FOX Bobby Ray
Because ABC’s Bachelor in Paradise premiere in August seems light years away, FOX has delivered TV’s summer audiences with a similar type of reality dating series to fill the void called Paradise Hotel. Hosted by reality star Kristin Cavallari, the show features an ever rotating group of singles looking to find love at a swanky beach side resort in Mexico. And if Paradise Hotel sounds familiar, it’s because this show first premiered in 2003. In this this reiteration, the premise remains mostly the same, except there’s a quarter of million dollars at stake for the last couple left standing, and viewers get to help decide which contestants stay and go.
Standing out from 11 cast members featured in the Paradise Hotel 2019’s premiere episode was Bobby Ray, the super jacked contestant from St. Louis, Missouri. During the first coupling ceremony, Bobby Ray was able to stay in the competition after being selected by Tatum. However, their pairing wasn’t a match-up of the heart. Tatum chose Bobby Ray because neither of them had yet to find a romantic connection. Saving him offered them both another opportunity to find love as new cast members join the show.
So, who is Bobby Ray exactly? He is the ultimate bro with a heart of gold. Bobby Ray lists his official occupation as an “entrepreneur,” which is incredibly vague, but on par with what most men cast on a reality dating series offer up as their job. Bobby Ray calls himself “the life of the party” and a “goofy dork.” On his instagram page, the gym rat is either shooting hoops, or spending time with family. Bobby Ray is incredibly close with both his parents, who are still married, and his older sister, Hayley. The University of Tampa grad is also an avid golfer, loves to fish, is a major NASCAR fan.
While Bobby Ray’s first love is keeping his body in shape, a close second is his passion for golf. Captioned on Instagram as his “favorite picture of all time,” Bobby Ray posted a photo of pro golfer Tiger Woods, in which he’s in the background holding a jug of water and an extra camera around his neck, cheering his idol on.
And in case you were wondering what Bobby Ray looked like with a full head of blonde hair, here’s a throwback photo he posted from 2016.
While it would be easy to ride Bobby Ray off as a meat head, there’s something incredibly genuine about him. Bobby Ray may not be the brightest crayon in the box, and he may not be the most eloquent speaker, bluntly asking the guys at breakfast one morning on the show, “Anybody get it in last night?” Normally, a guy asking a question like that would sound like a douche, but in Bobby Ray’s case, that’s just his natural, not-so-slick way of trying to find out where he currently stood in the competition.
When viewers first met Bobby Ray, he greeted all the fellow male contestants on Paradise Hotel with a firm handshake, and limited vocabulary aside, he appears to be respectful and kind to all the female cast members. Yes, Bobby Ray has a 10-pack abs and zero percent body fat, but just like any other single twenty-something out there, he also deserves to find true love.
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