The Bachelorette star Michelle Young won't have a lack of options when Season 18 premieres next month, as ABC has officially announced the 30 men who will compete for her heart.
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RELATED LINK: MICHELLE YOUNG'S 'THE BACHELORETTE' SEASON 18 BACHELORS ANNOUNCED BY ABC -- MEET THE MEN! (PHOTOS)
Michelle and her group of guys, ranging in age from 26-38 years old, began filming her The Bachelorette season at the Renaissance Esmeralda Resort & Spa in Indian Wells, CA.
"Michelle now focuses on preparing her students to be the next generation of community leaders," ABC teased of the show's upcoming star, who finished Matt James' The Bachelor season in second place.
"Michelle has big dreams for the future and says she wants a man by her side that is supportive and driven to make the world a better place. She is looking for the Superman to her Superwoman and is ready to find a love with whom she can start a family of her own."
Back in July, before Michelle's The Bachelorette season began filming, ABC announced the 35 men who "may" be vying for Michelle's roses on Season 18 via Facebook.
The inclusion of the word "may" suggested several of the 35 men -- which would be a larger group of suitors than the show typically starts with -- would possibly not actually end up being part of the cast when The Bachelorette debuts on ABC.
And that turned out to be the case, as the network apparently cut five bachelors from its initial July list of 35 suitors: Brett Parker, a 29-year-old from Houston, TX; Eric Tai, a 25-year-old from Bridgewater, NJ; Joel Wilkinson, a 31-year-old from Prescott, AZ; Michael Sambol, a 30-year-old from Omaha, NE; and Trevor Abrams, a 26-year-old from Rocklin, CA.
In a departure from the franchise's other recent seasons that have filmed amid the coronavirus pandemic, Michelle and some of her bachelors will reportedly get to travel to more places than just California and Minnesota for hometown dates and Fantasy Suite dates.
RELATED LINK: 'THE BACHELOR' FRANCHISE COUPLES NOW: WHO IS STILL TOGETHER?? (PHOTOS)
ABC announced in early August the network is keeping Kaitlyn Bristowe and Tayshia Adams on as The Bachelorette co-hosts following Chris Harrison's permanent departure from the franchise after Matt's The Bachelor season earlier this year, according to The Wrap.
Michelle showed up late on Matt's The Bachelor season following the third Rose Ceremony but established an instant connection with him.
RELATED LINK: 'THE BACHELORETTE' COUPLES NOWAfter Matt eliminated Michelle as his runner-up on The Bachelor 25, Michelle was announced on After the Final Rose in March as one of two The Bachelorette stars -- along with Katie Thurston -- for back-to-back seasons in 2021.
Michelle admitted she was absolutely crushed and "not okay" when Matt chose to send her packing after he had met her family towards the end of the dating process.
On After the Final Rose, Michelle recalled the moment when she first found out she'd be starring on the franchise later this year.
"I would be lying if I didn't say when they first told me, I thought we were going to be the Bachelorette at the same time," Michelle shared.
"And so, I was a little nervous, but once I found out it was two different seasons, I was here for it! I'm excited that I have somebody to bond with over this and share notes as we go."
Given Michelle had seemingly fallen head over heels for Matt, After the Final Rose host Emmanuel Acho asked Michelle if she was ready to try to find love once again.
"I am ready... I really do think that this process works," Michelle explained.
"When you can [cast] out all of these outside distractions and really dive in, I think you can learn a lot about somebody. I'm just excited. I'm ready to get started!"
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The official announcement of Michelle's 30 bachelors came only two days after ABC unveiled the identities of 33 potential bachelorettes who may appear on Clayton Echard's The Bachelor edition in early 2022.
Viewers will be introduced to Clayton, The Bachelor's all-but-confirmed Season 26 star, when he competes for Michelle's heart on The Bachelorette this fall.
Below is a listing of the 30 men who will appear on Michelle Young's The Bachelorette season, however click on the BEGIN GALLERY link below to also see photos of all the bachelors!
- Alec Thompson, a 29-year-old engineer from North Charleston, SC
- Brandon Jones, a 26-year-old traveling nurse recruiter from Portland, OR
- Brandon Kieffer, a 29-year-old brand manager from Austin, TX
- Bryan Witzmann, a 31-year-old NFL player from Chicago, IL
- Casey Woods, a 36-year-old advertising creative director from Miami Beach, FL
- Chris Gallant, a 28-year-old motivational speaker from Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
- Chris Sutton, a 28-year-old commodities broker from West Hollywood, CA
- Clayton Echard, a 28-year-old medical sales representative from Columbia, MO
- Daniel Tully, a 26-year-old firefighter from Austin, TX
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- Garrett Aida, a 33-year-old tech CEO from Salt Lake City, UT
- Jack Russell, a 30-year-old former Army officer from Philadelphia, PA
- Jamie Skaar, a 32-year-old biotech CEO from San Diego, CA
- Joe Coleman, a 28-year-old real estate developer from Minneapolis, MN
- JoMarri Gable, a 26-year-old personal trainer from Fresno, CA
- Leroy Arthur, a 27-year-old biomedical Ph.D. student from Dallas, TX
- LT Murray, a 38-year-old yoga guru from Bellevue, WA
- Martin Gelbspan, a 29-year-old personal trainer from Miami, FL
- Mollique Johnson, a 36-year-old academic administrator from San Diego, CA
- Nayte Olukoya, a 27-year-old sales executive from Austin, TX
- Olumide "Olu" Onajide, a 27-year-old IT analyst from Newark, NJ
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- Peter Izzo, a 26-year-old "pizzapreneur" from Port St. Joe, FL
- PJ Henderson, a 30-year-old firefighter from Houston, TX
- Rick Leach, a 32-year-old medical sales representative from Los Angeles, CA
- Rodney Mathews, a 29-year-old sales representative from Rancho Cucamonga, CA
- Romeo Alexander, a 32-year-old mathematician from New York City, NY
- Ryan Fox, a 30-year-old environmental consultant from San Jose, CA
- Spencer Williams, a 25-year-old financial crimes analyst from Cleveland, OH
- Will Urena, a 28-year-old academic interventionist from Grand Rapids, MI
About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski
