Ashley Iaconetti is getting her shot at love, and she’s doing it in front of the entire nation.

Iaconetti, a Syracuse University alumna, appeared on Monday’s season premiere of “The Bachelor.” She will be pining for the heart of Chris Soules, an Iowa native who was given the nickname “Prince Farming.” Soules was a previous contestant on the “The Bachelorette” but failed to win the heart of Andi Dorfman.

Iaconetti, 26, attended the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications as a graduate student and graduated in 2013. According to an article on NewsChannel 9, Iaconetti also spent time at the station working as a sports intern.

Clad in a strapless evening gown, Iaconetti was the fifth woman to walk out of the limousine and was described as a freelance journalist from Wayne, New Jersey. She was part of the first batch of 15 women who arrived at the mansion, and the small group of contestants initially worried her.

“With 15 girls, you have more pressure on you,” Iaconetti said during the episode. “I don’t like it.”

But Iaconetti’s worry shifted when hours later, more limousines arrived, signaling the arrival of another batch of women. She and a few of the other ladies peeked out the windows to watch the second round of introductions.

The resulting group of 30 women made it the largest number of contestants that “The Bachelor” has ever seen.

“Make the girls stop coming,” Iaconetti said at one point.

Details of Soules and Iaconetti’s talk weren’t shown, as each woman tried to get her one-on-one time with him. When a contestant interrupted her time with Soules, Iaconetti said she felt she was “done” and “didn’t have a chance.”

At the end of the show, 29 ladies waited anxiously as Soules prepared to hand out roses, indicating they would move on to the next round. Britt Nilsson, a waitress from California, was given the “First Impression” rose and was automatically safe from elimination.

Iaconetti was the fourth woman to receive a rose during the tense rose ceremony, which eliminated eight women on the first night. It may or may not be a good sign for her, but a preview of the new season confirmed that Iaconetti will be one of the main women to watch during the weeks ahead.

Published on January 6, 2015 at 12:47 pm

Contact Clare: clramire@syr.edu