It's our second Bachelorette, Meredith! We begin our journey by getting to know Meredith much better than we ever did on The Bachelor. Meredith explains that being let go by Bob was the best thing that could have happened, because she now has the chance to let the real Meredith shine through. Meredith admits that she's very nervous and excited, and never thought she would be The Bachelorette. It's then time for Meredith to meet the men vying for her heart. The men arrive, and Rick, the second Bachelor out, tells Meredith he has a present for her, which he'll give to her later. Not to be out-done, Harold arrives with a hockey jersey as a gift. Once all of the guys are in the house, it's clear to Meredith that she's in for a tough time. Meredith enters the party and thanks all the men for coming out to meet her. After spending time with a lot of the guys, Rick finally gets a moment to take Meredith aside and give her his present — a pair of slippers. The gift-giving continues, with

We begin at the Bachelor's Pad, where Chris calls the men together and tells them there will be two group dates and one one-on-one date. Chris goes on to explain the White Rose, and that Rick has earned the first one-on-one date. The men watch their first video invitation, where they learn who is going on the first group date with Meredith. First Group Date: ATV Riding With: Marcus, Brad, Matthew, Chad, Ryan M., Sean and Harold Meredith arrives and picks the men up, and takes them to a helicopter, where they ride out to the desert for a day of ATV riding. Everyone ends up covered in mud, and Matthew admits he's drawn to Meredith. The group freshens up in a luxury bus, and the men begin to spend private time with Meredith out at a ""desert oasis"" that has been set up for them. Ryan M. gets his private time first, and Meredith seems to have a good time with him. The men then take turns interrupting each other to get their time with Meredith, which pleasantly surprises her. Brad was

Chris tells the men what's on tap for the next few dates — a one-on-one date, a two-on-one date, and a seven-on-one date. He then tells them they've used the compatibility tests the men took earlier as the criteria for these dates, and Ian has been chosen as the lucky recipient of the one-on-one date. First On-One Date: Chinatown With: Ian Meredith arrives to pick Ian up, and she confesses that she's very much looking forward to being with Ian. In the limo, Ian and Meredith bond when Ian tells Meredith he lost his mother when he was only three years old. They arrive in Chinatown and have some fun taking in the sites on the way to dinner. Over their meal, Ian tells Meredith that he wants to be married and have children, but if he's not feeling it, it won't happen. They then sit out by the Chinatown Wishing Well, where they kiss. Meredith admits she doesn't know where he came from, but she's looking forward to getting to know him better. Ian also confesses that he really wants a

Chris introduces the men to their new house guests — Kelly Jo from The Bachelor and TJ, Meredith's old friend. Kelly Jo and TJ ask the men to write love letters that explain why they are the right man for Meredith, and then they will decide who gets one of three one-on-one dates. The rest of the men will share Meredith on a group date. The men write down their thoughts and feelings, and one at a time go outside and read their essays to Kelly Jo and TJ. The men explain their strong feelings and attractions to Meredith, and Chad even gets a little choked up. Kelly Jo and TJ are touched by Chad's openness, and give him the first one-on-one date. First On-One Date: Gondola Dinner Date With: Chad Meredith picks Chad up in a sports car, and they head to Newport Beach for dinner. They arrive at the docks and board a gondola, and are taken out for a gondola ride. Under each bridge, they kiss. After the sun sets, they arrive at a floating pod, where they eat a sushi dinner. Meredith has

First Hometown Date: Houston With: Matthew Meredith arrives in Houston to meet Matthew, and see how well country life agrees with her. She arrives at his family's ranch house, and Matthew takes her out to an oak grove for a picnic and some casual fun, climbing trees and swinging on a rope. They enjoy each other's company and continue to grow closer together. They return to the house and meet his father Ray, brother Chris, uncle Jerome and mother Carol. Carol immediately tells Meredith she shouldn't want some Yankee-boy, she should want a nice, quiet Southerner. Ray tells the couple he's not sure how they could meet and grow so close in so short a time, but he can see how comfortable they are with each other. Matthew mentions that they feel like they've been together much longer than they have. Meredith seems to hit it off with the family, and is at ease with this very down-to-earth family. They go inside for dinner, where Carol reads them a very nice toast, and they dine together.

Meredith packs to go off to Puerto Rico, where she will have overnight dates in different cities with all three remaining men. Meredith confides that she is excited, and plans to really get to know these guys, but is also scared, as she's never dated three guys at the same time before. First Dream Date: San Juan With: Ian Meredith greets Ian atop an old fort in San Juan, hoping to learn more about how he feels about her. The two spend the day playing and flying a kite, and Meredith confesses that with Ian, she feels very relaxed. Ian has the goal of opening up and letting Meredith know how he feels about her. Meredith tells Ian that she, too, is not a great communicator, and that when she says something, she means it. Ian kisses her, and tells her that's how he communicates. Ian confesses that when Meredith talked about not being a great communicator, it made him smile, as he is dealing with the exact same issue. After spending the day out and touring Old San Juan, they meet agai

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 19 (8:00-9:00 p.m., ET) -- Meredith faces the 23 rejected men for the first time since they left the show, as the men who did not receive roses from Meredith reunite to dish and give their predictions on which of the two remaining men she's likely to choose.

Torn between Matthew's stability, warmth and protection and Ian's instability, passion and sense of adventure, she takes them home to meet the parents. Matthew Meets the Family First, Meredith spends an afternoon with Matthew on a river cruise in Portland OR. Looking forward to meeting the family, Matthew declares he's ready to consider marriage as long as she's ready. She won't open up, saying she's been hurt so many times. He wants to protect himself too, knowing he's not the only one. Then, on to the family — the parents, brother and uncle. Her Dad's impressed when, under questioning, Matthew says he sees something in Meredith's eyes and smile that makes him want to be there. Meredith tells her family she's never met anyone like him, that she feels safe and secure with him. Dad notices that Meredith is glowing and her brother, who had been a skeptic, says Matthew has more intelligence and personality than he'd suspected. After dinner the couple snuggles on the couch. He asks

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 26 (8:00-9:00 p.m., ET) - This one-hour special features the first public appearance by the happy couple, and includes an appearance by the man who was not chosen. ""The Bachelorette: After the Final Rose"" - this first-ever LIVE one-hour special features the first public appearance by the happy couple, who will take calls from viewers. The call-in number will be given at the top of the broadcast, and will also be found on abc.com, keyword: Bachelorette. In addition, the next Bachelor, NY Giants quarterback Jesse Palmer, will be introduced.