SEASON PREMIERE

FAN FAVORITE JILLIAN HARRIS GETS A SECOND CHANCE AT LOVE, AS THE FIFTH EDITION OF ABC'S ROMANCE REALITY SERIES "THE BACHELORETTE" PREMIERES MONDAY, MAY 18, ON ABC

Thirty � Count 'em � 30 Fabulous Bachelors Will Compete for Jillian's Roses for the First Time Ever

This Season's Highlights Include Extraordinary Trips Across Canada, Spain and Hawaii, a Private Concert by Grammy Award-Winner and Four-Time CMA Female Vocalist of the Year Martina McBride and a Pick-Up Game of Basketball with the Harlem Globetrotters

Jillian Harris, the intelligent, independent, passionate woman who fell just short of her goal -- hoping that Jason Mesnick could be her best friend, soul mate and future husband on the just completed hit season of "The Bachelor" -- will have her own opportunity to find true love, as the fifth edition of the female version of the ABC's popular romance reality series premieres MONDAY, MAY 18 (9:02-11:00 p.m., ET), on the ABC Television Network.

An instant fan favorite on the last edition of "The Bachelor," Jillian, 29, immediately charmed America with her irrepressible humor and emotional honesty. She currently resides in Vancouver, British Columbia and works as a restaurant interior designer, successfully supervising projects in both Canada and the U.S. Vivacious and energetic, She always lives life to the fullest, but she is ready to settle down with her soulmate and is confident that she can find the love of her life on "The Bachelorette." Jillian, who has enjoyed being part of a tight knit family, is an only child and is excited at the thought of starting her own family.

Editor's note: Beginning Monday, May 25, the program moves to its regular two-hour run time from 8:00-10:00 p.m., ET.

This season's premiere, "Episode 501," begins with 25 eligible men arriving from all over the country to try and win Jillian's heart, including an Olympic cyclist, a break dance instructor, a pizza entrepreneur, a commercial pilot and a wine maker, as well as a successful lawyer, general contractor, business developer and oil and gas consultant. Each is more handsome than the next with standout personalities. All the men saw Jillian on "The Bachelor" and can't wait to meet her.

The first man out of the limousine blows Jillian away with his good looks and quiet charm; one man literally sweeps her off her feet and yet another becomes quite tongue-tied in her presence.The party kicks into high gear as Jillian starts to look for the bachelor who will receive the night's only first impression rose. One tall, dark and handsome guy attempts to woo her with his Latin style, a country crooner charms Jillian with a song � and then two bachelors duke it out on the floor, battling in a dance-off!

But in a stunning, first-ever twist, five strikingly handsome late arrivals crash the party. Jillian will be the first person in the history of "The Bachelor" and "The Bachelorette" to have 30 suitors to select from. The original group of 25 men quietly seethe as the additional guests get their time with the Bachelorette. One bachelor reveals that he is secretly obsessed with Jillian's feet, while a wealthy businessman impresses her with his laid-back confidence. In the end, Jillian presents her "first impression" rose to the man who managed to stand out in the crowd of eligible contenders. By the end of the evening, Jillian, having the time of her life and confident that her future husband is among this group of men, must eliminate ten of the 30 bachelors the first night, leaving 20 to compete for her affections and, in the end, her heart.

A list of bachelors will be released shortly.

Once again, trios of lucky bachelors get to live in the mansion with Jillian, while the rest of the men must live together in an unspectacular bunkhouse down the hill. And, during one of the episodes, the bachelors must vote for the man they'd most like to send home � much to one stunned and unhappy bachelor's dismay.

Jillian's hunt for Mr. Right will take place during some of the most romantic and adventurous dates ever with exciting surprises in store for her bachelors as they travel around the globe for intimate dates in California, Hawaii, Canada and Spain. Jillian takes one lucky man on her ultimate dream date: a private concert by Grammy Award-winner and four-time CMA Female Vocalist of the Year Martina McBride at the House of Blues in Hollwood. McBride will sing her hit "Ride," as well as her new single, "I Just Call You Mine," from her new album, "Shine," which debuted at No. 1 on the Country Album charts. Seven bachelors go on a group date to Venice Beach, California, for a game of pick-up basketball. Little did they know that they would play against the world famous Harlem Globetrotters. In the most daring date in "Bachelorette" history, Jillian takes one man on a helicopter ride to the roof of the Bonaventure Hotel in downtown Los Angeles, but the only way down is to rappel 30 floors to the pool. Will the guy have the courage to measure up to our most daring Bachelorette? Then, it's "lights, camera, action!" as 11 bachelors get to channel their inner John Wayne on a movie set, acting in an old-fashioned Western. Are there any scene stealers, or just those who would like to steal a kiss?

Traveling north, Canada becomes Jillian's personal playground with the guys, as she takes some of the bachelors to her hometown of Vancouver, showing them the city sights through her eyes. Then she takes one man ziplining through a mountain in Whistler and six of the men get a truly romantic surprise, traveling on The Rocky Mountaineer for a spectacular cross-country train journey, stopping for dates in some of the most beautiful places in North America.

As in the past, men will continue to be eliminated each week, but if at any point along the way a bachelor should decide that he's no longer interested in the Bachelorette, he can reject her invitation to continue dating. Two lucky men will meet her family, and she will visit the final bachelors' hometowns for a slice of their lives in an effort to determine the man with whom she is most compatible -- but there are surprises in store for Jillian that shake her world. At the end of the journey, the Bachelorette may quite possibly have found true love. But the big question is: After all of this, will he pop the question, and will she say yes?

Hosted by Chris Harrison, "The Bachelorette" is a production of Next Entertainment in association with Warner Horizon Television. Mike Fleiss and Martin Hilton are the executive producers. "The Bachelorette" is broadcast with Spanish subtitles via secondary closed captioning. A TV parental guideline will be posted closer to airdate.

This episode of "The Bachelorette" will be available on ABC.com the day after airing on the network for users to watch online.