ABC Nayte Olukoya got Michelle Young's First Impression Rose.
Nayte Olukoya received Michelle Young’s First Impression Rose on the October 19, 2021, premiere of “The Bachelorette.” Not only did Nayte make a great first impression on Michelle, but the rest of the watching world seemed to really like him as well.
Nayte sat down for a chat on the October 20, 2021, episode of the “Bachelor Happy Hour” podcast with Becca Kufrin and Tayshia Adams.
During the interview, Nayte opened up about his decision to join the cast of the show — and about how he felt getting Michelle’s First Impression Rose (and the first kiss of the season).
Here’s what you need to know:
Nayte Opened Up About How He Ended Up Getting Cast on ‘The Bachelorette’
Nayte admits that he hasn’t really been a fan of the show, and had only watched one season; Peter Weber’s season of “The Bachelor.”
“I think it was good not knowing a lot of the ins and outs and what not. At the end of the day, I kinda just figured that, as long as you are who you are… just be yourself. I didn’t know what to expect. I didn’t have any expectations. I was just like, let’s do this. Let’s see if Michelle and I connect. If we connect, great, if we don’t connect, I’m not forced to be here. I can leave any time I want,” Nayte explained of his feelings going on the show.
“I was super hesitant…it took me a while to actually sign the contract and actually say ‘okay, yeah, I want to do this,'” Nayte continued. “It was such a weird thing. It’s not like I applied to be here,” he added. He went on to explain that he went out and met someone named Mike, and the two ended up vibing. Mike told Nayte that he was contacted to apply to be on the show, but couldn’t do it because of work commitments. So, Mike told Nayte that he was going to submit his profile to casting.
Nayte was super apprehensive, saying that the show really wasn’t his style because he’s “more of a private person, in general.” After casting directors decided they wanted Nayte to join the season, he spoke with his family and his friends before making the decision. “Long story short, what’s the worst that can happen?” Nayte recalls thinking.
Turns out, “it was a really awesome experience,” according to Nayte.
Nayte Talked About Being the First Guy Out of the Limo
Nayte talked to Becca and Tayshia about being the very first guy out of the limo on night one. “I had no idea. We were in the limo… we came to the conclusion that [we were in] the first limo,” Nayte said. He figured that a couple of the other guys would get out and meet Michelle before he did, but that wasn’t what happened.
“Last minute, we get rearranged — and I’m first,” Nayte said. He got out of the limo and said that all he remembers is “blacking out.” He went on to talk about fumbling over his words in the “crazy moment” that he shared with Michelle, even admitting to interrupting her at one point to tell her that she was beautiful.
“It’s crazy to take in and process all while trying to have a conversation with this stunning individual,” Nayte said.
Nayte went on to talk about his experience on night one of the show, and how he felt when Michelle gave him the first rose of the season. When asked about it, Nayte started smiling.
“Obviously you can assume it’s who Michelle had a good first impression of,” Nayte said, adding that he had no idea the weight the rose had. It was fellow suitor Rodney who explained it to him. Nayte said that he had no idea that he was going to get the First Impression Rose.
Nayte admitted that getting the first rose — and then “going in for the first kiss” — was nerve-racking. He also said that he told Michelle that every time he saw her from then on, he was going to want a kiss.
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