Nayte Olukoya is one of Michelle Young's Final 2 bachelors heading into The Bachelorette's Season 18 finale.
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Nayte received Michelle's First Impression Rose and continued to woo her at a rapid rate.
RELATED LINK: MICHELLE YOUNG'S 'THE BACHELORETTE' SEASON 18 BACHELORS -- MEET THE MEN! (PHOTOS)
Nayte had never been in love prior to Michelle, and Michelle was the first of Nayte's girlfriends to meet his mother and stepfather Charles.
Although Charles wasn't convinced Nayte would be ready for an engagement by the end of the process, Nayte told Michelle otherwise during their overnight Fantasy Suite date.
"Falling in love is one thing, being in love is another thing, and then an engagement is another thing. Which of those are you ready for?" Michelle asked Nayte.
"I mean, all three," Nayte replied. "Falling in love, being in love and loving you. There's something about you that I am certain about. I know I trust myself, I trust you, and I trust that I am literally falling in love with you."
Michelle said she could definitely see herself getting engaged at the end of The Bachelorette, and when asked if he could "get there" as well," Nayte confirmed, "Most definitely. With you, yeah."
Nayte assured Michelle that he wouldn't pull away from her and he wanted to continue being vulnerable and putting himself out there for her.
And after spending a romantic, off-camera night together in the Fantasy Suite, Nayte professed his love to Michelle in the morning and confirmed multiple times, "Nayte is IN love."
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Michelle then surprisingly announced, "Well I am definitely in love with you too."
RELATED LINK: 'THE BACHELORETTE' COUPLES NOWIt appears Nayte has stolen Michelle's heart, but until viewers can watch the Final Rose Ceremony and see how Michelle's journey to find love ends, let's get to know Nayte a little better right now.
Below is a list of 13 facts Reality TV World has compiled about Nayte Olukoya.
Nayte 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.
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Nayte also worked as a sales representative for AT&T Connect Wireless + Direct TV in Cheney, WA, from November 2015 to February 2018.
Although Nayte loves living in Texas, he is a proud Canadian!
Nayte was born and raised in Winnipeg, Manitoba in Canada. His hometown is right above North Dakota and Minnesota.
Considering Canadian contestants Kaitlyn Bristowe, Serena Pitt and Vanessa Grimaldi all made it very far -- or even won -- their respective The Bachelor seasons, Nayte said during a mid-December episode of the "Click Bait with Bachelor Nation" podcast, "I didn't even know it was a thing that Canadians do well on the show."
Nayte revealed he had left Canada about 10 years ago and moved to Washington before finally settling down in Austin with no job and only one suitcase.
"When I packed up and bought a one-way ticket two days before graduation... and I just packed one suitcase. I didn't know anything -- no job, no nothing, no anything -- and just moved to Austin," Nayte said.
"I didn't know what was going to happen, but I just trusted myself," he added.
Nayte is the only member of his family currently living in the United States.
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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.
"I was like, 'I don't know much about the show but it's not really my personality, I'm kind of more, like, I don't know, a private person in general.' And I was like, 'Yeah, there's not a chance.'"
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.
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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 planned to be unapologetically himself.
"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.
The bachelor also volunteered as a caregiver for Oberlin House Incorporated for a good decade, from 2001 to 2011. He assisted clients with diet and meal preparation, bathing and basic hygiene, housekeeping and time management.
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 while he was still in college.
Divorce has hit Nayte hard in his life
Nayte's parents got divorced when he was four years old and then his mother remarried.
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"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."
The Bachelorette star smiled and proceeded to say, "I have high standards... Obviously, Bachelor Nation wants to see a love story and wants to see the ideal engagement. Maybe that's in store, maybe it's not."
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 were all men of color
In late November, Nayte posted a photo featuring Michelle, Brandon, Rodney Mathews, Joe Coleman 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 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.
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.
"We give you... RodNayte!" Nayte wrote on Instagram along with funny photos of the pair.
"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."
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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
