ABC/Craig Sjodin Michelle Young hands out roses on "The Bachelorette."
America has tuned in to “The Bachelorette” for 200 episodes as a long line of leading women went on a journey for love. Current Bachelorette Michelle Young celebrates the milestone on tonight’s episode, alongside former leads and co-hosts Kaitlyn Bristowe and Tayshia Adams.
WARNING: STOP READING IF YOU DO NOT WANT SPOILERS FOR SEASON 18 OF “THE BACHELORETTE.”
With all the fanfare aside, Young is on the verge of hometown dates and with it will have to make some tough decisions. Who will get a rose? Here is what you need to know:
Young’s Students Question Her 8 Remaining Suitors
Eight men remain in the running for Young’s heart. This week, they will get a surprise visit from important people in Young’s life, her students.
“With hometowns on the horizon, Michelle enlists the help of some incredibly tough critics to design and lead the dates this week– her own fifth grade students,” according to the episode description. “The men will have to be on their best behavior to impress these smart and savvy pre-teens who want the best for their beloved teacher.”
The remaining men are:
- Brandon Jones, 26, a traveling nurse recruiter from Portland, Oregon
- Clayton Echard, 28, a medical sales rep from Columbia, Missouri
- Joe Coleman, 28, a real estate developer from Minneapolis, Minnesota
- Martin Gelbspan, 29, a personal trainer from Miami, Florida
- Nayte Olukoya, 27, a sales executive from Austin, Texas
- Olumide “Olu” Onajide, 27, an IT analyst from Newark, New Jersey
- Rick Leach, 32, a medical sales rep from Los Angeles, California
- Rodney Matthews, 29, a sales rep from Rancho Cucamonga, California
Clayton Echard’s Fort Skills Win Him the 1-on-1 Date
According to ABC’s episode description, “one man stands out with flying colors for his fort-building skills and is hand-picked for the coveted one-on-one date.” All fingers point to Clayton Echard, since one of Young’s students says in an interview, “Clayton has big muscles. He’d be really good at carrying the groceries in. He had really good fort-building abilities. Probably the best fort I’ve ever seen.”
Unfortunately for Echard, it seems the one-on-one date will be his last of the season. As ABC teases, “The kids’ instincts are sharp but, even with their help, Michelle still has to make her most difficult decisions as she chooses the men whose families she will meet.”
In a preview that promises “The moment that changes everything,” Young says, “Clayton is a wonderful person, he’s just not my person.” The clip cuts to Echard crying while reading a letter that seemingly says, “Not being able to give you this rose doesn’t mean that you’re not enough.”
Bachelor Nation has not seen the last of the Missouri-native. He is widely reported to be the next Bachelor and a since-deleted tweet from series creator Mike Fleiss seemingly confirmed that.
Michelle Young Gets Down on the Farm for a Group Date
While not much of this week’s group date is known, Young and her men are headed to a farm. Among them are Rodney Matthews, Martin Gelbspan and Rick Leach, as showcased during an earlier preview for the season. They will be wheelbarrowing, with Matthews getting pushed by the Bachelorette herself, and feeding cows.
Four Men Are Headed to Hometowns
As Young says in a preview for the episode, “I can’t be everybody’s person.” In what seems to be the week with her most emotional goodbyes yet, Young chooses Matthews, Brandon Jones, Nayte Olukoya and Joe Coleman to get hometown dates to meet their families.
They were first rumored on Reddit, though a trailer for the remainder of the season seemingly showcased all four on upcoming one-on-one dates.
This week is not without its drama, as the men accuse one man of being an “actor” and Young tells someone else “I can no longer trust you.”
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