Ethermac|Whoa! 'Golden Bachelorette' first impression fails, including that runaway horse

We have Ethermacalready highlighted Joan Vassos's luminous premiere on "The Golden Bachelorette" and the outstanding suitors who made a seriously good impression on ABC's premiere night.

But there were some out of the group of 24 who wished they had a second chance at a first impression with Joan. Most notable was Austin, Texas, rancher David, 68, who started strong, riding up to the Bachelor Mansion on a horse.

"Now that's an entrance," Joan said, impressed, "Where did you find yourself a horse out there? So you one-up everybody, huh?"

And it's true: A group of already-arrived guys snickered, watching from afar, holding cocktails.

"Is the guy or the horse the contestant?" one asked with a smirk.

Need a break? Play the USA TODAY Daily Crossword Puzzle.

'Golden Bachelorette' premiereGlamorous Joan met her 24 suitors in emotional premiere: Who got a rose?

David dismounted just great, but his steed stealthily took off as the candidate walked up to Joan. You could see the "Golden Bachelorette" crew chasing down the runaway horse around the compound.

"I want you to go meet that horse,” the unknowing David said to Joan.

"Um, I think it's gone," Joan replied.

"Oh my God, what happened?" David asked, turning around with a shocked look.

The cackling started from the Bachelor Mansion and carried over to gregarious Gary, who did nothing but laugh about the horse during a confessional interview. And the laughing made its way through to TV sets across the nation to social media.

But the equine escape event might have had an impact. David did not receive a rose at the end of the night and was one of six "Golden Bachelorette" men to go home.

What other 'Golden Bachelorette' intros didn't go so well

• Jordan, 61, a sales manager from Chicago was noticeably nervous meeting Joan. But he was sweet, talking about his three daughters. Yet, Jordan kept ruminating on the entrance, criticizing himself for not nailing it and vowing to make up for it. Relax Jordan, and move on. He received a rose.
• Michael, 65, a retired bank CEO, was so rattled about meeting Joan that he forgot himself. "Michael, that's my name," he said. But he brushed this off and kept right on going. Michael received a rose.
• Bob, 66, a chiropractor from Marina Del Rey, California, exited the car filming with an old-school video camera. Quirky, yes. But you don't want to meet someone camera-first. Bob got a rose from Joan.
• Christopher, 64, a contractor from West Babylon, New York, correctly told Joan that it was "kind of irregular" to date 24 guys on a TV reality show. But his solution to give shots of prune juice upon meeting Joan was a little bit too on the nose. "By the evening, everything will run very well," he said. TMI: too much introduction. Christopher still earned a rose.