October 19 marked the season premiere of season 18 of The Bachelorette. Although Katie’s season was just a few months ago, this year ABC is producing back-to-back seasons of The Bachelorette. Initially, Katie and Michelle were asked to be the stars at the same time, but the schedules did not work out due to Michelle’s teaching calendar. Therefore, we have more seasons this year than any other year, as they normally would have a break until The Bachelor.
The show is premiering on Tuesdays this season, which also differs from the typical Monday night screenings. If you are interested in viewing this season, you can check it out every Tuesday at 8 p.m.
After the recent breakup of Katie and her fiancé, Blake, I have high hopes that this season will turn out differently. The Bachelorette has a much higher success rate than The Bachelor, which can be tracked after comparing the seasons. Hopefully, this trend will continue for Michelle and the future stars to come.
Who is Michelle?
For this season, the lead is Michelle Young. Michelle was first introduced to the franchise during Matt James’ season of The Bachelor when she came in as a late arrival. Both Matt and fans were quickly wowed over by her kind personality and care for others. During her time on The Bachelor, she made it all the way to the final two before being sent home.
Michelle didn’t need to look very far for her next opportunity to meet the love of her life, as she was soon announced as the bachelorette. Young is a 28-year-old kindergarten teacher from Minnesota. Her ongoing commitment to her students and her job show she is looking for true love, as she was not willing to give up her whole life just to be on the show. She is also fairly new to social media, as she only made her Instagram account prior to joining Matt’s season in 2020. From the looks of it, she is a very normal person who is there for the right reasons.
One of Michelle’s hobbies is basketball, as she used to be a Division 1 basketball player. Due to this, many of the men entered the show with some type of reference to basketball, such as Spencer, who came in dribbling basketballs. Her portfolio is available for further reading online.
First Episode Summary
Just like Katie’s season, Tayshia Adams and Kaitlyn Bristowe are the hosts for Michelle’s season. Last season, they were very helpful, in my opinion, and were able to act as Katie’s friends rather than a typical host. At the start of the show, we are introduced to 30 different men, who all have the opportunity to meet Michelle. The cast members all have descriptions available on The Bachelorette website.
As the men exited the limo and introduced themselves to Michelle, there were some humorous impressions. One that stood out for the remainder of the episode was Rick’s entrance. He decided to come in on a cart hidden underneath a serving dish. Michelle was then surprised by his reveal when she lifted the tray’s cover, and he was forced to stay in the cart until later on in the episode.
One of the main situations in this episode had to do with Ryan and his file. After searching through his room as a joke, Tayshia and Kaitlyn found papers about how to get ahead in the show and become a fan favorite. Although Michelle really seemed to enjoy his company, everything changed once the women told her about what they found. Ryan tried to deny his involvement in the making of the folder, but it was rather obvious that he didn’t deserve to be on the show. Michelle decided to send him home right away, even before the rose ceremony.
At the end of the episode, Michelle had to hand out her first impression rose. She decided to give her rose to Nayte, who was an immediate favorite. By giving him her rose, he was safe during the rose ceremony and is now positioned in the lead of the pack. After the rose ceremony was over, 23 people remained, which is a large drop from the 30 she started with.
Standout Men
Although I have only seen one episode so far, there were some men who stood out from the pack already. Obviously, Nayte, a 27-year-old sales executive from Texas, is one of the frontrunners. The pair seemed to have a genuine, instant spark, which is a good sign for their future relationship.
Another person who stood out was Clayton, a medical sales representative from Missouri. Although he didn’t seem to stand out much during the first episode, he seemed like a kind person. He is one to watch, as the show has basically confirmed that he is the next bachelor. I will be eagerly watching him throughout his time on the show.
Joe, a real estate developer from Minnesota, is another person to look out for, as he has a history with Michelle. Apparently, they were messaging each other at one point before he ghosted her. This caused Michelle to be suspicious of his intentions, but she decided to give him a chance in the end.
Overall, I am really excited for this season and the drama to come!