Nayte Olukoya has a way of letting Michelle Young cut loose and feel free on The Bachelorette's eighteenth season.
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Nayte started off the season as a frontrunner given he had earned Michelle's First Impression Rose as well as the first kiss of the season.
"When you walk into a room, it's hard not to notice Nayte," ABC teased. "He has a smile that sparkles like the stars... [and he is an] Adonis of a man."
Nayte is confident in his connection with Michelle and doesn't appear bothered by her chemistry with other bachelors, such as Joe Coleman, and he's quick to defend The Bachelorette star when eyebrow-raising situations come up.
For example, Nayte confronted Jamie Skaar about the rumor bachelors had been questioning Michelle's character, and he seemed disturbed when Jamie seemed concerned with Michelle's editing on a TV show and what would air on certain episodes.
Based on a preview of what's to come on Michelle's The Bachelorette season, it also appears Nayte will have an issue with Chris Sutton, is shown telling Nayte not to put his hands on him.
Will Nayte get involved in too much drama this season and lose focus, or will he continue to woo Michelle -- who makes him feel like a little boy with a crush again -- and sweep her off her feet?
Until viewers can watch Nayte and Michelle's romance blossom on the show, let's get to know this handsome suitor a little better right now.
Below is a list of eight 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.
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Nayte towers over most of his competitors
The bachelor stands very tall at 6'8" and says he's the life of the party.
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.
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.
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"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 is confident Michelle is the woman he's been searching for.
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.
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"And then they were like, 'Wait, what?!'"
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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 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.
Nayte has some teaching experience of his own!
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.
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About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski
