The Bachelorette is back and unlike last season, I am very excited to be recapping Michelle’s season of The Bachelorette. I’m also psyched that we have gotten so much back-to-back Bach content. As a reality TV connoisseur, watching other shows shot during the pandemic has been rough, to say the least. But based on previews, it seems like this season will give us some tastes of the real world, which I’m looking forward to.
I fell in love with Michelle the first time she exited the limo on Matt’s season. She had a beautiful smile, killer arms (seriously, drop the arm day routine, sis), and Midwestern charm that felt so familiar and relatable. I also loved her for Matt. They both worked with children and youth, were passionate about service work, and were athletes. So, I definitely had to side-eye Matt when he sent her home.
It all worked out though because now we get an entire season of Michelle and a new group of men that seem to be really promising (even if their bios make them all sound the same). Here are the men I’ve got my eye on.
Brandon J.
Brandon J. is one of the younger men in the group. He’s 26 and lives in Portland, Oregon. I like him for Michelle because of the basketball connection. It seemed like Michelle, her family, and Matt all really bonded over their love of the sport (and sports in general) so maybe that will bode well for Brandon too!
Joe
Lookswise, I think Joe might be my favorite for Michelle. He’s born and raised in Minneapolis, likes basketball, and wants a family. His ABC profile mentions being values-driven and wanting a woman who is as well, which sounds like Michelle to me. It doesn’t hurt that he’s easy on the eyes too.
Olumide
Listen, this man is fine! His ABC photo is disrespectful. Please turn your attention to his Instagram to get the full experience of him because BAYBEEE, he looks great. A 27-year-old, IT Analyst from Newark, New Jersey, Olumide was a D1 athlete at Rutgers University and according to his ABC profile came to compete. We see this a bit in the previews where it looks like he gifts Michelle a basketball jersey, a move Michelle did herself as a final gesture for Matt. That move alone is why he made my list.
Pardeep
ABC went the extra mile to find some of these men! Pardeep is a Neuroscientist from Brooklyn, New York. His work includes studying the brain to look at potential cures for diseases like Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s. Talk about incredible. I could see Michelle being moved by the work he does in his full-time job and them connecting over that. After all, Michelle is doing some world changing of her own by teaching the next generation.
Romeo
Last, but certainly not least, we have Romeo a mathematician and Harvard graduate interested in clean energy. He’s from New York City, likes museums, and loves to salsa dance. While he doesn’t outright call himself a hopeless romantic, with a name like Romeo, I imagine it’s hard not to be. I’m really hoping we get to learn about his background, what drew him to math, his thoughts on clean energy solutions, I want to hear it all!
Who do you think will catch Michelle’s eye?
My Predictions
We got a good amount of Michelle during Matt’s season. I won’t pretend that we know everything about her, but what we do know is solid. She loves her job as a teacher, she has a deep passion for making the world a better place, and she’s competitive. I also got the vibe that she is family-oriented and ready for marriage. I’m particularly excited to watch Michelle’s season unfold because she doesn’t seem so caught up in Instagram followers, nor her podcast prospects. I’m very much team come on the show and do what you gotta do to promote whatever your thing is, but there is something refreshing about getting a lead who barely uses social media and seems really committed to her job as an educator. She wasn’t even going to consider doing the show if they weren’t going to work around her teaching schedule. Now that filming is complete, she’s back in her classroom. I love that.
Here are my predictions for Michelle’s season.
- She gets engaged. Michelle seems like someone who really values “the process,” that is, going on a television show to find love. I don’t think she’ll get engaged because she feels like she has to, but because she genuinely wants to.
- Her pick won’t be immediately obvious. When Blake came in on Katie’s season, everyone knew it was over. Although Michelle’s connection with Matt was immediately seen on screen, I think her pick will be more of a quiet storm.
- These men are gonna fight for her love. Remember that cocktail party during Clare/Tayshia’s season where none of the men even tried to grab Clare and talk to her? I think we’re going to see the exact opposite this season, and honestly, I think it’ll be genuine (as genuine as an over-produced reality TV show can be).
A Note About Clayton Echard
So, the next Bachelor has already been announced on most entertainment platforms, but ABC and all official Bachelor accounts haven’t said a word. Here’s the deal: I watch all reality TV spoiler-free, but when multiple, reputable outlets are reporting something as true, I accept it as true. While I’m excited that my Mizzou world and Bachelor Nation are crossing paths (Clayton and I attended Mizzou at the same time) it’s disappointing that a season that’s giving us so many older men and men of color will be for naught as ABC goes back to its roots with the white football player from middle America.
I’m so excited to see how it all unfolds this season and really hoping Michelle found love. Who are you rooting for? What are your expectations for the season? Tweet me and let me know, I love to speculate!
Want my recaps straight to your inbox? Subscribe to my newsletter BK’s Bach Takes!
HEYITSBKAY 