Minnesota Man Causes Big Drama On Bachelorette Season Premiere
I think it is safe to say this isn't the best way to make a first impression. The Bachelorette premiered Tuesday (October 19th) and one of the main storylines of the episode focused on a contestant from Minnesota.
In case you need some context, our new "Bachelorette" is from Minnesota as well. Michelle Young was born in Woodbury and still resides in the area working as a teacher. She became a fan favorite on the last season of The Bachelor.
In fact, she was an instant favorite for fans and for the lead, despite being part of a special twist which sent a handful of girls into the mix after the season already started filming. Eventually, Michelle made it to the top two before being sent home.
Shortly after being cut, it was announced she would become the next Bachelorette. It seems like forever ago that the announcement was made so it is exciting that the season is finally here.
I watched the big premiere in real time and it didn't disappoint. Minnesota was mentioned often as we got to know Michelle more and as she talked about her childhood and her life there now.
Minnesota became front and center yet again later in the episode and it was cringeworthy. All was going well as the contestants came to meet Michelle one by one. Things changed a bit when Michelle met a contestant named Joe.
We learned that there would be a contestant from Minnesota when the cast was revealed over the summer. (By the way, there is also a contestant from Wisconsin!) His name is Joe Coleman and he renovates homes for a living.
The two met like all the rest of the contestants but as Joe was walking away and into the cocktail hour, Michelle stated that she recognized him from somewhere. While he was walking, she asked if his last name was Coleman.
It turns out that she slid into his DMs and the two struck up a conversation on social media. The only problem is that he completely ghosted her! She pulls him aside to talk to him alone during the cocktail hour. She isn't happy at all, saying she doesn't know if she can trust him.
He explains that the reason he ghosted her on social media is because he was dealing with personal things and didn't think he could give himself away fully to anyone. He cited George Floyd and the events that followed as one of the reasons, saying he was processing everything all while residing close to where everything took place.
Michelle said she understood but wished that he told her that, saying she would have preferred an explanation rather than him completely ignoring her. She said she had to think things through and didn't know if they could continue their relationship.
In the end, she did give him a rose but only time will tell if she truly did forgive him or if these two can work things out. I do think it is strange that he would ignore her when he had the chance to get to know her in the real world but would go on a television show to get to know her later.
We do know that these two go on a date at some point, as some lucky fans noticed the two filming a one-on-one date at a Twins game over the summer!
How far will he go? We will have to wait and see. If you don't want to wait and see, there are rumors floating around online about who wins the season. You can read all about that at your own risk. I will be watching how things play out in real time!