At Grady, one of the most diverse high schools in the state, you would think it would be easy to find love. However, for Nolan, things haven’t worked out, though they are looking up with help from his wingman, Mr. Copeland. In 1993 Copeland and Chris Harrison, host of ABC’s The Bachelor, graduated from Oklahoma City University together and began a lifelong friendship, letting Copeland pull a few strings to get Nolan a boost in his dating life. Chris Harrison agreed to bring The Bachelor to Grady for a season.

“I wasn’t really sure what to expect going into this,” Nolan said. “I didn’t even think very many girls were going to show up to try out. I was amazed at the turnout.”

Auditions were held in the theater for the bachelorettes to secure their spot on the show. The producers were only offering ten spots, but the line was wrapped all the way around the old gym. After rigorous personality and compatibility tests, the producers decided on Lili, Avery, Leah, Ansley, Lily, Kelley, Lily, Emma, Brooke, and Payton.

The Friday after auditions were held, the season premiered. The limo pulled up to the red steps for the girls to introduce themselves and enter the gym, where the first cocktail party would be held.

“All I could think about for the week leading up to the first night was what to say to Nolan as I got out of the limo,” Lily said. “I wanted to impress him but not freak him out at the same time.”

On night one, drama filled the cocktail party from the beginning. Immediately after Nolan finished his speech, Kelley took him away to talk, and she stole him away from other girls on two separate occasions. In the end, Leah ended up receiving the first impression rose.

“There was just something about Leah that caught my eye,” Nolan said. “She reminded me of home, and I knew I needed to get to know how she got to be the way she is.”

Nerves were high among the girls leading up to the first rose ceremony. Kelley ended up being the first girl to not receive a rose. This set the tone for the rest of the season with tough decisions that Nolan had to make.

Each following week there were two group dates in a classroom setting and one on one dates during first lunch.

“Every week, it got harder and harder to send girls home,” Nolan said. “It was tough to say goodbye to these girls that I was starting to develop very strong feelings for.”

As the episodes came out, more drama ensued. Fights between the girls left Nolan feeling frustrated and empty, but he was confident in his last two choices. Ansley and Leah were both ready to make the commitment to have a relationship with Nolan.

“I woke up the morning of the last day knowing who I had to choose,” Nolan said.

Leah was heartbroken when Nolan chose Ansley at the final rose ceremony. She knew that she and Nolan could’ve been great together, but his feelings for Ansley were stronger.

“I didn’t believe that Nolan choosing me was real life at first,” Ansley said. “I was so happy to know he felt the same way about me that I did about him.”