[The Bachelor] is very real and it all starts with the casting... The crew learned all about my character and temperament to find exactly what I’m looking for in a life partner. We looked at what had worked for me in the past, what had caused past relationships to fail and by the time it was over, they knew me better than I did.

Following the most buzzed-about season in series history, Jake Pavelka takes center stage tonight and tries to keep the Jason Mesnick-inspired momentum of the show going.

Will he succeed? The single pilot has already read from ABC's script and promised lots of drama on the weeks ahead. It all starts with the usual setting, of course:

A mansion, 25 desperate women, an awkward initial meeting and a heart-breaking rose ceremony. Below, we've captured a number of images from this evening's premiere, including a visit from Jillian and Ed.

Click on each photo for a larger version and remember to return to TV Fanatic tomorrow for a complete episode wrap-up...

Matt Richenthal is the Editor in Chief of TV Fanatic. Follow him on Twitter and on Google+.