The Bachelorette frontrunner Nayte Olukoya has admitted he wasn't aware of how significant the First Impression Rose is when Michelle Young pinned it on his lapel.
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Nayte, a 27-year-old sales executive from Austin, TX, had only seen one season of The Bachelor franchise before competing for Michelle's heart, and he received Michelle's First Impression Rose out of the 30 suitors she met on Night 1 in a moment that aired on The Bachelorette's Season 18 premiere Tuesday night.
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When asked if he understood the weight the First Impression Rose carries in The Bachelor world, Nayte replied during Wednesday's episode of the "Bachelor Happy Hour" podcast, "I wasn't."
Nayte explained to the podcast's host Becca Kufrin and guest Tayshia Adams, "Obviously, you can assume that it's just who Michelle had a really good first impression of, right?"
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"But, like, the world of Bachelor Nation? No, I didn't have a clue," he said.
It wasn't until later that day when Nayte's roommate and Bachelorette buddy Rodney Mathews -- who dressed like an apple on Night 1 -- told Nayte how meaningful the First Impression Rose tends to be.
"[Rodney] was like, 'Man, that's big time, you got the First Impression Rose,'" Nayte recalled.
And Nayte insisted he had "no inkling at all" that Michelle would be giving him the First Impression Rose.
"I blacked out so hard in our first conversation. I can't even tell you what we talked about," Nayte revealed, adding that the process was moving "so fast."
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Michelle decided to give Nayte her first rose as a sign of gratitude for his ability to open up and share some of his story, despite admitting he has a tough time being vulnerable in relationships.
Nayte shared with Michelle how he wants a lasting love and an affectionate household after watching his parents divorce when he was four years old and then going through a similar situation when his mother divorced his stepfather fairly recently.
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Becca, who starred on The Bachelorette's fourteenth season, gave Nayte a quick "history lesson" on her podcast and explained how the man who receives a Bachelorette's First Impression Rose is often the bachelor who wins the final rose at the end of a season.
Becca recalled how the three The Bachelorette stars before her -- JoJo Fletcher, Rachel Lindsay and Kaitlyn Bristowe -- "all gave their First Impression Rose to the guys they ended up getting engaged to."
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Becca also gave her First Impression Rose to her season's winner, Garrett Yrigoyen, whom she announced her split from in September 2020.
"It does carry weight, especially in The Bachelorette world," Becca confirmed.
"Just because I think our picks as women are a little bit better, so it's a big deal, I think!"
Becca, however, predicted that such an honor probably put "a target" on Nayte's back, and The Bachelorette previews have shown some of the suitors picking on Nayte down the road.
"The guys are [probably] like, 'Oh, she gave it to him, we gotta watch out for Nayte,'" Becca acknowledged.
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In previews of future episodes that have aired on ABC, Nayte is called a "player" and Clayton Echard accuses him of being "an actor" and wanting to boost his career.
Not only did Nayte receive Michelle's coveted first rose, but he was also the first bachelor to kiss her.
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"That caught me offguard... The first kiss is always nervewracking and I'm not too smooth of a guy to pull that off," Nayte claimed.
"So yeah, she kissed me, and you see that genuine reaction [on my face] where I was not expecting that. But boy, am I ever happy! I was like, 'She just kissed me, what a great first night.'"
Nayte also shared an unaired moment he had with Michelle following their first kiss.
"I remember I joked with her, 'You just opened up a can of worms because every time I see you now, I'm going to want to kiss you,'" Nayte said.
"Our connection was just -- I've never had sparks fly... and that initial connection, there were definitely sparks."
When looking back on his journey as a whole on The Bachelorette, Nayte said he was happy to have joined the series without much knowledge of previous seasons or contestants.
"I think it was good not knowing all the ins and outs... I didn't know what to expect; I didn't have any expectations," Nayte explained.
"I was just like, 'Let's do this and see if Michelle and I connect.'"
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Nayte seemed glad about his The Bachelorette participation, although it took him "a long time" to actually sign the contract.
Michelle eliminated a total of seven bachelors on her first night of filming, and so next week's The Bachelorette episode will kick off with 23 bachelors remaining.
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