl — a downtrodden Britt.

The next episode of The Bachelorette airs on Monday, May 25 at 9pm on ABC.

(Image courtesy of ABC)

Jennifer Lind-Westbrook

Contributing Writer, BuddyTV

Jennifer has worked as a freelance writer in the entertainment field since 2012. In addition to currently writing feature articles for Screen Rant, Jennifer has contributed content ranging from recaps to listicles to reviews for BuddyTV, PopMatters, TVRage, TVOvermind, and Tell-Tale TV. Links to some of Jennifer’s reviews can be found on Rotten Tomatoes.