The Bachelorette winner Nayte Olukoya has criticized the "edit" of his relationship with Michelle Young on Season 18 of the show, insisting only the newly-engaged couple knows the real story.
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Michelle, a 28-year-old elementary school teacher from St. Louis Park, MN, selected Nayte, a 27-year-old Canadian sales executive who currently resides in Austin, TX, as her Season 18 winner over her self-proclaimed "devastated" runner-up Brandon Jones.
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Nayte proposed marriage to Michelle at the Final Rose Ceremony that aired during Tuesday night's finale of The Bachelorette, but their road to an engagement was seemingly a bumpy one.
"Michelle, ever since September 9th, 2021, when I got on one knee to ask you to spend the rest of our lives together, it has been an absolute dream come true," Nayte captioned a slideshow of photos from his engagement late Tuesday night on Instagram.
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"Who would have ever thought that a reality TV show could actually work out as perfectly as it did for us. Regardless of the edit, we know our true story."
After Nayte received Michelle's First Impression Rose and the first kiss of the season, Michelle seemed smitten with the suitor all season long.
However, Michelle also fell in love with Brandon along the way, and she noticed some red flags with her handsome 6'8" bachelor, Nayte, such as his struggle to open up about his feelings and truly be vulnerable.
When describing how it would feel to lose Michelle to Brandon, Nayte simply put it as, "It would suck."
Nayte continued in his Instagram post, "Thank you for seeing past what people have always seemed to get stuck on when it comes to me."
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"My whole life people have taken one look at me and thought they had me all figured out. Maybe it's the tattoos and piercings. Maybe it's the way I carry myself. Maybe it's as silly as my height or as ignorant as the color of my skin. Maybe it's how awful I am at expressing myself or how gosh darn awkward I almost always am."
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It took time for Nayte to fully profess the extent of his love and assure Michelle that he wanted to marry her and spend the rest of his life with her. And it apparently took until the couple's final date in Mexico for Michelle to release her doubts and fears about Nayte.
"Even now, enough dweebs think I'm a walking red flag. But you, Michelle, you saw me for me from the very first night, and I will always always always love and appreciate you for that," Nayte gushed in his post on Tuesday.
"I want you to know that you're all I want. I want us to have what your parents have and even more. I want to be the best version of myself for myself, for you, for our families, and for our future family, forever."
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Nayte reiterated to his fiancee, "I am completely and utterly in love with you."
Nayte pointed out how he and Michelle will "inevitably" go through "ups and downs," just like in any strong relationship, but he's never going to give up on her.
"I don't care if it's tomorrow, 5 years from now, or 50 years from now. I plan on always giving you my full effort and working through life with you," Nayte promised.
"Thank you for helping me open up. Thank you for holding my hand as I embrace new territories of my heart. And thank you for making me feel safe as I slowly but surely, lowered every wall I ever put up against a potential broken heart."
Nayte told Michelle in his post that she's "completely worth" all of the obstacles and changes he faced throughout The Bachelorette season.
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"I know I'll regret it if I don't give this relationship 100 [percent] each and every day. All in all, Michelle, you're all I see, you're all I've ever wanted, and you're all I'll ever want," Nayte concluded.
"Thank you for being you and thank you for being the one to unlock my hearts potential. I can't get enough of living this dream come true with you. Love, Nayte — Your 6'8", Costco Chris Brown, walking red flag."
Around the same time, Michelle took to Instagram with a message to Nayte of her own, and she also touched upon the show's edit and how fans may never know the whole story.
"I've asked for someone who will never let go, and you've already shown me you will be that man. The way you've pushed yourself to be vulnerable, even if it wasn't for others around us to see," Michelle wrote on Instagram.
In the rest of Michelle's letter, she wrote, "Dear SoulNayte, stepping into the role as The Bachelorette I was optimistic with what I would find. I hoped for a best friend, a life long partner, but I truly landed one of a kind."
Michelle said she had asked for someone "who sees me, challenges me" and accepts her for who she is, and Nayte is just that.
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"I've learned our love story doesn't need to be perceived as perfect, as long as it's perfect for you and me. You've quickly become the pep in my step, the reason I smile through hard days," Michelle gushed.
"I love the way you love. You make me feel beautiful in so many ways. SoulNayte thank you for answering, and although we have no idea what's in life's plan, I feel incredibly at peace knowing I'll have you by my side. Thank you for being that man. Love, Your FIANCE Michelle."
Nayte revealed on The Bachelorette: After the Final Rose that he'll be moving to Minnesota in the next couple or few months and the lovebirds have already begun house-hunting.
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In fact, The Bachelor family gifted Michelle and Nayte a down payment on their first house together. (Michelle was caught whispering to Nayte that the check, hidden inside a gingerbread house to celebrate the holidays, was for $200,000).
Michelle shared how she continues to fall more in love with Nayte every day, and Nayte believes their relationship is going to last "forever" because they have the type of love everyone searches for.
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