‘The Bachelor’ pre-show rankings: Sean Lowe’s top five contenders are…

With “The Bachelor” almost back on TV now, it’s time to re-institute an old Cartermatt.com tradition: weekly contestant rankings! We do this show a little bit differently than many of the other reality competitions we rank, largely because there are so many contestants to look at here, and even several episodes into a season, the ones who are not destined to go far of course end up being largely ignored when it comes to the edit.

With that in mind, we’re going to be focusing for much of the season on the top five contenders to win Sean Lowe’s heart. Have no fear when it comes to spoilers: we’re just basing this on our own pre-show impressions of the ladies coupled with what we know about Sean from “The Bachelorette.” Basically, we’re trying to figure out who he would be leaning towards after just one night in the house.

5. Robyn Howard – Never underestimate the power of location. Distance is in some ways what has doomed some prior “Bachelor” relationships, and Robyn lives reasonably close to Sean’s Dallas home base in Houston. She also works in the oil business, and there will be some opportunities for her elsewhere. She also dances for the Houston Rockets, so you know right away that she is athletic (which would have to appeal to him).

4. Amanda Meyer – Personally, we’re not too big of a fan of models on “The Bachelor” after Courtney Robertson, but it also seems unfair to discount someone like Amanda who at least on the surface seems to be pretty nice. There is always one model who sticks around for a little while, as well, so we don’t expect her to be going anywhere in the immediate future on the show.

3. Catherine Giudici – From the get-go, Catherine is probably going to stand out thanks to her unique heritage (as she is of Filipino and Italian descent), and she also seems to combine two of the things that Sean possesses a great deal of: maturity but also a sense of humor. We don’t know if she will be his favorite from night one, but she could become more dangerous as the competition progresses.

2. Lesley Murphy – We already know that Lesley is going to give Sean a memorable introduction courtesy of her playing a little bit of “football” with him after leaving the limo, but he should find more to like there than just humor. She’s from a very football-centered area in Arkansas, and we know that he (as someone who appreciates intelligent women) will appreciate that she has two degrees. She also comes from a tight-knit family, and he seems to appreciate that very much.

1. Desiree Hartsock – On paper, this 26-year old woman seems absolutely perfect for Sean. She’s deeply religious, very intelligent, and she already works in the bridal industry as a stylist. In other words, you know that she has to be capable of throwing the perfect wedding. Without even seeing her on TV, we know that she fulfills most of what he is looking for, and it is now just a matter of chemistry.

Who is your personal favorite of the contestants right now to win Sean’s heart? Be sure to share your thoughts below, and you can also view a new sneak peek for “The Bachelor” over at the link here.

Photo: ABC