Nayte Olukoya is one of Michelle Young's Final 3 bachelors heading into overnight Fantasy Suite dates on The Bachelorette's eighteenth season.
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Nayte had to be patient for a one-on-one date with Michelle, but it turned out to be worth the wait because he was able to meet two of her best friends while boating in The Bachelorette star's home state of Minnesota.
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Michelle admitted to her friends that it was difficult to leave Nayte after spending time with him and she was pretty smitten. She said she could picture life being fun, nurturing and caring with Nayte.
And Nayte found himself falling -- more like rolling or tumbling -- in love with Michelle.
"I am very crazy about Nayte. I'm starting to get this feeling of, like, 'This is my person.' And that's very exciting. It's also really terrifying... I do feel like I am starting to fall for Nayte," Michelle told the cameras.
Nayte later revealed to Michelle how she'd be the first woman he ever brought home to meet his parents, and the hometown date went well -- except Nayte's beloved stepfather Charles warned Michelle that Nayte may not be ready for an engagement.
After all, Nayte had never even been in love with a woman before.
Michelle therefore left hometown dates fearing the worst, that her journey to find love could end with a broken heart.
Until viewers can watch whether Nayte and Michelle's connection surpasses what she has with Joe Coleman and Brandon Jones, let's get to know Nayte a little better right now.
Below is a list of 12 facts Reality TV World has compiled about Nayte Olukoya.
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RELATED LINK: 'THE BACHELORETTE' COUPLES NOWNayte Olukoya is a well-educated bachelor
Nayte graduated from Eastern Washington University with a Bachelor degree in Business Administration in 2019. He also minored in African American history.
While studying in college, Nayte received his Apple Master Certification in January 2017.
Nayte towers over most of his competitors
The bachelor stands very tall at 6'8" and says he's the life of the party.
"When you walk into a room, it's hard not to notice Nayte," ABC says of the bachelor. "He has a smile that sparkles like the stars... [and he is an] Adonis of a man."
However, he admits that he can't dance to save his life, so you probably won't catch him out on the dance floor.
Nayte appears to have left his job to compete for Michelle's heart
Nayte worked as a senior account executive for Indeed.com in Austin, TX. He began the position in January 2021, and based on his LinkedIn account, he left the job in July, which is when The Bachelorette's eighteenth season began filming.
Prior to becoming a senior account executive, he was an account executive from August 2019 to 2021.
Nayte also worked as a sales representative for AT&T Connect Wireless + Direct TV in Cheney, WA, from November 2015 to February 2018.
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The suitor only watched one season of The Bachelor franchise in his life
Nayte didn't choose to compete for Michelle's heart as a big fan of The Bachelor or The Bachelorette. In fact, he had only watched one season of the franchise ever.
When Nayte first moved to Austin, TX, one of his buddies hosted The Bachelor viewing parties and so Nayte attended the gatherings and watched Peter Weber's edition in early 2020.
"I was super hesitant [to go on the show]," Nayte revealed during an October episode of the "Bachelor Happy Hour" podcast hosted by Season 14 The Bachelorette star Becca Kufrin.
"It took me a while to actually sign the contract and actually say, 'Okay, yeah, I want to do this.' It took a lot and it took a long time."
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Nayte is looking for a teammate for life, just like Michelle
Nayte's dream woman is outgoing, spontaneous and has enough swagger of her own to keep up with him.
He's looking for a connection filled with heat and for there to be a mutual passion for each other in his relationship.
Nayte also desires a playful relationship that will bring out his "inner child," and he was confident Michelle could be his perfect match.
Nayte was cast on The Bachelorette in a bizarre way
Mike revealed on the "Bachelor Happy Hour" podcast that he went out one night in Austin and met a guy named Mike, who had just moved to the city and hoped to make new friends. Nayte therefore invited Mike to a pool party the following day.
"Now we're all hanging out and getting to know each other better," Nayte recalled.
"And [Mike] was like, 'Man, how crazy is it that somebody actually reached out to me from The Bachelorette? They do filming on X date but I'm actually taking my bar exam to be a lawyer and so I can't do it. You know what? I'm just going to send them your profile.'"
Nayte apparently didn't jump at the opportunity or even seriously consider the idea.
"I was like, 'No man, you don't have to do all that. That's kind of crazy.' But he does it anyways, and so I got reached out to, to apply, and then was like, 'Nope, not gonna do it. Not going to apply,' Nayte revealed.
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However, The Bachelorette producers were allegedly persistent and touched base with Nayte a second time in attempt to get him onboard for Season 18.
"I got reached out to again, and so I filled out an application. I was like, 'What's the worst that could happen?' And then fast-forward, they were like, 'Yup, we want you here,' and I was like, 'Yeah, I don't think I want to come though,'" Nayte admitted with a laugh.
"And then they were like, 'Wait, what?!'"
Nayte said he called his mother about the opportunity and also told his family and friends, who were probably all supportive of the idea since Nayte finally reached the conclusion, "What's the worst that could happen?"
"[I thought] Michelle seems like a really great person and we're either really going to hit it off and we're going to connect and we'll have a lot in common and this is going to be the best case scenario, or it's going to be two people who are great people but hey, we just don't connect in that way," Nayte explained.
"I just liked the fact it's not like I'm held hostage, that I can leave any time I want, right?"
As a result, Nayte agreed to appear on The Bachelorette, and he said he went into the process with "no expectations."
"I just wanted to be myself, see what happens, and next thing you know, it was this really awesome experience," Nayte disclosed.
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Nayte has some teaching experience of his own!
Nayte's mother is a teacher, and so he has tremendous respect for teachers and even tested out the field himself!
Nayte previously volunteered as a teacher's aide for Omaha Public Schools from 2014 to 2015, so he got to experience what Michelle does as an elementary school teacher on a daily basis.
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The Bachelorette suitor knows how to make a good drink
Nayte served customers as a bartender at PRESS from September 2018 to July 2019 in the Spokane, Washington area.
Divorce has hit Nayte hard in his life
Nayte's parents got divorced when he was four years old and then his mother remarried.
Nayte says he became incredibly close with his stepfather but then his mom and stepdad also recently divorced, about two years ago.
"I have such a beautiful family, but the entire happily ever after [concept] and marriages that don't end in divorce was just not a part of my upbringing," Nayte shared with Michelle on the show.
Nayte therefore admires -- but is a little bit intimidated by -- the long and happy marriage Michelle's parents have had.
Michelle has defended her The Bachelorette connection with Nayte
"When Nayte stepped out of the limo, he was just very confident. But he didn't have that overconfidence, where he was still nervous and I was nervous as well," Michelle told Us Weekly in a recent interview.
"I just, you know, through the season, always enjoyed peeling back different layers and kind of, at this moment, and truly figuring out just how many layers he has."
Michelle also recently responded to rumors she selected Nayte at the end of her journey on The Bachelorette.
During a recent interview Michelle had with Extra, Billy Bush mentioned Nayte and said, "I don't usually trust a guy named Nayte who has a 'Y' in there... That doesn't belong, but he's very tall, he's very handsome, he's very much the one you chose."
Michelle quipped in reply, "Oh, I like how you slid that in there."
Michelle joked, "I could pick nobody," to which Billy responded, "Then, none of them are good enough."
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Michelle, however, hinted her winner may be Nayte by saying she wants a man "who can be goofy" with her, which Nayte had said is also very important to him.
"But then they have to challenge me intellectually at the same time," Michelle clarified. "I love learning, I love growing, I love challenging myself, and I want somebody who does that with themselves but is also gonna do that with me."
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Nayte is proud Michelle's Final 4 suitors are all men of color
In late November, Nayte posted a photo featuring Michelle, Rodney Mathews, Brandon, Joe and himself on Instagram.
"For the first time in Bachelor Franchise history, the final four men are all POC!" Nayte shared in celebration.
"I'm proud to be a part of this moment and to be able to stand beside three men whom I admire. Spoiler: These guys are even more genuine than they appear on TV."
Nayte continued, "I know this isn't some earth-shattering historic event. But I can't help but think about my experience of growing up in Canada. I grew up in a predominantly white neighborhood, went to predominately white schools, and was raised by my Mom and her side of the family."
Nayte said he didn't often see or interact with people who look like him.
"And when I did, it was mainly on TV. And many of us know how people who look like me tend to be portrayed on TV," Nayte wrote.
"So, at the end of the day, I'm simply thrilled that people, especially POC, can keep watching Michelle be the strong, confident, intelligent, brave, outspoken, and direct role model that she is, and get to continue watching her love story play out with four stand-up gentlemen of color!"
"Of course, this is not to take away from any of the other gents this season. This has just never happened before and I think it is something to be celebrated and, if for nothing else, recognized. Much love to you all," he gushed.
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The suitor left The Bachelorette with a new best friend!
Nayte and Rodney were apparently roommates when The Bachelorette filmed and they became incredibly close, despite having fallen for the same woman.
"No Bachelorette today," Nayte captioned a slideshow of photos with Rodney on Tuesday.
"So instead we give you... RodNayte! The bromance you've all been waiting for! This is my brother for life! You've taught me a lot, I look up to you, and I'm grateful that we both picked each other as roommates after that first night out the limos."
Nayte said everyone "deserves a Rodney in their life" and he "couldn't be more proud to call Americas Most Loved, my best friend."
Nayte then joked about how Rodney had apologized to him for letting him go out in public with his eyebrows looking "weirder than Chris [Sutton] interrupting" his one-on-one date with Michelle.
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About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski
