Heartland hunk Chris Soules's Arlington, Iowa, hometown has a population of 427. According to Bachelor host Chris Harrison, this basically means the previous dating pool of the ABC series' 18th leading man (Though there has been 19 seasons of the show, Brad Womack was the Bachelor twice.) is better described as a dating puddle.

"I never really thought about what a population of that size meant in terms of Chris's prospects until I saw how he reacted on night one. He was like a kid in a candy store," Harrison tells Yahoo TV. "Chris was so overwhelmed and blown away by the women that it was endearing. At first, I thought he was giving me lip service and being nice, but I realized he'd never really dated women as beautiful as this."

Prince Farming's rosy reaction as the beautiful bunch of women poured out of the limos was merely a sign of how Soules's season would play out. "He is one of the easiest Bachelors we've ever had because he's a regular dude who was always so appreciative of the opportunity and is used to long hours and working hard as a farmer," explains Harrison, who felt instant kinship with the Midwesterner. "I know it sounds silly, but no one really anticipates just how mentally and emotionally taxing and unbelievably physically grueling it is to be the Bachelor. But Chris was always genuine and fun to be around, and that was contagious. His enthusiasm carried over to the women as well as the crew. He is very serious about finding someone to share his life with."

Related: Watch Chris Harrison Slap Chris Soules in the New 'Bachelor' Promo

Producers knew that Soules's farm life, in all its rural porcine glory, could be a hard sell for the ladies vying for Chris's hand, so the format was tweaked "to resemble and embrace who Chris is" and "to give the women a glimpse at what life would be like with him."

"Ninety percent of the women who come on are fans and were really excited it was him. But saying you'd move to Arlington, Iowa to be a farmer's wife is one thing; actually doing it is another," Harrison admits. "The further the women go and as the season moves along, that becomes more of an issue because pulling that trigger is no small decision for most of the women."

Gone, then, is the usual Bachelor globetrotting, at least until it was time for exotic dates, and a good portion of the show will take place in the Hawkeye State. "We kept it domestic for the most part, and we don't even necessarily hit the glamour spots like New York. Think Des Moines and Dubuque."

While there's bound to be at least one helicopter ride (what would a Bachelor season be without them?), many of the dates will be more outdoorsy, active, and simple. "He is a rough and tumble, flannel shirt-wearing working-class man, so the dates resemble that. There's camping and rafting, and some of these girls aren't quite equipped for his lifestyle. But it was important for him to see who didn't take to it so he could make better decisions about who to send home," says Harrison, who wouldn't confirm whether the gals will be asked to pitch(fork) in on Soules's farm. He adds, "Not that life would be all shucking corn if you ended up with Chris. It isn't like he doesn't have a ton of money. He wants to travel. He wants a spunky girl who will bring out the lighter side in him. He wants to have nice things and spoil his lady. It isn't like you are gonna move to the farm and never be heard from again."

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Harrison also points out that despite very different backgrounds, some women made instant connections with the Bachelor and took to the simple life quite quickly. Harrison says the following five contestants are are the ones to watch:

