Here's Why ‘Bachelorette’ Michelle Ended Her Engagement To Nayte
Michelle Young finished the 18th season of The Bachelorette with a finale of epic proportions.
Six months after accepting Nayte Olukoya’s historic proposal, the two announced this weekend their decision to break up and end their engagement.
Both Michelle and Nayte are requesting privacy during this time to mend their broken hearts.
Last December, Michelle Young departed Mexico on the highest of highs: with a fiancé and as a half of the first Black couple to end up together on either of the franchise’s main series, The Bachelor or The Bachelorette.
But sadly, this epic romance is no more. Michelle and Nayte Olukoya announced on Friday their decision to break up and end their six-month long engagement.
Michelle revealed to fans via her Instagram story that the two were headed down different paths:
"I'm struggling to say that Nayte and I will be going our separate ways, but I stand with him in knowing the heaviness that is present in both of our hearts as this relationship has been very real for us," she said in an Instagram story.
Of course, being the mature, kindhearted former teacher that she is, Michelle also made sure to compliment her ex-beau: "I will never stop wanting to see you succeed," she confessed. "I will always acknowledge and appreciate the adventures, support, and growth both Nayte and this experience have brought me.”
However, as is to be expected, she noted how difficult having a relationship in the public eye was and made clear her desire for “time and space to work through this heartbreak.”
Nayte echoed this sentiment on his Instagram story from the same day: “Michelle and I will always cheer each other on, but moving forward, we will be cheering from a distance," he said in a post.
“When we both started this journey, we were looking for our Soulmates,” Nayte said. "However, as we grow and learn, we also realize that sometimes somebody that you hold dear to your heart isn't somebody that you're meant to spend the rest of your life with."
He reminded his followers that the two are naturally private people and will continue to act as such, especially in regard to the breakup: “We’re human beings going through a breakup, and we all know breakups are difficult. So we’re asking that you allow us our privacy so that we can mend our hearts in the privacy of our own lives.”
As a heartbreaking conclusion, however, Nayte made sure to reassure their supporters that “This was real. We genuinely fell in love, and we genuinely became each other’s best friends.” Dare I say right person, wrong time?
Though I can’t help shedding a tear for the split of this iconic duo, the recent news allows an opportunity to reminisce on the glory that was The Bachelorette Season 18 and Michelle and Nayte’s love story.
Let’s recap. What happened on Season 18 of The Bachelorette again?
Who made it to Michelle's final four, anyway?
ICYMI, Michelle's final four guys were Joe Coleman, Nayte Olukoya, Brandon Jones, and Rodney Mathews. And, they were the first-ever final four to be all people of color (in all of Bachelor Nation!).
Michelle and Joe bonded over being star basketball players and a shared home state of Minnesota:
While she had almost instant chemistry with Nayte.
Brandon already met Michelle's parents during a semi-awkward hot tub date at her childhood home...
And Rodney and Michelle were laughing together since their first one-on-one.
What happened during hometown dates?
Michelle had some tough conversations. Sitting down with her future fiancè's parents is no joke—even if she got along well with them at first ("I like Michelle" was all Brandon's dad had to say).
Also, it's worth noting that Michelle is the second Bachelorette not to travel to her final four's actual hometowns. Instead, the guys' parents, relatives, and friends all flew to Minnesota to meet Michelle in her hometown (talk about flipping the script!).
After some serious heart-to-hearts, Michelle decided to send Rodney home and continue on with her final three.
What happened to the final three?
Michelle and the guys finished up their hometown dates in Minnesota before jet-setting for a second time. The final few made their way to Punta de Mita, Mexico, according to Reality Steve:
(FILMING UPDATE): “Bachelorette” overnights and final rose ceremony will be filmed in Punta de Mita, Mexico.
— RealitySteve (@RealitySteve) August 30, 2021
Michelle was also spotted on one of her last dates there (more on that in a sec), foreshadowing her very beautiful, very tropic oceanside proposal.
What happened on Michelle's 'Men Tell All' episode?
Michelle's "Men Tell All" was filmed back on Nov. 22, according to Reality Steve's blog, and it aired on Monday, Dec. 6. It seemed like filming almost overlapped with the next Bachelor's (Clayton Echard's) finale episode.
"They don’t just use any crew when they film Tell Alls and what not," Steve wrote. "They have their regular crew, so that means Clayton’s season will be done filming by end of next week. Maybe Friday or Saturday the 19th or 20th."
Michelle's season had no shortage of bro beef, but some of the guys set it all aside during the "Men Tell All." Will Urena and Peter Izzo made up (and even hugged it out) after #jacketgate, while Martin Gelbspan apologized to Michelle for making her feel unheard during their dates.
And, Michelle did not hold back during her reunion with early villain Jamie Skaar. "It is frustrating to sit here and truly not feel like you have learned from those comments and those things that you have said, because your apologies are apologizing because you have to if someone feels hurt. You’re putting it on them, like they’re at fault for what you said," she said, adding: "I think it’s very clear why this relationship didn’t work out."
Co-host and former Bachelorette Tayshia Adams also opened up about her recent split from Zac Clark. "All in all, all I have to say is that I'm heartbroken," she shared. "But we tried really hard and I still love him very much. And I'm not sure what the future holds."
Who won Michelle's season?
If you haven’t already, you’ll want to watch the momentous finale of Michelle’s season. She accepts Nayte Olukoya's proposal and it’s genuinely SO heartwarming.
Honestly, the two seemed super compatible. Michelle gushed about Nayte early on, telling Entertainment Tonight that "I'm not a love-at-first-sight [person, but was] honestly very attracted to him as he came out of the limo." "I think the biggest part was when we sat down, we just had a natural conversation. That's kind of where that [first impression] rose came from," the Bachelorette added.
Wishing both Michelle and Nayte all the best in their future endeavors and relationships. If they can continue to support and cheer the other on from afar, so can the rest of The Bach fans.
(Would it be insensitive if I asked about Brandon Jones at this time?)
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