THE BACHELORETTE S18. E5. | WELCOME TO MINNEAPOLIS

We pick up tonight’s episode of ABC’s The Bachelorette in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Michelle Young’s hometown. We meet her parents which are pretty cute and we know that she will get more clarity now that she will be able to connect with them. You can tell that they have a very close bond with one another.

Hopefully the guys remember what she has told them about putting her first and making her feel seen AND wanted. They all assemble and find out that there will be a 1-on-1 date which will start now with Joe. As both are from Minneapolis, this will be something for them to experience the city. There are 2 more dates - another 1-on-1 and a group date that is available for tonight’s episode.

They make their way to the Minnesota Twins game and Michelle throws the pitch and since it was a strike, she gets a kiss. They go to her high school and she shows him her locker. She also shows him her trophies and accomplishments, her year books and other memories that will give him more insight. Of course, they make their way to the basketball gym and begin playing 1-on-1. She reminds us that he was Mr. Basketball as well as she was Mrs. Basketball. She tells him that he reminds her of her dad and brother as they are reserved people. She doesn’t think that that is a bad thing, but she notices it. He lets her know that he is really trying to be more open as it’s not natural for him, but he wants to be this way with her.

The remainder of the guys are at the hotel when a group date is delivered. The group date will include Casey, Rodney, Martin, Leroy, Rick, Clayton, Olu, Chris and Brandon. They’ll meet her at the stadium for their dates with her. Chris is made because he feels that Nayte doesn’t deserve a solo date and that he went out on a limb to talk with Michelle and it fell on deaf ears. We guess he also feels the burn because he hinted that he felt that he would get a 1-on-1 with her.

Back on the date with Joe, they have went from a Twins game, her high school to dinner and potentially a Ferris Wheel? They have a deep conversation about medical and career traumas that he had. Ultimately, he gets the rose for the date.

Michelle is excited for the Minnesota group date. The guys (although excited to be at the football stadium) all stay focused on her. Although the Vikings play at the stadium, Vikings from the 1600’s showed up to teach them fighting skills. She is pleased that they are making small moments with her. Each guy sees this as a part of their redemption with her. They change into their viking costumes and they eat traditional foods. They finish with a bit of arm wrestling. Clayton wins the challenges of the group date. The group moves on to Semple Mansion to have some cocktails and more conversation at the after party. Clayton is always an interesting one to watch. We can tell that Michelle has an interest - is there a vibe between them, no but if rumors are to be believed - this will be the next Bachelor. Poor Brandon ate a number of foods that he really had to push through. As they chat, she tells him to close his eyes and fed him Swedish fish. Everyone seems to be taking what she said to heart, although the guys feel that Chris has not stepped up to the plate. Chris wants to tell Michelle that he should have received the 1-on-1 because of the info that he shared. The guys feel that he’s acting off, but they continue to remain focused and enjoy having personal time.

Nayte’s date card arrives and Joe lets him know that she is, “looking for a man that’s not afraid to test the waters.”

Back at the after-party, Michelle returns, Chris isn’t even there to greet her. She asks if anyone is missing and then Chris, with a drink in hand pops up. She gives Clayton the date rose.

Nayte and Michelle have a date on a pontoon boat where they also meet up with her 2 best friends. They ask the tough questions as they have seen her hurt before. They ask whether he has issues with any of the guys and he lets them know that there was an issue with Chris, but it’s not up to him to weed them out as he’s sure that Michelle will be able to do that herself. Although her besties didn’t stay for the entire date, they did seem to give them their approval. They sit down to dinner to continue to chat and to get to know one another more.

But then Chris decides that he needs to have a conversation with Michelle now while she is on her date with Nayte. He walks in on them and says that they have to talk and it’s important. Chris says he’s disappointed because he didn’t get to talk to her the night before and he feels that he was played because he shared his thoughts with her and what he said, fell on deaf ears. He lets her know that she has been warned and that he doesn’t want her making the wrong decisions. Although Michelle can appreciate that he wanted to speak up for her, she doesn’t need him to do that and he needs to support her. She tells him that they are not on the same page and she offers to walk him out. She feels that he is coming from a genuine place, but she doesn’t need him in that role. She gives Nayte the rose.

The guys prep for the cocktail party and rose ceremony. They know that there are only 10 of them now that Chris is gone. Rick and Michelle take a glam walk around the city. They dance on the sidewalk and he says that he would move to the city. Michelle brings Brandon a birthday cake which is pretty sweet. We see Olu and her connect. Leroy and Clayton grab some time with her as well. Rodney and Michelle head to the rooftop to see the city. It’s nice to see that this night has no drama and everyone is just focused on keeping the peace and getting to know The Bachelorette more.

Of course, those moments of zen are short-lived when Martin chats with her and questions whether the compliments that she has given him are authentic as he implies that she has said them to others. He also talks about how men can’t be high maintenance, but women could. Michelle has a few mantras that she has said throughout this show - one of them that she doesn’t like her integrity being questioned, she wants to be seen, etc. This conversation definitely can’t be good in the long run. There are only 5 roses left and Michelle reminds them that she has to continue to follow her heart. We also see Kaitlyn Bristowe and Tayshia Adams who hasn’t been around very much this episode.

Michelle gives a rose to Joe, Clayton, Nayte, Rick, Olu, Brandon, Martin,

Michelle sends home Chris, Leroy and Casey.

Each night during this season, we tweet about The Bachelorette and you can chat along with us (@AthleisureMag + with our Co-Founder/Creative + Style Director, Kimmie Smith @ShesKimmie) to see what’s taking place!

Each week we will let you know who our faves were from the last episode and if we’ve changed up since then as it pertains to who we think should go to Hometowns.

We also suggest a podcast that we’ve become obsessed with over the past few seasons, Wondery’s Bachelor Happy Hour to get their feedback!

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HOMETOWN NOTES

SEASON 18 | EPISODE 5

Last week, we felt that Joe, Martin, Nayte and Olu would go to hometowns.

This week, Chris really put his foot in his mouth and was eliminated before the rose ceremony. We think the 4 below will be at Hometowns just like last week. We’re not the biggest fans of Martin, but Michelle or the producers will continue to include him in the mix.

JOE

MARTIN

NAYTE

OLU

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THE BACHELOR CONTESTANTS

ALEC T, 29 | North Charleston, SC

BRANDON J, 26 | Portland, OR

BRANDON K, 29 | Austin, TX

BRYAN W, 31 | Chicago, IL

CASEY W, 36 | Miami Beach, FL

CHRIS S, 28 | W. Hollywood, CA

CHRISTOPHER G, 28 | Nova Scotia, Canada

CLAYTON E, 26 | Columbia, MO

DANIEL T, 26 | Austin, TX

EDWARD N, 27 | Los Angeles, CA

GARRETT A, 33 | Salt Lake City, UT

JACK R, 33 | Philadelphia, PA

JAMIE S, 32 | San Diego, CA

JOE C, 28 | Minneapolis, MN

JOMARRI G, 26 | Fresno, CA

LEROY A, 27 | Dallas, TX

LT M, 38 | Bellevue, WA

MARTIN G, 29 | Miami, FL

MOLLIQUE J, 36 | San Diego, CA

NAYTE O, 27 | Austin, TX

OLUMIDE O, 27 | Newark, NJ

PARDEEP S, 30 | Brooklyn, NY

PETER I, 26 | Port St Joe, FL

PJ H, 30 | Houston, TX

RICK L, 32 | Los Angeles, CA

RODNEY M, 29 | Rancho Cucamonga, CA

ROMEO A, 32 | NY, NY

RYAN F, 30 | San Jose, CA

SPENCER W, 25 | Cleveland, OH

WILL U, 28 | Santo Domingo, DR

Read the latest issue of Athleisure Mag.

THE BACHELORETTE S18. E4. | MICHELLE CONTINUES ON HER JOURNEY OF LOVE

Tonight’s episode of ABC’s The Bachelorette begins with some of the guys debriefing about Jamie and how he brought drama into the house. We also see kick off the episode with Michelle Young talking with Kaitlyn Bristowe about how she is looking forward to the week and how she will continue to remain open!

Tayshia Adams swings by the guys to let them know that this week there are 2 1-on-1 dates and 1 group date. The first date card goes to Martin. Olu feels that Martin and Jamie were close and he doesn’t trust him! He feels that he is not deserving of her and definitely has his eye on him. Apparently, Michelle is also aware that he was close with Jamie as well and she’s looking to get her answers! Initially, we weren’t the biggest fan of Martin - but it was nice that he caught up with Michelle when the drama was going on to make sure she was ok. So, it will be interesting to see how it all shakes out.

Although they have fun racing on the track, there is a conversation that they have where he says that Jamie was a good guy. This leaves Michelle feeling like her decision and position is being questioned. When they are in the dinner portion of the date, Michelle brings it up and Martin explains that he is not a great communicator but it was not his intent to make her feel that way. She gives him the date night rose.

During their date, we find that Leroy, Olu, Clayton, Nayte, Joe, Will, Chris S, Brandon, Casey, Romeo Clayton and Chris G will go on a group date and that Rick will get the 1-on-1 date.

The group date is a slumber party which includes Twister, cotton candy, snacks and even a spa session! Michelle notices that the guys are so in slumber zone, they’re not paying attention to her. When the Bella Twins show up, they let them know that they will do a Teddy Bear Takedown where they will have to fight in teams. She feels that this activity will continue to take attention away from her, but decides that she will focus on the activity. After being split into 2 teams, the winning team gets to have additional time with Michelle. Michelle pulls Kaitlyn aside and tells her that she doesn’t feel seen and that her poem from the previous week talked about how this was an issue with her. At the group date cocktail party, she lets the guys know her concerns and we see Olu have a visceral reaction and he’s upset that his actions missed the mark. Ultimately, Olu receives a group date rose.

Rick and Michelle go on their 1-on-1 date where they become one with nature. They connected even more and she evens calls him their little lettuce wrap. She also gives him a rose.

At the cocktail party, what could possibly go wrong? Apparently Chris S. He tells Michelle that Nayte felt that he “had it in the bag” when it came to getting a 1-on-1 date. Michelle lets everyone know that no one has it “in the bag.” Nayte pulls Chris S aside asking why he threw him under the boss and he puts him on notice that he sees him for what he is.

At the rose ceremony, Will, Romeo and Chris G were sent home.

Michelle gives roses to: Martin, Olu, Rick, Brandon, Leroy, Chris S, Joe, Rodney, Clayton, Casey and Nayte.

Michelle sent home: Will, Romeo and Chris G.

She informs the remaining men that they will be leaving Indian Wells/Palm Springs and making their way to Minnesota so that they can see where she is from and understand her background. We’ll see what’s in store for next week.

Each night during this season, we tweet about The Bachelorette and you can chat along with us (@AthleisureMag + with our Co-Founder/Creative + Style Director, Kimmie Smith @ShesKimmie) to see what’s taking place!

Each week we will let you know who our faves were from the last episode and if we’ve changed up since then as it pertains to who we think should go to Hometowns.

We also suggest a podcast that we’ve become obsessed with over the past few seasons, Wondery’s Bachelor Happy Hour to get their feedback!

---

HOMETOWN NOTES

SEASON 18 | EPISODE 4

Last week, we felt that Martin, Nayte, Jamie and Peter would go to hometowns.

This week, we had another series of dramatic events! But thankfully, some of the distractions have been removed - Peter and Jamie. There still seems to be someone in the mix - we’re looking at you Chris S, that may still want to shake things up. But we’re staying with last week’s picks as those that we can see coming to hometowns. We think that Joe, Martin, Nayte and Olu have a great chance.

JOE

MARTIN

NAYTE

OLU

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THE BACHELOR CONTESTANTS

ALEC T, 29 | North Charleston, SC

BRANDON J, 26 | Portland, OR

BRANDON K, 29 | Austin, TX

BRYAN W, 31 | Chicago, IL

CASEY W, 36 | Miami Beach, FL

CHRIS S, 28 | W. Hollywood, CA

CHRISTOPHER G, 28 | Nova Scotia, Canada

CLAYTON E, 26 | Columbia, MO

DANIEL T, 26 | Austin, TX

EDWARD N, 27 | Los Angeles, CA

GARRETT A, 33 | Salt Lake City, UT

JACK R, 33 | Philadelphia, PA

JAMIE S, 32 | San Diego, CA

JOE C, 28 | Minneapolis, MN

JOMARRI G, 26 | Fresno, CA

LEROY A, 27 | Dallas, TX

LT M, 38 | Bellevue, WA

MARTIN G, 29 | Miami, FL

MOLLIQUE J, 36 | San Diego, CA

NAYTE O, 27 | Austin, TX

OLUMIDE O, 27 | Newark, NJ

PARDEEP S, 30 | Brooklyn, NY

PETER I, 26 | Port St Joe, FL

PJ H, 30 | Houston, TX

RICK L, 32 | Los Angeles, CA

RODNEY M, 29 | Rancho Cucamonga, CA

ROMEO A, 32 | NY, NY

RYAN F, 30 | San Jose, CA

SPENCER W, 25 | Cleveland, OH

WILL U, 28 | Santo Domingo, DR

Read the latest issue of Athleisure Mag.

THE BACHELORETTE S18. E3. | MICHELLE CONNECTS WITH THE GUYS

We kick off tonight’s episode with Michelle Young of ABC’s The Bachelorette still thinking about the drama that took place at the Cocktail Party and she’s rethinking the guys. Even the guys are talking about how it’s awful that Michelle feels that her character is being questioned! Casey thinks that as a group, they should ban together and find out who spoke to Michelle with the information. Again Jamie is acting like he wasn’t involved. There are 2 group dates and 1-on-1 date. The first date card is given out by Kaitlyn Bristowe and we see that Martin, LT, Olu, Spencer, Clayton, Nayte, Joe, Rick, Will and Peter are all on the first date. The guys make their way to the airfield. Top Gun Maverick star’s Jay Ellis and Glen Powell explain what the date will be.

In addition to doing the G-Force challenge, they have to do a battle and of course Will and Peter fight each other. Peter doesn’t win and he continues to be mad and increase this feud that has been going on. Will wins the round, gets the jacket and gets to ride in the vintage car in Top Gun: Maverick. At the after party of the group date, Michelle enjoys being able to talk with the men 1-on-1 and it’s nice that at this point, that the drama is low. Of course Peter and Will are fighting back and forth

The remainder of the men are chatting and the next date card arrives. Rodney is on the 1-on-1 date. That means that Jamie, Brandon, LeRoy, Casey, Chris G, Mollique, Chris S and Romeo will have their time with Michelle.

Back on the group date, while Will is chatting with Michelle, Peter puts the jacket in the pool. Will is hurt that Peter disrespected him in that way. Clayton tells him that it wasn’t cool to do that and that their actions impact all of them. Will comes back after taking a breath - we don’t get hear what could have happened because Michelle comes back and gives the rose for this date to Martin because he pulled her aside to ask how she was doing. She then tells him that they have a mini date planned. Will decided not to tell Michelle what happened (in that moment) because he didn’t want her to create drama.

Now Rodney is getting ready for his 1-on-1 date. They play truth or dare and Rodney has to run naked through the lobby while Michelle says, “this is our journey.” Some of the guys as well as Tayshia Adams and Kaitlyn look out at this dare. As they relax in her suite and continue on to the truth portion of the date, Michelle says that he is chipping away at the friend zone and is coming out the other side - good for him! They continue on to the last portion of the date by paddling to the other side of the property. They have a great conversation and Rodney receives the rose! She lets him know that she doesn’t see him as an underdog and that he is attractive.

The next group date finds the guys walking into a room where Rudy Francisco, a known spoken word artist, is sharing his poem. We learn that Chris G is a huge fan of this artist and is so giddy to see that he is there. The men are tasked with writing a poem that talks about them lives that they can share with her. The other guys are watching the date as well. Everyone else does their poem and Jamie says he lost his book and instead tells a story that is not about him and is more of a Ted Talk. Michelle ends the date with her sharing her poem. Her poem talked about her journey and also shared how she wants to empower other black, brown and white girls so they can live in their best self.

At the post cocktail party for the 2nd group date, she continues to get to know more about the men who are there. Although we saw great conversations with everyone, she gives the group date rose to Brandon. Jamie felt that he had it in the bag. Jamie pulls the producer aside and tells her that he thought there should have been a stronger group of guys and that the he thinks that she is going Spring Break mode.

So, we move on to the cocktail party. The guys are still wondering about who blew up last week’s event. Jamie says that he can’t wait to chat with her and that he wants that 1-on-1 time. Nayte take some time with her to catch up. They run around the property and you can definitely tell that she is such a light-hearted person. Rick tells Michelle that no one questioned her character and that there was no way that anyone in the house would have said that. Michelle tells Rick that Jamie was the one that told her and now she feels that there are a number of red flags that popped up. Of course Rick tells some of the guys what happened. Rick let her know that Michelle told him that it was Jamie. Now all the guys know that Jamie was the one that threw them under the bus. Michelle loops in Tayshia and Kaitlyn and goes down to the guys. She realizes that the energy is off and asks why. Jamie makes an explanation and then Michelle shares what he said and then pulls him outside for them to talk. She feels that their trust is broken and she walks him out. She cancels the cocktail party and moves immediately to the rose ceremony.

Going into next week, we’ll see: Martin, Rodney, Brandon, Joe, Rick, Leroy, Nayte, Casey, Chris G, Chris S, Clayton, Olu, Romeo and Will.

She sent home: Jamie, Peter, Mollique, Spencer and LT.

Each night during this season, we tweet about The Bachelorette and you can chat along with us (@AthleisureMag + with our Co-Founder/Creative + Style Director, Kimmie Smith @ShesKimmie) to see what’s taking place!

Each week we will let you know who our faves were from the last episode and if we’ve changed up since then as it pertains to who we think should go to Hometowns.

We also suggest a podcast that we’ve become obsessed with over the past few seasons, Wondery’s Bachelor Happy Hour to get their feedback!

---

HOMETOWN NOTES

SEASON 18 | EPISODE 3

Last week, we felt that Martin, Nayte, Jamie and Peter would go to hometowns.

This week, we had another series of dramatic events! But thankfully, some of the distractions have been removed - Peter and Jamie. There still seems to be someone in the mix that may still want to shake things up. But we’re staying with last week’s picks as those that we can see coming to hometowns.

JOE

MARTIN

NAYTE

OLU

---

THE BACHELOR CONTESTANTS

ALEC T, 29 | North Charleston, SC

BRANDON J, 26 | Portland, OR

BRANDON K, 29 | Austin, TX

BRYAN W, 31 | Chicago, IL

CASEY W, 36 | Miami Beach, FL

CHRIS S, 28 | W. Hollywood, CA

CHRISTOPHER G, 28 | Nova Scotia, Canada

CLAYTON E, 26 | Columbia, MO

DANIEL T, 26 | Austin, TX

EDWARD N, 27 | Los Angeles, CA

GARRETT A, 33 | Salt Lake City, UT

JACK R, 33 | Philadelphia, PA

JAMIE S, 32 | San Diego, CA

JOE C, 28 | Minneapolis, MN

JOMARRI G, 26 | Fresno, CA

LEROY A, 27 | Dallas, TX

LT M, 38 | Bellevue, WA

MARTIN G, 29 | Miami, FL

MOLLIQUE J, 36 | San Diego, CA

NAYTE O, 27 | Austin, TX

OLUMIDE O, 27 | Newark, NJ

PARDEEP S, 30 | Brooklyn, NY

PETER I, 26 | Port St Joe, FL

PJ H, 30 | Houston, TX

RICK L, 32 | Los Angeles, CA

RODNEY M, 29 | Rancho Cucamonga, CA

ROMEO A, 32 | NY, NY

RYAN F, 30 | San Jose, CA

SPENCER W, 25 | Cleveland, OH

WILL U, 28 | Santo Domingo, DR

Read the latest issue of Athleisure Mag.

THE BACHELORETTE S18. E2. | HEAD OF THE CLASS WITH MICHELLE

We’re back with Michelle Young of ABC’s The Bachelorette! We see her debriefing with Tayshia Adams about how she is enjoying being on the season and the guys that she has remaining. As they chat, Kaitlyn Bristowe delivers the first date card. Brandon, Romeo, Rick, PJ, Will, Olu, Casey, Danny, LT and Peter make their way to Michelle and she lets them know that she has brought along 3 friends that won’t go easy on them. The friends are in a 5th grade classroom and they are her students! Who didn’t think that a date at some point would be in a classroom setting?

Their sessions include math, chemistry, spelling and musical chairs. We also see that Will is not Peter’s biggest fan and that he doesn’t care who knows it. When the men are asked to spell narcissist, he writes Peter’s name down which makes Peter annoyed that he has been called out in front of Michelle and her friends. The guys win participation prized and head to the second half of the date where they can enjoy cocktails with her and see who gets the group rose date. They find themselves sitting with Michelle on a pop up beach. Michelle cracks on Brandon for not being a great speller, but you can see a bit of the chemistry between them. She plays 1-on-1 cornhole with another. Peter asks Will to take some time to chat with him - hopefully to resolve their issue.

The next date card arrives Jamie receives the 1-on-1 date card. The guys don’t like his response as he spent more time talking about his wild life, flying to third world countries etc. The guys felt hat he wasn’t grateful so we see another person in the group that causes a bit of stir amongst the guys.

The guys on the group date ask why he felt that need to address his issue at that moment and take away from the group. Michelle pulls Peter to the side to ask why she did that. Michelle said that his screaming is not appropriate and that she doesn’t want to have him an issue and then come across in a negative way because she feels that he could have a temper. We think it’s safe to say he won’t get the group date rose. Michelle gives it to Brandon.

Jamie and Michelle set off on their 1-on-1 date. In Jaime’s confessional, he shares that this is a key date (which we know), but if it’s not a fit for him then he wouldn’t want to stay either. They head to Joshua Tree to have a picnic. To get to the picnic, they are rock climbing! They coach one another to get to the top and it’s definitely a tough date! The second part of their date involves dinner between the two of them. Jamie talks about his life and how his upbringing was not as idylic as Michelle’s. We learn about his mom’s mental health issue which eventually led to her committing suicide and how he had to learn to care about life. We definitely did not see his story coming but seeing what he has gone through, it’s easier to understand his personality and how he presents himself. Jamie receives the 1-on-1 date rose. THey hed off to a personal performance from Caroline Jones on their own private dance floor.

The second group date is taking place on the basketball court. The remaining man head to the court. We know that Michelle played Division I and it’s her favorite sport and her first love! The date also has 2 WNBA stars who are also on the date. Joe (his basketball coach passed away earlier that day) is on this date and was Mr Basketball Minnesota in 2011, she was also Mrs Basketball in the same year, but was a runner up. In addition Chris S, Spencer, Rodney, Pardeep, Nayte, Mollique, Clayton, Martin, LeRoy and Chris G are on the date. After warming up and playing 1-on-1 with Michelle, the guys are divided into a red and blue team. The winning team will get to spend more time with her and the losing one will go back to where they are staying. Although Joe did well, his team didn’t win. Michelle gave him an MVP so that he could have time with her along with the winning team. The remainder of the losing team was bummed that they would not receive time with him and we’re sure that the winning team would rather that he didn’t get the time either. It will be interesting to see when everyone learns that she knows Joe (although to be fair, they just talked socially and it seems like it was a long time ago).

The after-party begins and Joe takes her to the side. He lets her know about a previous basketball coach that passed away. They connected and played another round of 1-on-1 together. The losing team comes home and the guys at the house are shocked that Joe got to be there. The guys at the after-party are wondering about Joe as well. While the guys wonder about one another, Nayte says that he is not focused on what’s going on outside of his relationship with her. He doesn’t want to get in the middle of all the emotions that are going on so that he can stay focused. The group rose goes to Joe!

The cocktail party is about to start. The house is aware that they come from the same city, were both college basketball players and that they have a vibe. How this will continue to manifest means that the guys need to stay focused on their relationships. So the house is wondering to what level they know one another. Surprisingly, Jamie who has a rose, is throwing all of these suspicions and he feels that the house needs to know. Now he’s beginning to spread “information” that he thinks he knows. Jamie confronts her with what he feels he knows. She lets him know that she appreciates that he talked with her and that she wants to confront this situation directly. She talks with the men as a group and lets them know that she had never met Joe prior to when he arrived and that they had only communicated online years ago and he ghosted her. She also explained that there were rumors that she was a light skinned black man and she let them know that where she grew up, even if she was dating a white man and was seen with a black man - that it would be assumed that she was with him. Michelle gives them the opportunity to say something and the room is silent. She leaves and is annoyed and the guys are aggravated that the issue has made it seem like the house has been talking about this when in fact, most of the people are confused as this wasn’t an issue. The truly annoying part is the fact that Jamie is acting like he has no idea and is just as confused as everyone else. We’re all Peter and Rodney who both question how out of the loop are they that they are not aware of this issue.

Since no one wanted to talk about it, Michelle leaves them and sends the hosts to the men to inform them that the cocktail party has ended and she will see them in the rose ceremony. She tells them that if they accept a rose tonight, that they are accepting her and being in the process as she is with them.

Going into next week, we’ll see: Brandon, Jamie, Joe, Nayte, Rodney, Martin, Rick, LeRoy, Spencer, Casey, Chris G, Mollique, Olu, Chris S, Will, Romeo, LT, Clayton and Peter who all received roses.

She sent home: Alec, Daniel, Pardeep and PJ. Both fire fighters were eliminated tonight! It looks like next week, there will be quite a lot of drama and will the rest of the house figure out what Jamie set in motion?

Each night during this season, we tweet about The Bachelorette and you can chat along with us (@AthleisureMag + with our Co-Founder/Creative + Style Director, Kimmie Smith @ShesKimmie) to see what’s taking place!

Each week we will let you know who our faves were from the last episode and if we’ve changed up since then as it pertains to who we think should go to Hometowns.

We also suggest a podcast that we’ve become obsessed with over the past few seasons, Wondery’s Bachelor Happy Hour to get their feedback!

---

HOMETOWN NOTES

SEASON 18 | EPISODE 2

Last week, we felt that Martin, Nayte, Olu and Peter would go to hometowns.

This week, we looked through all the drama (we’re looking at you Peter and Jamie) and although we’re staying with Martin, Nayte and Olu for a second week in a row, we’re swapping out Peter for Joe. We can definitely see these 4 making it to that pivotal week.

JOE

MARTIN

NAYTE

OLU

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THE BACHELOR CONTESTANTS

ALEC T, 29 | North Charleston, SC

BRANDON J, 26 | Portland, OR

BRANDON K, 29 | Austin, TX

BRYAN W, 31 | Chicago, IL

CASEY W, 36 | Miami Beach, FL

CHRIS S, 28 | W. Hollywood, CA

CHRISTOPHER G, 28 | Nova Scotia, Canada

CLAYTON E, 26 | Columbia, MO

DANIEL T, 26 | Austin, TX

EDWARD N, 27 | Los Angeles, CA

GARRETT A, 33 | Salt Lake City, UT

JACK R, 33 | Philadelphia, PA

JAMIE S, 32 | San Diego, CA

JOE C, 28 | Minneapolis, MN

JOMARRI G, 26 | Fresno, CA

LEROY A, 27 | Dallas, TX

LT M, 38 | Bellevue, WA

MARTIN G, 29 | Miami, FL

MOLLIQUE J, 36 | San Diego, CA

NAYTE O, 27 | Austin, TX

OLUMIDE O, 27 | Newark, NJ

PARDEEP S, 30 | Brooklyn, NY

PETER I, 26 | Port St Joe, FL

PJ H, 30 | Houston, TX

RICK L, 32 | Los Angeles, CA

RODNEY M, 29 | Rancho Cucamonga, CA

ROMEO A, 32 | NY, NY

RYAN F, 30 | San Jose, CA

SPENCER W, 25 | Cleveland, OH

WILL U, 28 | Santo Domingo, DR

Read the latest issue of Athleisure Mag.

THE BACHELORETTE S18. E1. | MICHELLE'S SEASON BEGINS

It’s finally here. Season 18 with Michelle Young of ABC’s The Bachelorette kicked off! We first met her when she was competing during Matt James’ season on The Bachelor. Ultimately, during his After the Rose episode, we learned that they were announcing 2 Bachelorettes from his season - Katie Thurston that we saw earlier this summer.

Of course, we begin by seeing more about Michelle as well as her parents. But we also get to find out more about the men that will be vying for her attention this season as we see them traveling, settling in and in some cases - plotting how they can be the ideal contestant - complete with tips, charts etc - it’s a bit strange. We get this access while we watch our hosts Tayshia Adams and Kaitlyn Bristowe popping into the rooms to get to know about them and then what they have lying around.

Both of the hosts meet Michelle when she exits out of her limo to let her know she has a great crop of men. They also want to know more about what she hopes to get out of the experience. With that, the men begin to make themselves known to her. Jaime’s comment “that dress was just fabric until you brought it to life,” was definitely a line that stuck out in our heads and made us smile. Peter the Pizzapreneur with the accessorized suit jacket was another one that we liked. We met Ryan with the playbook and although his ice cream truck was cool, we still can’t get past all of his intel that he brought to his hotel room.

When we saw Joe Coleman as one of the contestants we wondered if they may have known one another since they are both from Minnesota. We love how Michelle thought he was familiar and then asked him if she had ever slid into his DMs. Although he was coy, she finally asked if his last name was Coleman and then we knew that he was in face familiar! We then find out that they had talked about basketball back and forth, and that he ghosted her! In talking with him, she found out that he ghosted her because they were communicating during the George Floyd Movement. We saw her take some extra time with Ryan and although they had a great second conversation, Tayshia and Kaitlyn loop her in. After Michelle talks with Ryan directly, she looks at the documents herself and deems Ryan unfit for being there - she sends his home.

The first impression rose was given to Nayte- she liked how he was vulnerable even though he said it would be hard for him. We can see the two of them being together.

With that, the first rose ceremony begins. Next week, we’ll see: Nayte (first impression rose), Jamie, Leroy, Martin, Spencer, Rick, Clayton, Peter, PJ, Mollique, Romeo, Daniel, Brandon J, Will, Chris S, Rodney, Alec, Pardeep, Christopher G, Casey, Olu, LT and Joe.

Michelle sent home: Ryan (from earlier in the night), Jomarri, Jack, Garrett, Edward, Bryan and Brandon K.

Each night during this season, we tweet about The Bachelorette and you can chat along with us (@AthleisureMag + with our Co-Founder/Creative + Style Director, Kimmie Smith @ShesKimmie) to see what’s taking place!

Each week we will let you know who our faves were from the last episode and if we’ve changed up since then as it pertains to who we think should go to Hometowns.

We also suggest a podcast that we’ve become obsessed with over the past few seasons, Wondery’s Bachelor Happy Hour to get their feedback!

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HOMETOWN NOTES

SEASON 18 | EPISODE 1

This week these 4 stick out in our minds as the group that would be going to hometowns. We could see Martin, Nayte, Olu and Peter in hometowns! This season, we will mark how many weeks we have had them in hometowns as well as we continue our weekly predictions.

MARTIN

NAYTE

OLU

PETER

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THE BACHELOR CONTESTANTS

ALEC T, 29 | North Charleston, SC

BRANDON J, 26 | Portland, OR

BRANDON K, 29 | Austin, TX

BRYAN W, 31 | Chicago, IL

CASEY W, 36 | Miami Beach, FL

CHRIS S, 28 | W. Hollywood, CA

CHRISTOPHER G, 28 | Nova Scotia, Canada

CLAYTON E, 26 | Columbia, MO

DANIEL T, 26 | Austin, TX

EDWARD N, 27 | Los Angeles, CA

GARRETT A, 33 | Salt Lake City, UT

JACK R, 33 | Philadelphia, PA

JAMIE S, 32 | San Diego, CA

JOE C, 28 | Minneapolis, MN

JOMARRI G, 26 | Fresno, CA

LEROY A, 27 | Dallas, TX

LT M, 38 | Bellevue, WA

MARTIN G, 29 | Miami, FL

MOLLIQUE J, 36 | San Diego, CA

NAYTE O, 27 | Austin, TX

OLUMIDE O, 27 | Newark, NJ

PARDEEP S, 30 | Brooklyn, NY

PETER I, 26 | Port St Joe, FL

PJ H, 30 | Houston, TX

RICK L, 32 | Los Angeles, CA

RODNEY M, 29 | Rancho Cucamonga, CA

ROMEO A, 32 | NY, NY

RYAN F, 30 | San Jose, CA

SPENCER W, 25 | Cleveland, OH

WILL U, 28 | Santo Domingo, DR

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THE BACHELORETTE S18. | SEE THE MEN OF MICHELLE YOUNG'S SEASON

On Oct 19th, we finally see Michelle Young on ABC’s The Bachelorette. If you remember back to Matt James’ season on The Bachelor, you know that there were 2 Bachelorette’s chosen - Katie Thurston that we saw earlier this summer and Michelle Young.

Prior to any season, ABC releases who will be the contestants on the show. We have a number of people that we’re already thinking will make it far this season.

Each night during the season, we tweet about The Bachelorette and you can chat along with us (@AthleisureMag + with our Co-Founder/Creative + Style Director, Kimmie Smith @ShesKimmie) to see what’s taking place!

Each week we will let you know who our faves were from the last episode and if we’ve changed up since then as it pertains to who we think should go to Hometowns.

We also suggest a podcast that we’ve become obsessed with over the past few seasons, Wondery’s Bachelor Happy Hour to get their feedback!

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SEASON 18

We’re sharing who you can expect to see on the upcoming season of S18 The Bachelorette.

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THE BACHELOR CONTESTANTS

ALEC T, 29 | North Charleston, SC

BRANDON J, 26 | Portland, OR

BRANDON K, 29 | Austin, TX

BRYAN W, 31 | Chicago, IL

CASEY W, 36 | Miami Beach, FL

CHRIS S, 28 | W. Hollywood, CA

CHRISTOPHER G, 28 | Nova Scotia, Canada

CLAYTON E, 26 | Columbia, MO

DANIEL T, 26 | Austin, TX

EDWARD N, 27 | Los Angeles, CA

GARRETT A, 33 | Salt Lake City, UT

JACK R, 33 | Philadelphia, PA

JAMIE S, 32 | San Diego, CA

JOE C, 28 | Minneapolis, MN

JOMARRI G, 26 | Fresno, CA

LEROY A, 27 | Dallas, TX

LT M, 38 | Bellevue, WA

MARTIN G, 29 | Miami, FL

MOLLIQUE J, 36 | San Diego, CA

NAYTE O, 27 | Austin, TX

OLUMIDE O, 27 | Newark, NJ

PARDEEP S, 30 | Brooklyn, NY

PETER I, 26 | Port St Joe, FL

PJ H, 30 | Houston, TX

RICK L, 32 | Los Angeles, CA

RODNEY M, 29 | Rancho Cucamonga, CA

ROMEO A, 32 | NY, NY

RUAN F, 30 | San Jose, CA

SPENCER W, 25 | Cleveland, OH

WILL U, 28 | Santo Domingo, DR

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THE BACHELORETTE S17. E10. | IT ALL COMES DOWN TO THIS

Tonight’s ABC’s The Bachelorette brings it all together as so much has taken place over the season and last episode!

The guys are told that Greg has left, but they will still have time with her uninterrupted. Blake and Katie Thurston began their date with throwing paint balloons. She then runs down Michael and Greg and what happened, while saying she had a strong connection with them. We all see Blake’s face as he is surprised how close she was with other men.

They continue their date at dinner. Blake lets her know that he loves her and is excited about life with her. Katie tells him she loves him too. They head out to the Fantasy Suites. They wake up happy and connected.

She debriefs with Kaitlyn and lets her know that she was satisfied many times. She even admits that her heart is with Blake! Now, she’s got her date with Justin, what does this mean for him? Although Justin is excited for their date, Katie talks with him to let her know where she is. She tells him about Blake’s date and that she can’t go forward with him. She doesn’t see a point in him meeting her family. On the couch, Justin saw his scene and is still grappling with it but still has love for her. He feels Katie didn’t give him a real shot and he was there by default. She says that that isn’t true. From that uncomfortable moment, we go to a reel of his faces -awkward transition, but funny moments.

Blake is about to meet Katie’s family and he knows that he is the only one left. He’s meeting her mom and aunt. Katie’s aunt, Lindsey, is tough and asks the hard questions while telling him how it is. Lindsey grills Katie too! Katie’s mom asks pointed questions too. There are a lot of logistics to figure out.

They have another date after meeting the parents. She lets him know it will be serious. They do an exercise to leave negativity behind by sharing their concerns and fears. Neil Lane is called and Tayshia brings Blake the rings. We see Katie getting ready. It seems like Blake is on the fence in terms of proposing.

Katie arrives to give her final rose. Blake at least arrives with his suit and Tayshia lets Kaitlyn know that he was battling about his decision. Blake and Katie are finally together and she has nothing, but amazing things to say to him. Blake talks about their time together, how great she is and he asks her to marry him.

Of course, we head to the remainder of After the Rose. Greg is the last bit of old business that they need to tackle. He got the first impression rose, got thefirst 1-on-1 date but towards the end, it devolved. Katie comes out and is pissed. She says he was never ready for an engagement because she validated him each week. She accuses him of gaslighting her.

Each night, we tweeted about The Bachelor and we chatted along with you (@AthleisureMag + with our Co-Founder/Creative + Style Director, Kimmie Smith @ShesKimmie) to talk about what took place!

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SEASON 17, EPISODE 10

Blake and Katie are engaged.

BLAKE 29 - Hamilton, Ontario Canada

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THE BACHELOR CONTESTANTS

AARON 26 - Walnut, CA

ANDREW M. 31 - Walnut Creek, CA

ANDREW S. 26 - Waukegan, IL

AUSTIN 25 - Mission Viejo, CA

BLAKE 29 - Hamilton, Ontario Canada

BRANDON 26 - Mokena, IL

BRENDAN 26 - Toronto, Canada

CHRISTIAN 26 - Newburyport, MA

CODY 27 - Montclair, NJ

CONNOR B. 29 - Columbia, IL

CONOR C. 28 - Edmond, OK

DAVID 27 - NY, NY

GABRIEL 35 - Charlotte, NC

GARRETT 29 - Salinas, CA

GREG 27 - Edison, NJ

HUNTER 34 - San Angelo, TX

JAMES 30 - NY, NY

JEFF 31 - Cranford, NJ

JOHN 27 - Santa Cruz, CA

JOSHUA 25 - Pembroke Pines, FL

JUSTIN 26 - Ellicott City, MD

KARL 33 - Miami, FL

KYLE 26 - Sarasota, FL

LANDON 25 - Bakersfield, CA

MARCUS 30 - Vancouver, WA

MARTY 25 - Reno, NV

MICHAEL A. 36 - Akron, OH

MIKE P. 31 - Surprise, AZ

QUARTNEY 26 - Arlington, TX

THOMAS 28 - San Diego, CA

TRÉ 26 - Covington, GA

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THE BACHELORETTE S17. E9. | HOMETOWNS HAVE ARRIVED

Tonight’s ABC’s The Bachelorette is what we have been waiting for - Hometowns! WIth only 3 men: Greg, Blake and Justin, it’ll be interesting to see who will continue on although we feel that there is a drama in the air.

Katie Thurston kicks off Hometowns with Blake and they do a Canada-themed date prior to when she meets his family. He brings a number of elements from Canada to her and he bartends for her and shares that they use syrup for everything and have it everywhere. They do shots of syrup and they also learn that he has used it in the bedroom before as they keep it by their bedside? They also play darts with a series of questions to get to know more about one another. Of course, they play hockey in the street and they ride a mechanical Moose. While they are enjoying their date, Greg sees them and he’s not ok - especially when he sees them go into the penalty box and make out. Seeing their 1-on-1 date, Greg can’t take watching them and seeing how unhappy they are.

As she heads into Blake’s second portion of the date with his family, she realizes that Blake isn’t in love with her yet; however, she wants to make a great impression. She also wants to mesh with his family and see where he comes from. His family definitely seems like they’re cool and the kind of people that would give her a chance to know more about her. They see there is a connection, but they wonder if there is a real connection as opposed to just an infatuation with her. Katie is very honest in letting her know that they haven’t told one another that they love each other; however, they are willing to continue to see where it goes. Blake’s sister really asks the tough questions with him to ensure that he understands what’s going on as she has seen him fall in love with a number of people quickly. Blake and his mom chat and feel that they are a good fit, but wants to know if he sees her as his wife. She also agrees that he should tell her that he loves her just so that he is clear with her on what he wants. The date ends with a bit more street hockey and a successful date. Blake didn’t tell her that he loved her at the end of the night.

We see that Justin’s family is not coming to the resort for Hometowns. But he gives them a call to get their feedback. He’s bummed that he is unable to share his parents with her. His parents say they will support him, but by them not being there, it’s unfortunate that he will not be able to share them with her. Thankfully, his friends will be there. He will show Baltimore to Katie for his Hometowns. Katie feels that their connection started early and she is excited to know more about him and where he comes from. He shares the grafitti wall that is iconic to the area and they find out that they both love Blue Cheese over Ranch. He also has a crab lunch with her and lets her know that this is just a major part of where he’s from. Their connection is one that has always been undeniable. He wants to let Katie know about the dynamics of the date and where he is out. He lets her know that his parents couldn’t come and she will only meet his best friends which are like his brothers. Katie is happy that she told him and is looking forward to meeting his friends. She does wonder if he is ready for a marriage since his parents won’t be there.

His friends defintely seem like his brothers and you can tell that they have his best interest at heart. His friends let him know that his vulnerability has been an issue in the past. By not sharing his thoughts and being reserved, they feel that he has had some missed opportunities in the past. Katie realizes that his friends are shocked to see him being so comfortable with her and hopefully that lets Katie know that even though his parents aren’t there, that there are things that they can continue to explore. Justin lets her know that he is falling in love with her. She kisses him and although she will reserve saying “I love you,” until there is only 1 man, it’s for the best that he lets her know so that she can properly assess what is going on.

The final Hometown will be with Greg, but we already know that he has been having issues throughout this process as she has dated others in the house. After seeing Blake’s date, we know that he is feeling even more unsettled! Greg gives a taste of his town in New Jersey which will kick off with a tandem bike. Their first stop is the iconic pork roll and cheese. They also enjoy an Italian ice as well as a bouncy wave that has them surfing. He brings her to the basketball court and lets her know that his dad coached him throughout his career and he hasn’t played since his dad passed away. He thought it would be great to do something sentimental as they did that with the last 1-on-1 date that he had with Katie when she shared what her and her father did. Greg’s mom, brother and his friend will be there for Hometowns. He enjoyed the rain in Seattle and then let her know that it rains in Jersey too - which it did and it gave them the moment to enjoy a few kisses.

When she meets Greg’s family, even though some of his other members were unable to be there, his mom shares pre-recorded video of them showing their support. They all talk about how they have not seen him this happy in a long time. They notice that he is glowing. When Greg’s mom talks to Katie and tries to get specific questions out of her, Katie answers but is also clear on why she will not say, “I love you,” until it’s the last person that’s there as she wants to give that gift. As he speaks with his mom, he tells her that he wants to hear that she is in love with him, but he would love to hear that validation. He tells her that he is falling in love with her and hasn’t been this happy in such a long time. She tells him what she talked with his family about and that she knows he will be there next week, but he looks hurt that she will not be vulnerable and share more of her thoughts with him. Katie asks him to trust in their relationship, but we can see that Greg probably will not make it to the end.

All 3 of the Hometown dates have been completed. Blake and Greg talk about how the uncertainty is tough to handle and they both agree that they don’t know what she is thinking. Greg is sad because he feels that his heart opened up to her and that she didn’t really respond and that she just shut down. He feels that he needs to talk to her because he feels it’s clear that she doesn’t feel the same as him as she hasn’t given the indications that he is looking for. He swings by her place and lets her know that he wants to talk to her about the other night. He lets her know that he told his family that she was the one and when he let her know those feelings, he felt that she dismissed him and his feelings. Katie tells him that she only wants to say, “I love you,” to one person. He says that he gets that, but he didn’t even see an emotion from her and he says that he’s not asking for her to give a “love you” or that he is guaranteed a rose the following week - he didn’t like the way that she hasn’t shared. He is also upset that she told him that she doesn’t trust anything. He lets her know that this is his breaking point and that he will no longer continue. Her lack of acknowledgment is his issue and not the fact that she didn’t say that she was in love with him. He feels that there is a wall. He’s also embarrassed that he told his family that he thought she was the one.

Katie attempts to chat with Greg once he leaves, but he’s completely over the entire situation. She heads back to her room and lets production know that she is done and wants a plane ticket home. Kaitlyn comes over to talk with Katie. Through the door, Kaitlyn connects with Katie and she explains that she has been there as she remembers crying into her salad. Kaitlyn walks her through what happened to see if there is a nugget that they can learn. She then asks her if there is anything that could change, at that point Katie lets her in and they have a heart-to-heart moment as they figure out where they can go from where she is. Kaitlyn being able to hold her hand and to share how she understands is probably something that Chris Harrison would have not been able to do in the same way. Katie wonders if it is worth it and to be blindsided by someone that she knows that she connected with and to see him go away. She ticks off that Michael as well as Greg left - is there a reason for her to be able to continue as her confidence is shaken.

Katie doesn’t know how to navigate the rest of the process and asks for someone to book her a flight home. Without knowing what the future holds, we do know that the season finale is next week. We see her chatting with her mom, we know that Tayshia and Kaitlyn talk to the remaining men Blake and Justin about what has taken place.

Each night, when the season airs, we’ll tweet about The Bachelor and you can chat along with us (@AthleisureMag + with our Co-Founder/Creative + Style Director, Kimmie Smith @ShesKimmie) to see what’s taking place!

Each week we will let you know who our faves were last episode and if we’ve changed up since then as it pertains to who we think should go to Hometowns.

We also suggest a podcast that we’ve become obsessed with over the past few seasons, Wondery’s Bachelor Happy Hour to get their feedback!

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SEASON 17, EPISODE 9

Last week, we knew that Andrew, Blake,and Greg would be introducing Katie during Hometowns.

BLAKE 29 - Hamilton, Ontario Canada

GREG 27 - Edison, NJ

JUSTIN 26 - Ellicott City, MD

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THE BACHELOR CONTESTANTS

AARON 26 - Walnut, CA

ANDREW M. 31 - Walnut Creek, CA

ANDREW S. 26 - Waukegan, IL

AUSTIN 25 - Mission Viejo, CA

BLAKE 29 - Hamilton, Ontario Canada

BRANDON 26 - Mokena, IL

BRENDAN 26 - Toronto, Canada

CHRISTIAN 26 - Newburyport, MA

CODY 27 - Montclair, NJ

CONNOR B. 29 - Columbia, IL

CONOR C. 28 - Edmond, OK

DAVID 27 - NY, NY

GABRIEL 35 - Charlotte, NC

GARRETT 29 - Salinas, CA

GREG 27 - Edison, NJ

HUNTER 34 - San Angelo, TX

JAMES 30 - NY, NY

JEFF 31 - Cranford, NJ

JOHN 27 - Santa Cruz, CA

JOSHUA 25 - Pembroke Pines, FL

JUSTIN 26 - Ellicott City, MD

KARL 33 - Miami, FL

KYLE 26 - Sarasota, FL

LANDON 25 - Bakersfield, CA

MARCUS 30 - Vancouver, WA

MARTY 25 - Reno, NV

MICHAEL A. 36 - Akron, OH

MIKE P. 31 - Surprise, AZ

QUARTNEY 26 - Arlington, TX

THOMAS 28 - San Diego, CA

TRÉ 26 - Covington, GA

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THE BACHELORETTE S17. E8. | WELCOME TO HOMETOWNS

Tonight’s ABC’s The Bachelorette has an honest conversation between Tayshia and Katie Thurston. In Matt’s season, she didn’t make it to Hometowns so she doesn’t know what to expect and she is also thinking about holding off to tell anyone that she is in love with them as that is the 1 thing that she can give 1 of them. Tayshia says that if she feels it, she should say it and if it is with multiple people that’s ok. She lets her know that Zac wasn’t in the running, but when she was at Hometowns with him, that’s when she knew.

The guys all talk about the importance of the week and why this is so integral for them as they get closer to the end. We see Michael talking with his son letting him know that they will go on a vacation when he is back. But the call ends up leaving him conflicted when he feels that his son James believes that his father doesn’t want to see him. Michael begins to question him being there as he doesn’t want him hurt. He finds Katie and lets her know how much he has enjoyed being with her and now he feels that because of his son, he can’t focus on anything else and that’s his priority. He feels that he can only give her half of who he is even though he sees so much. He lets her know that he is going home because of his son James. He is sad that he has to leave there with all the what ifs. She tells him that she saw them going to the end and she is very confused. He reiterates that he is not leaving because of their relationship, but that he needs to be there for his son. She shares that she had so many things that she wanted to tell him and it’s really sad to see that they’re not going to be able to continue.

Michael leaves and then there were three: Greg, Blake and Justin. We’re holding out for the possibility of her connecting with Michael later, but we also see him at the Men’s Tell All! It’s getting hard to figure out who she will ultimately be with - if at all!

Now we’re at the Men Tell All and looking back on the season and it’s being hosted by Kaitlyn and Tayshia. This episode is definitely going to be cringey as we see things playback and everyone hears what was said. They delve into Cody and Aaron’s beef which we didn’t hear a lot about but definitely could glean the issues that they have as they’re from the same area. While the guys chat, Karl jumps in and says the house was a witch hunt and he’s reminded that Cody only had one person that wasn’t his fan, Aaron and that Karl wasn’t liked because everyone saw through him.

Each night, when the season airs, we’ll tweet about The Bachelor and you can chat along with us (@AthleisureMag + with our Co-Founder/Creative + Style Director, Kimmie Smith @ShesKimmie) to see what’s taking place!

Each week we will let you know who our faves were last episode and if we’ve changed up since then as it pertains to who we think should go to Hometowns.

We also suggest a podcast that we’ve become obsessed with over the past few seasons, Wondery’s Bachelor Happy Hour to get their feedback!

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SEASON 17, EPISODE 8

Last week, we felt that Andrew, Blake, Greg and Michael A. would be on their way to Hometowns.

This week, we finally know who will be sharing their families with Katie during Hometowns: Blake, Greg and Justin.

BLAKE 29 - Hamilton, Ontario Canada

GREG 27 - Edison, NJ

JUSTIN 26 - Ellicott City, MD

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THE BACHELOR CONTESTANTS

AARON 26 - Walnut, CA

ANDREW M. 31 - Walnut Creek, CA

ANDREW S. 26 - Waukegan, IL

AUSTIN 25 - Mission Viejo, CA

BLAKE 29 - Hamilton, Ontario Canada

BRANDON 26 - Mokena, IL

BRENDAN 26 - Toronto, Canada

CHRISTIAN 26 - Newburyport, MA

CODY 27 - Montclair, NJ

CONNOR B. 29 - Columbia, IL

CONOR C. 28 - Edmond, OK

DAVID 27 - NY, NY

GABRIEL 35 - Charlotte, NC

GARRETT 29 - Salinas, CA

GREG 27 - Edison, NJ

HUNTER 34 - San Angelo, TX

JAMES 30 - NY, NY

JEFF 31 - Cranford, NJ

JOHN 27 - Santa Cruz, CA

JOSHUA 25 - Pembroke Pines, FL

JUSTIN 26 - Ellicott City, MD

KARL 33 - Miami, FL

KYLE 26 - Sarasota, FL

LANDON 25 - Bakersfield, CA

MARCUS 30 - Vancouver, WA

MARTY 25 - Reno, NV

MICHAEL A. 36 - Akron, OH

MIKE P. 31 - Surprise, AZ

QUARTNEY 26 - Arlington, TX

THOMAS 28 - San Diego, CA

TRÉ 26 - Covington, GA

Read the latest issue of Athleisure Mag.

THE BACHELORETTE S17. E7. | STEPS FROM HOMETOWNS

Tonight’s ABC’s The Bachelorette is getting us much closer to Hometowns. As the guys talk about how key this will be, we also see Kaitlyn, Tayshia and Katie Thurston connecting over what she projects this experience will be for Hometowns. The date card arrives with Greg getting a 1-on-1 with Katie (his second one). The other guys wonder who else will get 1-on-1 dates as the rosed given out today will be those that will be for Hometowns so that she can meet their families.

Greg’s date includes her giving a taste of Seattle. Instead of Pike Place Market, she has Katie’s Place Market. From throwing fish, eating oysters, creating bouquets etc - it’s a sweet moment. They play football because that’s huge there and they even have a replica of The Gum Wall (this was not one of our favorite things to see when we were in Seattle). It’s always interesting to see how the producers add these home-oriented touches when we’re not able to do them now due to being in a pandemic.

We continue onto the second part of Greg’s date and she lets him know that many times, she thought that he was just going to leave. She hopes that he knows that she wants him to stay; however, now that it’s getting closer to Hometowns, we’d think that his anxieties would be reduced with less people vying for her attention and being able to have more time. Plus, it definitely seems like those that were problematic have been removed so that it’s just about the interactions. He lets her know that he is there and he hopes that if he is there for the next week, he wants to show his family the girl that he is falling in love with. Katie lets him know that she does have feelings and she gives him the rose and he is heading to Hometowns.

The next date card arrives and we know that Brendan and Mike P. have yet to have a 1-on-1 with Katie. Justin, Andrew, Blake, Michael A. and Brendan are all on the group date which means that Michael P. will get the 1-on-1 date. Brendan is not the happiest about seeing that he didn’t get the 1-on-1 date. Although he’s frustrated and happy that Mike P. got 1-on-1 time, he decides to just go to her room and talk with her. He feels that since he didn’t have time to talk with her during the cocktail party and having the group date prior, he wanted to know more about what she was thinking. He lets her know that she has so much to offer and he wishes that he could have just one full day with her. Katie lets him know that although she felt a connection with him, she doesn’t think that with Hometowns being next week that they would be able to get there and she sends him home.

Since Brendan was sent home, only Justin, Andrew, Blake and Michael A. are on the group date. The date involves flowers that are sensual and self portraits of the artist. The guys are tasked with creating art that is inspired by Katie - most of them create paintings and Michael A does a sculptor. The second part of the group date begins and all eyes are on the rose. All 4 guys feel that they are on the bubble but at least they all know that they will have time with her alone to say what they need to say.

Blake kicks off some time with her and lets Katie know that although he is not in love right now, he knows it’s coming and that his mom will love her. Justin brings a butterfly picture that he painted for her and says that it means evolution and that that is what she has done for him. When he had time to make a second painting and to make another great rose, this could be quite a hobby! They both acknowlegde that they have a great and easy connection. In her time with Michael A., Katie says that she will figure out the dynamics of a relationship with him as she knows that his son, James is part of their life together. She tells him that every rose given is also given to James as well as Michael. Michael’s concerns that he had going in were taken care of when she said that everything will be figured out. Andrew A. takes his time with Katie and lets her know that every athlete dies twice once when they finish their sport and again when they pass away. He lets her know that he is willing to stop playing so that he can focus on her. She tells him that she wants him to continue doing his passion and they will figure it out and if it means traveling with him, living in separate places, pushing back on having a family, etc - she’s there for it. Her recreates their 1-on-1 date with the envelope in the cieling with lights and she reads his note, “I’m falling for you.” We have to agree that this group of 4 guys will be tough to decide who gets the group date rose and who she will have to choose when it comes to the end of tonight’s episode.

The group date rose goes to Michael A. - Justin, Blake and Andrew A. not have to wait until the rose. It’s great to see the guys that are left who definitely are sad that they didn’t get a rose, but they’re not attacking one another.

Mike P.’s date is a 1-on-1 and they meet a cuddle expert and they change into comfortable clothing so that they can get through the cuddle exercises on their first date. It looks pretty awkward as they do various positions with one another and he shares how he feels that Katie is nurturing just like his mom. The giggling throughout the date was a red flag to the cuddle coach. When they have the chance to chat with one another as they continue to cuddle, it’s nice to see him showing his vulnerability with her. From cuddling, they’re on a park bench and Katie is crying. She explains that they had a great time, and she knows they bonded more and she knows she has stronger relationships with the other guys. She feels that she can’t get there with him and she doesn’t want to make him go to a dinner, when she knows that it won’t work and is sending him home. She sends Mike P. home.

Andrew, Blake and Justin are fighting for the last 2 roses at the rose ceremony. Katie gives the first rose to Blake and the remaining one to Justin! We’re kind of surprised as we thought that Andrew was a shoe-in!

Katie is not completely settled with the decision that she made the night before. She felt that it was really hard to let him go. A knock on the door by Andrew brings a smile to her face. He didn’t want to leave on a bad note with her; however, she is still not bringing him back. He left her with a note that she can read when she is ready and he leaves - again. She reads it immediately and it says, “if you change your mind, I’ll be waiting.” She runs after him and gives him a hug - she asks that if he can stay longer, would he and he says it’s tough because even though he wants to be with her, this place is too hard. But he couldn’t say yes. She realizes that the journey wasn’t for them and as hard as it is, she feels that this process is worth it.

Katie sends the following home: Brendan, Mike P. and Andrew S.

Next week, Hometowns will include: Greg, Michael A., Blake and Justin.

Each night, when the season airs, we’ll tweet about The Bachelor and you can chat along with us (@AthleisureMag + with our Co-Founder/Creative + Style Director, Kimmie Smith @ShesKimmie) to see what’s taking place!

Each week we will let you know who our faves were last episode and if we’ve changed up since then as it pertains to who we think should go to Hometowns.

We also suggest a podcast that we’ve become obsessed with over the past few seasons, Wondery’s Bachelor Happy Hour to get their feedback!

---

SEASON 17, EPISODE 7

Last week, we felt that Andrew, Blake, Greg and Michael A. would be on their way to Hometowns.

This week, we finally know who will be sharing their families with Katie during Hometowns: Blake, Greg, Justin and Michael A.

HEADING TO HOMETOWNS:

BLAKE 29 - Hamilton, Ontario Canada

GREG 27 - Edison, NJ

JUSTIN 26 - Ellicott City, MD

MICHAEL A. 36 - Akron, OH

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THE BACHELOR CONTESTANTS

AARON 26 - Walnut, CA

ANDREW M. 31 - Walnut Creek, CA

ANDREW S. 26 - Waukegan, IL

AUSTIN 25 - Mission Viejo, CA

BLAKE 29 - Hamilton, Ontario Canada

BRANDON 26 - Mokena, IL

BRENDAN 26 - Toronto, Canada

CHRISTIAN 26 - Newburyport, MA

CODY 27 - Montclair, NJ

CONNOR B. 29 - Columbia, IL

CONOR C. 28 - Edmond, OK

DAVID 27 - NY, NY

GABRIEL 35 - Charlotte, NC

GARRETT 29 - Salinas, CA

GREG 27 - Edison, NJ

HUNTER 34 - San Angelo, TX

JAMES 30 - NY, NY

JEFF 31 - Cranford, NJ

JOHN 27 - Santa Cruz, CA

JOSHUA 25 - Pembroke Pines, FL

JUSTIN 26 - Ellicott City, MD

KARL 33 - Miami, FL

KYLE 26 - Sarasota, FL

LANDON 25 - Bakersfield, CA

MARCUS 30 - Vancouver, WA

MARTY 25 - Reno, NV

MICHAEL A. 36 - Akron, OH

MIKE P. 31 - Surprise, AZ

QUARTNEY 26 - Arlington, TX

THOMAS 28 - San Diego, CA

TRÉ 26 - Covington, GA

Read the latest issue of Athleisure Mag.

THE BACHELORETTE S17. E6. | CAN WE GET AN EASY WEEK?

Tonight’s ABC’s The Bachelorette continues with Kaitlyn, Tayshia and Katie Thurston having a proper catch-up session to see where she is with the guys that remain. The guys are at the house and Kaitlyn announces Katie’s plan for Operation WOWO to see who will be able to hold out the longest. The guys take in this added element of self-care that they will not be able to engage in. Kaitlyn leaves the date card behind and Justin receives a 1-on-1 date. We can only imagine how many faces he will do during their date.

On Justin’s date, we see our Co-Founder/Creative + Style Dir. of Athleisure Mag’s friend (Kimmie Smith), Franco Lacosta who is back as the photographer of the wedding date. Katie and Justin write their vows and then they take a number of pictures in a wedding dress and a suit. Seeing Justin think about what it would be like to be married and to think about what he would say on his big day along with all of his facial expressions was definitely a great date to see. Franco shares some words of wisdom about being authentic and real.

The second date card arrives which will be a group date and includes: Blake, Andrew, Michael A., Greg, Aaron, Mike P., Brendan, James, Tre and Hunter are on the next date. They are halfway through this season so the need to have 1-on-1 time is important. Connor realizes that he will get the 1-on-1 date. As we return to the back half of James and Katie’s date, she shares that the experience was hard because her dad passed away and it reminds her of how important it is for her to love her family every day and then she found out prior to his death that he was not her biological father. She knows that her biological father wants to meet her and be involved, but she is conflicted as she is always reminded of the one she thinks of as a father that passed away. In telling her story, she is comforted by how Justin listened to what she was going through and she offers him the date rose. They end their night dancing to Max Schneider’s (from Nickelodeon’s Rags) performance.

The theme for the group date is a Bachelorette Party of sorts. She lets the guys know that she has enlisted the help of RuPaul’s Drag Race Shea Colet and Monet x Change. They will learn how to throw shade and cut the other guys down - this is not going to end well. Hunter will definitely have some words thrown his way. The guys let her know through their interactions that Hunter is a Bachelor Nation super fan who likes to read the blogs and comment on people. They’re dismissed to the second half of their date for the group cocktail party.

Connor officially gets his date card for his 1-on-1. We head back to the second part of the date and Katie says that she’s concerned about a few things that she heard during the date and lets them know that Hometowns are coming up and some of the guys are not exactly where they need to be. Andrew and Katie seem to have a great connection when they talk aside from the event. Greg lets Katie know that he is falling for her and that he just wants to make sense that they are on the same page and to be honest with him. She enjoys chatting with everyone and has a different vibe with each. Her and Blake engage in sexy banter and James shares that Hunter is not who he presents himself to be. Tre also shares his thoughts on Hunter as well as the interaction about whether he was in love with her. Aaron also puts his 2 cents in on the subject and she grabs him to find out more.

Katie asks him about being calculated and the fact that multiple guys are bringing it up. Hunter shares that he is being ganged up on and he’s trying to take care of his side of the street. Katie lets him know that she needs a minute because she is so conflicted. The guys are talking amongst themselves and not everyone got time with her she calls the night early and she says that she will not be giving a rose for the group date. The guys are dejected and are left in limbo.

We pick up with Connor which is prepping for his date with Katie. Although she was drained from last night’s date, we can see that she is excited to just have a fun date with the original cat man. She admits that although she loves their chemistry, she doesn’t feel that sizzle when they kiss with one another as she doesn’t feel that spark. Their date is a double with Kaitlyn and her fiance Jason Tartick. She hopes that because they have been in the process, they can shed some light. They begin with Volleyball and move on to maneuvering with coconuts as well as playing a game to ask questions to get to know one another better. Kaitlyn lets her know that time means everything and reminds her that she was friends with Jason first and then they started to date. Clearly, Kaitlyn feels that the last kiss will tell her everything that she needs to know. Connor asks what the other part of the date will be and she doesn’t really answer him - but they do kiss and it looks pretty passionate (we assumed that she felt all of her kisses with him were - then again, they did linger on his suitcase quite a bit).

We’re back from the commercial break and Katie visits Connor before the second part of the date wearing a cropped hoodie and her jeans. She lets him know that as much as she appreciates him, when they kiss one another, she feels something is missing. Although she is being honest, it’s pretty awful for him to hear that. Connor says goodbye to the guys and the bromance of Greg and Connor is now over on the show. It’s nice to see how people in the house do like him and how they respected him. Hunter with the faux tears though? Blake comes over with his radio above his head, outside of her window to send some love her way. Clearly, there is passion between the two of them even after their WOWO conversation from earlier. Blake shows how he is being supportive as he realized that while the house was having an emotional moment with Connor’s goodbye, he thought about how Katie must have been feeling to do that. We’re definitely starting to root for Blake as we’re seeing a lot more of his personality.

Tonight’s episode has definitely had a lot of emotion going on! Heading into the rose ceremony, Katie is looking ahead and knows there are some decisions that she will be making. She lets them know that she is going to be intentional with her heart and that there won’t be a cocktail party and they will go straight to the ceremony. She only wants to focus on the relationships that she has formed and time tonight won’t change her mind. Right when she is about to give roses out, she asks to talk with Hunter to get clarity.

At the end of tonight’s episode, the following receive roses: Justin, Blake, Andrew, Greg, Michael A., Mike P. and Brendan.

Katie sent home: Connor, James, Hunter, Tre and Aaron.

Each night, when the season airs, we’ll tweet about The Bachelor and you can chat along with us (@AthleisureMag + with our Co-Founder/Creative + Style Director, Kimmie Smith @ShesKimmie) to see what’s taking place!

Each week we will let you know who our faves were last episode and if we’ve changed up since then as it pertains to who we think should go to Hometowns.

We also suggest a podcast that we’ve become obsessed with over the past few seasons, Wondery’s Bachelor Happy Hour to get their feedback!

---

SEASON 17, EPISODE 6

Over the past few weeks, we have stayed with Connor B, James, Greg and Tré for who we thought will go to Hometowns due to not having a rose ceremony.

This week, we’re shaking up our picks that we think will go to Hometowns by removing James andTre and adding Andrew S. and Michael A.

WHO WE’RE PREDICTING WILL BE AT HOMETOWNS

ANDREW S. 26 - Waukegan, IL (Copy)

BLAKE 29 - Hamilton, Ontario Canada

GREG 27 - Edison, NJ (Copy)

MICHAEL A. 36 - Akron, OH (Copy)

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THE BACHELOR CONTESTANTS

AARON 26 - Walnut, CA

ANDREW M. 31 - Walnut Creek, CA

ANDREW S. 26 - Waukegan, IL

AUSTIN 25 - Mission Viejo, CA

BLAKE 29 - Hamilton, Ontario Canada

BRANDON 26 - Mokena, IL

BRENDAN 26 - Toronto, Canada

CHRISTIAN 26 - Newburyport, MA

CODY 27 - Montclair, NJ

CONNOR B. 29 - Columbia, IL

CONOR C. 28 - Edmond, OK

DAVID 27 - NY, NY

GABRIEL 35 - Charlotte, NC

GARRETT 29 - Salinas, CA

GREG 27 - Edison, NJ

HUNTER 34 - San Angelo, TX

JAMES 30 - NY, NY

JEFF 31 - Cranford, NJ

JOHN 27 - Santa Cruz, CA

JOSHUA 25 - Pembroke Pines, FL

JUSTIN 26 - Ellicott City, MD

KARL 33 - Miami, FL

KYLE 26 - Sarasota, FL

LANDON 25 - Bakersfield, CA

MARCUS 30 - Vancouver, WA

MARTY 25 - Reno, NV

MICHAEL A. 36 - Akron, OH

MIKE P. 31 - Surprise, AZ

QUARTNEY 26 - Arlington, TX

THOMAS 28 - San Diego, CA

TRÉ 26 - Covington, GA

Read the latest issue of Athleisure Mag.

THE BACHELORETTE S17. E5. | THE JOURNEY CONTINUES

Tonight’s ABC’s The Bachelorette continues with changes on the horizon! Tayshia pops by to see the guys and lets them know that this is ultimately Katie Thurston’s season. She lets them know that a guy reached out to her to join the season and that he is now being added to the mix. Blake comes by and introduces himself to the guys and notes that the energy is not the greatest.

The date card arrives, and it’s a 1-on-1 with Blake. The guys are definitely simmering over him being there and getting that prime time with her.

Katie makes her presence known and sits with the guys and decides to open up the floor and to see how they feel about it. They wanted to know more about how she knows Blake. She assures them that she values the existing relationships but in also speaking with him, she noticed that there was chemistry there and wants to explore it. In her confessional, she shares that by having him now as a date, she can see if there is an opportunity with him quickly.

While Blake and Katie are on the back half of their date, the next date card is given and it’s a group date. Greg, Quartenay, Aaron, Mike P., Michael A., Andrew M., Josh, Justin, Brandon, James, Connor B., Tre and Hunter.

Andrew S.’ name was not on the card so he knows that he will get the 1-on-1 date.

Back on the date with Blake, he asks her and learns about her journey to sex positivity. She is interested in continuing the journey with him and finding out more about him and gave him the rose. They also enjoyed a solo performance by Laine Hardy (American Idol season 2) as there is always a country artist that’s in the mix these past few seasons of the show.

We know that the group date makes a reference to a battle field and with so many emotions amongst the guys, we have a feeling that this will be an intense date. We also know that one of our favorites (longtime friend of our Style Director, Kimmie Smith) Franco Lacosta are on today’s episode. They’re playing a rugby meets basketball game known as Bash Ball. They begin with a medley of workouts that included tackling drills. The guys hit the field rocking wrestling outfits. Hunter initiates the aggressive tackle and it gets dicey throughout the rest of the game with hard tackles. Michael A. gets tackled from behind and the medics hit the field - the look on Justin’s face is filled with anguish as he feels bad. Katie calls the game because she doesn’t want anyone injured. She also notes that if they got injured, they have to leave the bubble and can’t come back. Katie decides that although the black team won, she is having both teams come to the cocktail party.

The largest group date rose transitions into the back half of the date as everyone in the house minus Andrew S. and Blake are on the date. Katie pulls Michael A. away first - he did get a huge injury so everyone should have expected that. She brings him a cold ice pack so that he can put it on his injuries. He lets her know it’s been a rough few days as his wife passed away and it was her birthday. Others on the date find ways to connect as they feel the pressure of really being able to connect and make the best impression. Hunter truly leans into being an awful human being by being rude to the guys. He shares pictures of his kids with her which is sweet; however, hearing him being an ass to everyone else on tonight’s episode has been a bit much.

Back at the house, the last date card arrives for the episode and it confirms that Andrew S. will be on the 1-on-1 date. Back on the group date, the guys chat amongst themselves and Michael A. shares that he is widowed after being with the same woman for 16 years. Greg is visibly touched by his story (in our chat on Twitter tonight, we were reminded that Greg lost his dad) and realizing how happy he is and that he would have never have known that about him. Michael A. shares that time is an important element and that people need to live in the moment and Greg realizes that he wants to step it up and be in the moment. He talks with Katie and she tells him that he has resting sad puppy dog face. The rose for the group date goes to Hunter. Clearly, the house has focused on Hunter as the next person that they will try to kick out.

Immediately after the group date, Andrew S. has his late-night date with Katie. They grab some lanterns and walk into the dark woods. Katie plugs in the lights and it seems like they will have to open envelopes that will direct them to do various activities. The activities allow them to converse and to get to know more about one another. The date continues with them being able to break hearts (after reading the envelopes) which is a deeper set of conversations where they talk about their families and other topics. Both of them answer the questions so that they can get to know more about one another. This continues onto the next portion of the date which has balloons that are lit up with a few questions that they can continue to answer. As they complete their date over a few drinks, it’s easy to see how they have great chemistry and it’s easy between them. In addition to having a shared upbringing and some of the same insecurities, it makes you wonder how their relationship will progress in terms of a dating dynamic. Andrew S. talks about the realities of an interracial relationship and how a woman he wanted to marry questioned what it would be like to have biracial children. Katie was shocked but put his mind at ease by saying that she wants a beautiful family no matter what they look like and that she would be a mama bear. They end the date in the hot tub and she gives him the 1-on-1 date rose.

Going into the cocktail party with half an hour left, it’s 50/50 on whether the rose ceremony will happen. The guys note that there isn’t drama necessarily going into this rose ceremony (although there is) and Katie emerges and talks with Justin first. Justin gives us all the faces during their time together. Hunter takes some time with Katie, but his housemates, Aaron and James are annoyed because he already has a rose. They feel that if he didn’t have a rose, he would be annoyed that someone with a rose was with her. James decides that he will interrupt their date. He asks to talk with her and Hunter initially says no and that he needs a few more minutes. James comes back and pulls her again, Hunter feels that even though he has his rose, he will still get his “unclaimed” minutes. Aaron continues his campaign by sharing what happened with Hunter to Tre. Hunter chats with Tre, James and Aaron and says that he is competing and rose or not, it’s what he wanted to do.

The end of the night comes to a close with the following guys moving onto next week with a rose: Blake, Hunter, Andrew S., Greg, Aaron, Michael A., Conor B., James, Justin, Mike P., Brandon and Tre.

Katie sends Quartenay (round of applause was given by the house), Joshua and Andrew M. are sent home. Aaron was going to give a toast and Hunter interrupted him and gave his own!

Each night, when the season airs, we’ll tweet about The Bachelor and you can chat along with us (@AthleisureMag + with our Co-Founder/Creative + Style Director, Kimmie Smith @ShesKimmie) to see what’s taking place!

Each week we will let you know who our faves were last episode and if we’ve changed up since then as it pertains to who we think should go to Hometowns.

We also suggest a podcast that we’ve become obsessed with over the past few seasons, Wondery’s Bachelor Happy Hour to get their feedback!

---

SEASON 17, EPISODE 5

Over the past few weeks, we have stayed with Connor B, James, Greg and Tré for who we thought will go to Hometowns due to not having a rose ceremony.

This week, we’re shaking up our picks that we think will go to Hometowns by removing James andTre and adding Andrew S. and Michael A.

WHO WE’RE PREDICTING WILL BE AT HOMETOWNS

ANDREW S. 26 - Waukegan, IL

CONNOR B. 29 - Columbia, IL

GREG 27 - Edison, NJ

MICHAEL A. 36 - Akron, OH

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THE BACHELOR CONTESTANTS

AARON 26 - Walnut, CA

ANDREW M. 31 - Walnut Creek, CA

ANDREW S. 26 - Waukegan, IL

AUSTIN 25 - Mission Viejo, CA

BLAKE 29 - Hamilton, Ontario Canada

BRANDON 26 - Mokena, IL

BRENDAN 26 - Toronto, Canada

CHRISTIAN 26 - Newburyport, MA

CODY 27 - Montclair, NJ

CONNOR B. 29 - Columbia, IL

CONOR C. 28 - Edmond, OK

DAVID 27 - NY, NY

GABRIEL 35 - Charlotte, NC

GARRETT 29 - Salinas, CA

GREG 27 - Edison, NJ

HUNTER 34 - San Angelo, TX

JAMES 30 - NY, NY

JEFF 31 - Cranford, NJ

JOHN 27 - Santa Cruz, CA

JOSHUA 25 - Pembroke Pines, FL

JUSTIN 26 - Ellicott City, MD

KARL 33 - Miami, FL

KYLE 26 - Sarasota, FL

LANDON 25 - Bakersfield, CA

MARCUS 30 - Vancouver, WA

MARTY 25 - Reno, NV

MICHAEL A. 36 - Akron, OH

MIKE P. 31 - Surprise, AZ

QUARTNEY 26 - Arlington, TX

THOMAS 28 - San Diego, CA

TRÉ 26 - Covington, GA

Read the latest issue of Athleisure Mag.

THE BACHELORETTE S17. E4. | THE JOURNEY CONTINUES

Tonight’s ABC’s The Bachelorette continues with the guys still talking about Thomas who admitted last week that he came mainly because he wanted to be The Bachelor although he doesn’t think like that now. There is another group date that’s getting underway which includes: Andrew S., Greg, Tre, Joshua, Christian, Andrew M., Mike P.. Katie Thurston meets them to have a Truth or Dare date that will have them doing a number of stunts across the property.

On the second part of the date, the guys talk about whether they should tell Katie. Tre decides that he is going to tell her what Thomas said. Some of the guys are not in agreement with Tre telling her about what was going on in the house. Ultimately, Katie says she appreciated it and Tre receives the group date rose.

The next morning, Katie thinks about what took place the night before and Tayshia finds her to see how she’s doing. She explains that although she won’t say who it is, this person is here for her and wants to meet her. It ends up being Blake and he lets her know that he has been intrigued by her since she walked out of the limo in Matt James’ season. Katie and Blake have DM’d each other before. She is concerned that he has dated 2 other Bachelorettes. She lets him know that she is also concerned about him being in the house as she already has strong connections in the house and she doesn’t want to disrupt that. She also has to figure out Thomas.

Conor B. and Michael A. both received roses last week. Tre has his rose from today’s group date. At the rose ceremony, Katie gives out additional ones to: Hunter, Greg, Justin, Brendan, Andrew S., Aaron, Mike P., James, Josh, Quartenay and Andrew M.

Katie tells Thomas right before the last rose that his audition for The Bachelor is now over and that he can leave. It stuns everyone. She doesn’t give the last rose away. She then heads to Blake’s room and lets him know that if he wishes to stay, he can and he will be staying in the house. Can we just say that tonight, as are the other nights have been amazing when it comes to Justin’s faces.

So Thomas, Christian, David, and Conor C. were sent home.

Each night, when the season airs, we’ll tweet about The Bachelor and you can chat along with us (@AthleisureMag + with our Co-Founder/Creative + Style Director, Kimmie Smith @ShesKimmie) to see what’s taking place!

Each week we will let you know who our faves were last episode and if we’ve changed up since then as it pertains to who we think should go to Hometowns.

We also suggest a podcast that we’ve become obsessed with over the past few seasons, Wondery’s Bachelor Happy Hour to get their feedback!

---

SEASON 17, EPISODE 4

Last week, we stayed with Connor B, James, Greg and Tré for who we think will go to Hometowns due to not having a rose ceremony.

We know that we have been including these guys each week, but we feel that she definitely still has quite a vibe with them. Next week it will be interesting to see how things get shaken up a bit!

WHO WE’RE PREDICTING WILL BE AT HOMETOWNS

CONNOR B. 29 - Columbia, IL

GREG 27 - Edison, NJ

JAMES 30 - NY, NY

TRÉ 26 - Covington, GA

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THE BACHELOR CONTESTANTS

AARON 26 - Walnut, CA

ANDREW M. 31 - Walnut Creek, CA

ANDREW S. 26 - Waukegan, IL

AUSTIN 25 - Mission Viejo, CA

BLAKE 29 - Hamilton, Ontario Canada

BRANDON 26 - Mokena, IL

BRENDAN 26 - Toronto, Canada

CHRISTIAN 26 - Newburyport, MA

CODY 27 - Montclair, NJ

CONNOR B. 29 - Columbia, IL

CONOR C. 28 - Edmond, OK

DAVID 27 - NY, NY

GABRIEL 35 - Charlotte, NC

GARRETT 29 - Salinas, CA

GREG 27 - Edison, NJ

HUNTER 34 - San Angelo, TX

JAMES 30 - NY, NY

JEFF 31 - Cranford, NJ

JOHN 27 - Santa Cruz, CA

JOSHUA 25 - Pembroke Pines, FL

JUSTIN 26 - Ellicott City, MD

KARL 33 - Miami, FL

KYLE 26 - Sarasota, FL

LANDON 25 - Bakersfield, CA

MARCUS 30 - Vancouver, WA

MARTY 25 - Reno, NV

MICHAEL A. 36 - Akron, OH

MIKE P. 31 - Surprise, AZ

QUARTNEY 26 - Arlington, TX

THOMAS 28 - San Diego, CA

TRÉ 26 - Covington, GA

Read the latest issue of Athleisure Mag.

THE BACHELORETTE S17. E3. | ONTO THE ROSE CEREMONY

The first day of summer started yesterday and it’s always fun to kick off with ABC’s The Bachelorette. Last week we left in the midst of some self started drama creates by Karl, which put the cocktail ceremony in an awkward place. Katie Thurston was told that there were some guys that were still not genuine among the group, but that he didn’t want to say who. She’s left to figure out the men as well as to question Karl! She lets the guys know that she has been told this information and they find out from Karl that he is stirring things up. Everyone was left wondering what this would mean, the impacton the cocktail portion of the evening and ultimately, the Rose Ceremony! Karl has just been problematic from the beginning so we can’t wait to see when he will finally get the boot.

So we pick up right where we left off with the guys begging him to stop being someone who continues to stir the pot. Katie takes a moment by herself and lets the guys know that she will not have the cocktail party and will go straight to the rose ceremony without talking to anyone. Greg checks in on her and as appreciative as she is, she lets him know that she can’t be confident of the people in the room. Meanwhile, Karl continues to act like a victim as the entire house continues to be agitated with him due to the cancellation of the cocktail party.

Katie gives roses out but when Mike P. gets his rose, he lets her know that all the guys are in solidarity together and that they don’t believe that what Karl says is the truth. She asks all the men if they agree (minus Karl of course) and they do! She takes another moment to think about this information by chatting with Tayshia Adams (The Bachelorette Season 16) and Kaitlyn Bristowe (The Bachelorette Season 11). They let her know that she should do what she wants to do as it’s not up to the men in the house on what she does.

Prior to the rose ceremony: Andrew S., Greg and Thomas already had roses coming into the night. At the rose ceremony begins, roses are given to: David, Hunter, Conor C., Mike P., Michael, Connor B, Quartney, Tre, Justin, Andrew M., Christian, Josh, Brendan, James and Aaron.

She sends Karl (thankfully), John, Garrett and Kyle home.

The date card arrives with Aaron, Quartney, James, Conor B, David, Justin, Thomas, Hunter and Brendan on it. They notice that she ends it with 3 dots and doesn’t even had her name and heart to it. It’s a large group date which will focus on her getting clarity. Nick Viall (formerly on The Bachelorette and The Bachelor) has joined the date which has a circle of chairs for everyone to sit down. He lets them know that he has been in the process as well as being in her shoes. He explains that she deserves to know what is going on with them so that she can be aware of what’s going on with them. He wants to hold them accountable. The date is an open forum for them to be transparent. Hunter admits that he failed at his marriage by shifting priorities and working too hard which also affected his 2 children. Each guy shares their stories that don’t necessarily show themselves in their best light. Thomas says that he leaned into the potential of what this platform could be and that worst-case scenario he could have that, meet her and he shares stories about women he has screwed over - with a smile.

The second portion of the date allows the guys to get some time with her to share what they’re about. Could this be a drama free date? Justin (who’s always down for a good face reaction) catches up with her for a bit of 1-on-1 time. Connor B. recognizes that she didn’t have to share her story, but was appreciative that she did. Katie wants to know more about Thomas’ big list of red flags that he has. He tells her that when he arrived, she was not his first choice, but now he is so happy to be there. He continues to dodge the question by asking her to ask him specifically. He also realized after the conversation, that he got rattled and needs to fix it regardless of how it makes his housemates feel - so of course, he swoops in for a second conversation and cutting Aaron’s time. Even the other guys on the group date see this as problematic for Katie. The group date rose goes to Connor B.

Another date card is on its way. The guys hear that Michael A. has the 1-on-1 date. Hopefully, Michael A. is able to talk with Katie as she knows that he has a child, but he wants to go into more of the details about his story. As they settle into the back half of the date, he finally shares that he met his wife, they dated, married, had their son and was later diagnosed with breast cancer. She passed away and he lets her know that he knows what it’s like to love and give of yourself. He now feels at this place where he can open up his heart and the gift that it is to fall in love for a 2nd time. Katie acknowledges his forever love and that she is not intimidated by it and gives him a rose.

Meanwhile, the guys talk about Thomas and how he’s disrespecting the house in general. It seems like they are coming together as a house to attempt to kick him out.

The guys assemble and Hunter asks if he’s doing what he is doing so that he can be in a campaign to be The Bachelor. He then agrees that when he came to the house, that was his intention, but now he doesn’t feel that way. Another cliffhanger on tonight’s episode as there is one more group date prior to the next rose ceremony. We also learn that someone else from Tayshia’s season is on his way as well!

We end tonight’s episode with Connor B. and Michael A. receiving a rose.

Each night, when the season airs, we’ll tweet about The Bachelor and you can chat along with us (@AthleisureMag + with our Co-Founder/Creative + Style Director, Kimmie Smith @ShesKimmie) to see what’s taking place!

Each week we will let you know who our faves were last episode and if we’ve changed up since then as it pertains to who we think should go to Hometowns.

We also suggest a podcast that we’ve become obsessed with over the past few seasons, Wondery’s Bachelor Happy Hour to get their feedback!

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SEASON 17, EPISODE 3

Last week, we stayed with Connor B, James, Greg and Tré for who we think will go to Hometowns due to not having a rose ceremony.

This week, we’re keeping the same guys although we think that next week, there could be a shift or 2 in the works.

WHO WE’RE PREDICTING WILL BE AT HOMETOWNS

CONNOR B. 29 - Columbia, IL

GREG 27 - Edison, NJ

JAMES 30 - NY, NY

TRÉ 26 - Covington, GA

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THE BACHELOR CONTESTANTS

AARON 26 - Walnut, CA

ANDREW M. 31 - Walnut Creek, CA

ANDREW S. 26 - Waukegan, IL

AUSTIN 25 - Mission Viejo, CA

BRANDON 26 - Mokena, IL

BRENDAN 26 - Toronto, Canada

CHRISTIAN 26 - Newburyport, MA

CODY 27 - Montclair, NJ

CONNOR B. 29 - Columbia, IL

CONOR C. 28 - Edmond, OK

DAVID 27 - NY, NY

GABRIEL 35 - Charlotte, NC

GARRETT 29 - Salinas, CA

GREG 27 - Edison, NJ

HUNTER 34 - San Angelo, TX

JAMES 30 - NY, NY

JEFF 31 - Cranford, NJ

JOHN 27 - Santa Cruz, CA

JOSHUA 25 - Pembroke Pines, FL

JUSTIN 26 - Ellicott City, MD

KARL 33 - Miami, FL

KYLE 26 - Sarasota, FL

LANDON 25 - Bakersfield, CA

MARCUS 30 - Vancouver, WA

MARTY 25 - Reno, NV

MICHAEL A. 36 - Akron, OH

MIKE P. 31 - Surprise, AZ

QUARTNEY 26 - Arlington, TX

THOMAS 28 - San Diego, CA

TRÉ 26 - Covington, GA

Read the latest issue of Athleisure Mag.

THE BACHELORETTE S17. E2. | KATIE THURSTON GETS DOWN TO BUSINESS

We kick off the 2nd episode of ABC’s The Bachelorette, with Katie Thurston chatting with Tayshia Adams (Season 16) and Kaitlyn Bristowe (Season 11). We also see the guys checking out their new place as they get to know more about one another and Katie. We see the first group date which leans into sex positivity and is hosted by Heather McDonald.

We find out that there will be 2 group dates and 1 1-on-1 date for this week. Katie feels that she has a great group of core guys to learn more about.

Justin, Quartney, Tré, Mike, Karl, Connor B., Andrew M., Conor C., David, Garrett, Joshua, Thomas, Christian, and James. We feel for Mike as he’s grappling with the fact that he is a virgin and that he has to share that on a group date that will include an audience (the other guys in the house). He wants to let Katie know first before disclosing it to others. The fact that most of the guys really went out there and Mike simply talked with Katie and won the trophy redeemed this date. Hearing Katie appreciating his words and its simplistic and authentic delivery was nice to see. The balance of him saying who he is while also being supportive of her sex-positive nature is also key to the success of his approach. Thomas ends up getting the group date rose.

While the guys enjoy the second part of their date, the date card arrives and Greg, who got the first impression rose) gets the 1-on-1 date. They’re doing a day camping experience, complete with fishing. Katie shares her memories of camping and fishing with her dad and it really shows how Katie is family-oriented and values the simple things. We also learned that her dad dies when she was young. Their matching plaid theme was a nice touch as well. Finding out that Greg also lost his father and that both of their fathers loved taking them fishing, it was a touching moment. Of course, Greg gets the rose on the 1-on-1 as well as some fun fireworks.

The date card arrives with John, Andrew S, Kyle, Josh, Aaron, Brendan, Hunter and Cody on the group date. They will cowboy it up with a mud wrestling event and we get Cody and Aaron going against one another and it looks pretty tense - everyone can tell that it’s personal. Aaron won the event, but Katie felt that she needed to find out what went on between the two of them. Aaron lets her know that he knows him from San Diego and he feels that Cody is not there for the right reason and that he is there for the social media, the hype and more. As soon as she goes to the second portion of the group date, she pulls Cody to the side letting him know that Aaron has made some claims about him that she finds concerning. Now Aaron and Cody are talking together and we still don’t know exactly what has happened between one another, but we do think that Cody is up to something. Katie pulls Cody again and lets him know that she is sending him home because they don’t have trust and it’s too early in the process to feel that way. Seeing her vibe with Andrew S. and how they both had upbringings that although they didn’t have funds, their families made them seem like they had a lot more than what they had. Seeing him step up while she processed what happened with Cody, was great to pick her back up and to interact with the guys that were left. She speaks with each man to get to know every guy from this group date and to hear more about who they are and what their synergies could be. The group date rose goes to Andrew S.!

Now that the rose ceremony is taking place, Katie lets her intentions be known for those that may not know what she is about and looking for. She lets the guys know that she is a safe space, she needs to know what is going on and this is real life. She invites Michael to talk with her first. She lets him know that even though he didn’t get a date this week, that she feels a connection there. While they connect, Karl (a motivational coach who loves to create drama) questions if there are more people in the group that are not there for the right reason. He takes the time to talk with her and begins planting the idea that maybe everyone is not there for her. He doesn’t want to say who feels that way and he doesn’t want to stress her out; however, he has no problem being messy with others. She’s left feeling doubtful and wondering if that should be toward Karl or the other men that he’s alluded to without naming names. Once again, Katie faces her issues heads on and lets the guys know, that she was told that there are multiple people that are there for the wrong reason. But she says that people need to leave if they are not here for the right reason. Katie asks for Aaron to come talk with her and Karl says that he told her the info. The guys ask who he knows and he says that he doesn’t want to share who it is although he has already stirred the pot.

Andrew S., Greg and Thomas end the night with roses. Only Cody has been sent home and we’ll have to wait until next week to see who will move past the rose ceremony.

Each night, when the season airs, we’ll tweet about The Bachelor and you can chat along with us (@AthleisureMag + with our Co-Founder/Creative + Style Director, Kimmie Smith @ShesKimmie) to see what’s taking place!

Each week we will let you know who our faves were last episode and if we’ve changed up since then as it pertains to who we think should go to Hometowns.

We also suggest a podcast that we’ve become obsessed with over the past few seasons, Wondery’s Bachelor Happy Hour to get their feedback!

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SEASON 17, EPISODE 2

Last week, we predicted that Hometowns would include: Connor B, James, Greg and Tré.

This week, we’re keeping the same guys as a rose ceremony didn’t take place and the guys we chose, are still here.

WHO WE’RE PREDICTING WILL BE AT HOMETOWNS

CONNOR B. 29 - Columbia, IL

GREG 27 - Edison, NJ

JAMES 30 - NY, NY

TRÉ 26 - Covington, GA

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THE BACHELOR CONTESTANTS

AARON 26 - Walnut, CA

ANDREW M. 31 - Walnut Creek, CA (Copy)

ANDREW S. 26 - Waukegan, IL

AUSTIN 25 - Mission Viejo, CA

BRANDON 26 - Mokena, IL

BRENDAN 26 - Toronto, Canada

CHRISTIAN 26 - Newburyport, MA

CODY 27 - Montclair, NJ

CONNOR B. 29 - Columbia, IL

CONOR C. 28 - Edmond, OK

DAVID 27 - NY, NY

GABRIEL 35 - Charlotte, NC

GARRETT 29 - Salinas, CA

GREG 27 - Edison, NJ

HUNTER 34 - San Angelo, TX

JAMES 30 - NY, NY

JEFF 31 - Cranford, NJ

JOHN 27 - Santa Cruz, CA

JOSHUA 25 - Pembroke Pines, FL

JUSTIN 26 - Ellicott City, MD

KARL 33 - Miami, FL

KYLE 26 - Sarasota, FL

LANDON 25 - Bakersfield, CA

MARCUS 30 - Vancouver, WA

MARTY 25 - Reno, NV

MICHAEL A. 36 - Akron, OH

MIKE P. 31 - Surprise, AZ

QUARTNEY 26 - Arlington, TX

THOMAS 28 - San Diego, CA

TRÉ 26 - Covington, GA

Read the latest issue of Athleisure Mag.

THE BACHELORETTE S17. E1. | KATIE THURSTON MEET'S THE MEN OF HER SEASON

And so it begins, Katie Thurston begins her journey and everything in between. With a number of changes that have taken place, it will be interesting to see how this season will continue to unfold in ABC’s The Bachelorette! We first met Katie during the 25th season of The Bachelor with Matt James. We liked how she was comfortable in her own skin as well as being someone who was always transparent when it came to saying what was going on in the house.

This season, we’re at the Hyatt in New Mexico for a change of pace along with two hosts that are former Bachelorettes, Tayshia Adams (Season 16) and Kaitlyn Bristowe (Season 11) who give her some insight on her new role with suggestions on how to navigate it. It will be interesting to see both of them working with her and seeing it through their lens with their previous experience as well as what they would have liked to have known when they were going through it. We’re introduced to the bachelors getting to know more about them as well as how they are spending their time in quarantine before being able to meet everyone. Of course, the first night is always good to see how people introduce themselves. Definitely making a bit of a moment was Tre jumping out of the ball pit in the truck bed. Hearing her say that Greg reminded her of her ex-boyfriend and not being sure whether that was a good or bad thing, was a bit awkward.

Weare introduced to all 30 of the men vying for Katie’s attention: Aaron, Andrew M., Andrew S., Austin, Brandon, Brendan, Christian, Cody, Connor B., Conor C., David, Gabriel, Garrett, Greg, Hunter, James, Jeff, John, Josh, Justin, Karl, Kyle, Landon, Marcus, Marty, Michael, Mike, Quartney, Thomas and Tre. Katie gets to know the guys more while James continues to stay in the gift box - surely, he may be questioning his strategy on that one. III

The first impression rose is brought out and it changes the mood in the room. But we finally get to meet James and we think that we were right to think that he was a contender for Hometowns in our pre-The Bachelorette season 17 post from a few weeks ago. Clearly, the other guys also feel that this is someone to watch. The first impression rose is given to Greg! If you’re chatting on Twitter, you know that there are a number of people that are fans of him. We thought with the mega makeout session with Connor B. the Cat, that he was a shoe in (although we don’t see it in terms of the long game), just goes to show you that you never know! After the rose is handed out, Kaitlyn and Tayshia let the guys know that the rose ceremony is about to begin.

Ultimately, the following men are given a rose: Aaron, Andrew M., Andrew S., Brendan, Christian, Cody, Connor B., Conor C., David, Garrett, Greg, Hunter, James, John, Josh, Justin, Karl, Kyle, Michael, Mike, Quartney, Thomas and Tre.

Katie sends Austin, Brandon, Gabriel, Jeff, Landon, Marcus and Marty home.

It will be interesting to see if new guys will be added into the season in future episodes.

Each night, when the season launches, we’ll tweet about The Bachelor and you can chat along with us (@AthleisureMag + with our Co-Founder/Creative + Style Director, Kimmie Smith @ShesKimmie) to see what’s taking place!

Each week we will let you know who our faves were last episode and if we’ve changed up since then as it pertains to who we think should go to Hometowns.

We also suggest a podcast that we’ve become obsessed with over the past few seasons, Wondery’s Bachelor Happy Hour to get their feedback!

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SEASON 17, EPISODE 1

This is going to be an interesting season with Katie at the helm. We’re also excited to see the hosts, Kaitlyn Bristowe and Tayshia Adams. Based on tonight’s episode, we’re looking at these guys as the ones that could make it to Hometowns. In our pre-post, we guessed 4 men and ultimately, we continue to see Connor B. as well as James going to Hometowns; morevover, we also think that Greg and Tré will also be there.

WHO WE’RE PREDICTING WILL BE AT HOMETOWNS

CONNOR B. 29 - Columbia, IL

GREG 27 - Edison, NJ

JAMES 30 - NY, NY

TRÉ 26 - Covington, GA

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THE BACHELOR CONTESTANTS

AARON 26 - Walnut, CA

ANDREW M. 31 - Walnut Creek, CA

ANDREW S. 26 - Waukegan, IL

AUSTIN 25 - Mission Viejo, CA

BRANDON 26 - Mokena, IL

BRENDAN 26 - Toronto, Canada

CHRISTIAN 26 - Newburyport, MA

Cody 27 - Montclair, NJ

CONNOR B. 29 - Columbia, IL

CONOR C. 28 - Edmond, OK

DAVID 27 - NY, NY

GABRIEL 35 - Charlotte, NC

GARRETT 29 - Salinas, CA

GREG 27 - Edison, NJ

HUNTER 34 - San Angelo, TX

JAMES 30 - NY, NY

JEFF 31 - Cranford, NJ

JOHN 27 - Santa Cruz, CA

JOSHUA 25 - Pembroke Pines, FL

JUSTIN 26 - Ellicott City, MD

KARL 33 - Miami, FL

KYLE 26 - Sarasota, FL

LANDON 25 - Bakersfield, CA

MARCUS 30 - Vancouver, WA

MARTY 25 - Reno, NV

MICHAEL A. 36 - Akron, OH

MIKE P. 31 - Surprise, AZ

QUARTNEY 26 - Arlington, TX

THOMAS 28 - San Diego, CA

TRÉ 26 - Covington, GA

Read the latest issue of Athleisure Mag.

THE BACHELORETTE S17. | MEET THE MEN ON KATIE THURSTON'S UPCOMING SEASON

On June 7th, Katie Thurston takes the reigns of ABC’s The Bachelorette! Before we get into the first episode of the season, we know the men that will be vying for her attention. As we realized last season, some of the people who we thought would start in the season, showed up later in the year. As this season concludes, we know that The Bachelorette season 18 will begin with Michelle Young. We first met Katie during the 25th season of The Bachelor of Matt James.

Each night, when the season launches, we’ll tweet about The Bachelor and you can chat along with us (@AthleisureMag + with our Co-Founder/Creative + Style Director, Kimmie Smith @ShesKimmie) to see what’s taking place!

Each week we will let you know who our faves were last episode and if we’ve changed up since then as it pertains to who we think should go to Hometowns.

We also suggest a podcast that we’re newly obsessed with, Wondery’s Bachelor Happy Hour to get their feedback!

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PRE SEASON 17

This is going to be an interesting season with Katie at the helm. We’re also excited to see the hosts, Kaitlyn Bristowe and Tayshia Adams. Right now, we don’t know anything about the guys that we’ll see this season. So our prediction for who will be at Hometowns is just based on our initial first impression.

WHO WE’RE PREDICTING WILL BE AT HOMETOWNS

BAO 36 - Concord, NH

CONNOR B. 29 - Columbia, IL

JAMES 30 - NY, NY

VIKTOR 32 - Galveston, TX

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THE BACHELOR CONTESTANTS

AARON 26 - Walnut, CA

ANDREW M. 31 - Walnut Creek, CA

ANDREW S. 26 - Waukegan, IL

AUSTIN 25 - Mission Viejo, CA

BAO 36 - Concord, NH

BRANDON 26 - Mokena, IL

BRENDAN 26 - Toronto, Canada

CHRISTIAN 26 - Newburyport, MA

Cody 27 - Montclair, NJ

CONNOR B. 29 - Columbia, IL

CONOR C. 28 - Edmond, OK

DAVID 27 - NY, NY

DENNIS 26 - Chicago, IL

GABRIEL 35 - Charlotte, NC

GARRETT 29 - Salinas, CA

GREG 27 - Edison, NJ

HUNTER 34 - San Angelo, TX

JAMES 30 - NY, NY

JEFF 31 - Cranford, NJ

JOHN 27 - Santa Cruz, CA

JOSHUA 25 - Pembroke Pines, FL

JUSTIN 26 - Ellicott City, MD

KARL 33 - Miami, FL

KYLE 26 - Sarasota, FL

LANDON 25 - Bakersfield, CA

MARCUS 30 - Vancouver, WA

MATRY 25 - Reno, NV

MICHAEL A. 36 - Akron, OH

MIKE P. 31 - Surprise, AZ

QUARTNEY 26 - Arlington, TX

TANNER 28 - Del Mar, CA

THOMAS 28 - San Diego, CA

TRÉ 26 - Covington, GA

VIKTOR 32 - Galveston, TX

Read the latest issue of Athleisure Mag.

THE BACHELORETTE S16. E13. | TAYSHIA'S FINALE TO THE FINAL ROSE

If you have yet to see episode 12 spoilers are ahead! Tonight is the finale for ABC’s The Bachelorette begins with where we left off with Ben making his intentions known. Tayshia grapples with what she should do in this situation. She offers him the opportunity to come to the rose ceremony so that she has time to think about what she wants to do.

At the rose ceremony, the guys see Ben and are surprised to see that he is there. She pulls Ivan aside and lets him know that their religious differences are too much for her to want to continue with him.

Now that she is down to Ben and Zac, they are going to meet Tayshia’s family. First impressions seems to be great, but of course it’s seeing how Ben interacts with both of her parents that lets us see more about him. He acknowledges where he went wrong which both parents appreciated hearing from him.

Now it’s Zac’s turn and as we’ve liked him from day one, it should be interesting to see how he is embraced. Zac’s approach to talking with her parents and being open and honest is great to see how he lays it out as well as saying positive things about how her parents raised her. It was another great date.

While Tayshia has been thinking, her father came back and wanted to fill her in on the family’s thoughts about Ben and Zac. He wants to make sure that she makes the right choice so that she won’t have to deal with what she did during her divorce. Tayshia shares how involved her dad was in the aftermath of the divorce and feels the weight of the decision that she will need to make between the two.

Zac and Tayshia have a dancing date and you can tell that she’s still thinking about her father’s words. Zac notices, but continues to be as sweet as he always is. During their night time date, they talk about the day and she shares her fears. Zac lets her know that commitment has been essential to his sobriety and the concept is important to him and he loves her. She leaves their date feeling great.

The final date is with Ben and we hear her say that her heart is not with Ben and she knows what she has to do. She sends Ben home. When she meets Chris Harrison in the desert, she has a bit of a moment. Chris asks her if she is ok and happy. She says that she is, but she is also nervous. Zac heads over to see her and is nervous, understandably.

This season of The Bachelorette has come to an end. It’s always fun to share recaps after each episode and to chat with you on Twitter during the episodes (@AthleisureMag + with our Co-Founder/Creative + Style Director, Kimmie Smith @ShesKimmie) to see what we think! We’ll be back on Jan 4th to do the same for The Bachelor.

Each week we will let you know who our faves were last episode and if we’ve changed up since.

We also suggest a podcast that we’re newly obsessed with, Wondery’s Bachelor Happy Hour which is hosted by Rachel Lindsay (contestant on The Bachelor Season 21; The Bachelorette Season 13) and co-hosted by Becca Kufrin (contestant on The Bachelor Season 22; The Bachelorette Season 14) to get their feedback!

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LAST EPISODE

Last night, Ivan and Zac continued through Hometowns and we were left with a cliffhanger on whether Ben would be included. We still hope for Zac to get engaged to Tayshia.

TONIGHT

Hometown dates with Ben, Brendan, Ivan and Zac were fun to watch. We’re pleased that our prediction practically from the beginning of Zac being engaged took place!

THE FINAL ROSE & NEWLY ENGAGED

ZAC

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THE BACHELORETTE’S CONTESTANTS

BEN, 29 - Indianapolis, IN

BENNETT, 30 - NY, NY

BLAKE, 29 - Hamilton, Ontario, Canada

BRENDAN, 30 - Milford, MA

CHASEN, 31 - Walnut Creek, CA

DEMAR, 26 - San Diego, CA

ED, 36 - Pittsburgh, PA

EAZY, 29 - Dallas, TX

IVAN, 28 - Dallas, TX

JASON, 31 - Rutland, VT

JAY, 29 - Langhorne, PA

JOE, 36 - North Woodmere, NY

JORDAN, 32 - NY, NY

KENNY, 39 - Chicago, IL

MONTEL, 30 - Boston, MA

NOAH, 25 - Tulsa, OK

PETER, 32 - Everett, MA

RILEY, 30 - NY, NY

SPENCER, 30 - San Diego, CA

TYLER, 27 - Morgantown, WV

ZAC, 36 - Haddonfield, NJ

Read the latest issue of Athleisure Mag.

THE BACHELORETTE S16. E12. | FANTASY SUITES

If you have yet to see episode 11, spoilers are ahead! Tonight, ABC’s The Bachelorette begins with everyone getting ready for another key week, Fantasy Suites. Tayshia talks with JoJo about what to expect during this week. First up, Ivan gets his date card. They have an ice bath date where they will see how long they can kiss each other and to break the record. Of course, Chris Harrison pops in and lets them know that this is more then a date, it’s about breaking the world record. Not only do they do the date, but they also break the record and continue for another minute! During their dinner, Ivan talks about when he knew he was falling in love with her and apologized for not telling her sooner and she says that she has been falling for him too. They wake up the next morning and catch the sunrise. Ivan comes back happy about the date and shares portions of it with the Zac and Brendan. As happy as he is, he realizes that she will have experiences with each of them.

Up next, is Zac who’s excited to spend time with her. They create lifesize canvases where they will use their bodies to spread the pant. They also have a daydream about what their date could be like. As it turns to night, Zac realized he needs to tell her that he is falling in love with her. Tayshia shares that in her conversation with his mom, she learned that he didn’t want to have kids. He lets her know that he said that for years as a way to safeguard himself, but now he realizes that he wants to have a full life and not just being a cool uncle. He also tells her that he loves her. She then says that she is in love with him (she also told Ivan that she is falling in love with him as well). Another Fantasy Suite card is presented and of course, they take it. Zac comes back and makes a very low key recap of his date which is a nice way to handle the obvious elephant in the room.

Brendan gets ready for his date. They make their way to Neil Lane! We’ve seen that Brendan has been getting a little nervous about being with her and it makes us wonder what else might be going on with him that he has yet to share. We do know that like Tayshia, he has been married before, but is there something else going on with him? This date actually lets us get to know more about Neil as he shares how he attends the Bachelor/Bachelorette reunions and how he has been involved in so many couples’ lives. Brendan shares that there are parts of him that still needs time to heal and grow while they are at dinner. Just like that, Brendan heads home.

The next morning, Rachel pops in to catch up and to see how Tayshia is doing. She shares how Brendan’s Fantasy Suites went. Rachel just lets her know to follow her cut. Meanwhile, Ben heads over to Chris’ place to let him know that he would like to tell Tayshia how he feels and he doesn’t even know what he is asking for - but he has to try.

As Tayshia prepares for the rose ceremony, Ben tells her this and Tayshia becomes emotional at being blindsided by him being there. The episode ends with her talking to production saying that she doesn’t know what to do in this moment. This all leads up to tomorrow’s finale.

Each night, we’ll tweet The Bachelorette and you can chat along with us (@AthleisureMag + with our Co-Founder/Creative + Style Director, Kimmie Smith @ShesKimmie) to see what’s taking place!

We also suggest a podcast that we’re newly obsessed with, Wondery’s Bachelor Happy Hour which is hosted by Rachel Lindsay (contestant on The Bachelor Season 21; The Bachelorette Season 13) and co-hosted by Becca Kufrin (contestant on The Bachelor Season 22; The Bachelorette Season 14) to get their feedback!

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LAST EPISODE

Ivan, Brendan and Zac made it through Hometowns. We felt that Zac would propose to her and that she would accept.

WEEK 11 (TAYSHIA’s 8th)

This week definitely made it a twist! Brendan says that he couldn’t continue with her due to his own broken-hearted issue from his ex-wife. Ivan and Zac had succesful Fantasy Suites with her and it’s interesting to see where this will go. Ben is back - but we don’t know if she will let him stay or not (so we are leaving his image slightly filtered)! We’re still cheering on Zac and feel he will propose to her as well as get a yes!

WHO’S LEFT

BEN

IVAN

ZAC

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THE BACHELORETTE’S CONTESTANTS

BEN, 29 - Indianapolis, IN

BENNETT, 30 - NY, NY

BLAKE, 29 - Hamilton, Ontario, Canada

BRENDAN, 30 - Milford, MA

CHASEN, 31 - Walnut Creek, CA

DEMAR, 26 - San Diego, CA

ED, 36 - Pittsburgh, PA

EAZY, 29 - Dallas, TX

IVAN, 28 - Dallas, TX

JASON, 31 - Rutland, VT

JAY, 29 - Langhorne, PA

JOE, 36 - North Woodmere, NY

JORDAN, 32 - NY, NY

KENNY, 39 - Chicago, IL

MONTEL, 30 - Boston, MA

NOAH, 25 - Tulsa, OK

PETER, 32 - Everett, MA

RILEY, 30 - NY, NY

SPENCER, 30 - San Diego, CA

TYLER, 27 - Morgantown, WV

ZAC, 36 - Haddonfield, NJ

Read the latest issue of Athleisure Mag.

THE BACHELORETTE S16. E11. | TAYSHIA + THE ROAD TO HOMETOWNS PART II

If you have yet to see episode 10 spoilers are ahead! Tonight, ABC’s The Bachelorette begins with Tayshia thinking about Hometowns. Chris Harrison meets the guys and lets them know that they need to come up with fun dates that will let Tayshia get an idea of what it would be like to be with them. In addition, they are looped into who from their families will be there as they have also gone through testing and quarantine to be there to share this experience.

First up is Brendan which the two have had a great connection since day 1! Their date included carnival games complete with prizes and his niece being on the date. As we get to the evening, we finally meet Brendan’s brother and his sister-in-law. You can definitely see his connection with his family and how they are so close. While chatting with his brother Daniel, he lets her know that he would be ready to marry her.

Zac brings a NY inspired date and teaches Tayshia how to be a NYer so he teaches her how to hail a cab, they ride in their cab Flinstone style and they come to a bagel and coffee stand that is by a “brownstone”. They hop back into the cab and enjoy a slice of NY pizza and then they have a backdrop of Central Park. It’s such a cute date and feels very NY in the most simplest and epic ways possible. His brother gets down to business and asks her the hard questions. Zac’s dad lets her know that he is uncomfortable with the situation but is comfortable with her. Although his dad wouldn’t go through this process, he can appreciate that Zac’s smile says that there is something there. Zac tells his mom that although he has always said he didn’t need love or to have kids, he now realizes that he does and it’s because of Tayshia. Zac also thanks his mom for her strength and that it is a big reason why he is alive and can navigate through life.

Ivan introduces Tayshia to Filipino cooking and they get to bond on this fun date. Ivan’s parents are direct and sweet. They advise her on having the right conviction and doing what needs to be done if she intends on Ivan being her husband. Both parents are impressed by her. They also give him a reality check in leting him know that this would not be a process that they would go through! We finally meet Ivan’s brother! The love that he has for his brother and how he is inspired by how he raised his daughter is something that you can see as he speaks.

We finally come to the last date with Ben. Her date entails rollerblading in “Venice” and going to the “beach.” Seeing them transport themselves to another place and just being able to have a natural conversation is a great thing to see especially because he has been one of the mysterious contestants. Although his family vibed well with Tayshia, we’re bummed that he didn’t tell her he loved her.

The men head to the rose ceremony and Ben tells Chris that he loves her and of course, Chris asks if he told Tayshia. He admits that he didn’t and hopes that he has the chance to tell her. Brendan, Ivan and Zac are given a rose. Ben’s undoing is the fact that he kept his thoughts to himself and didn’t let her know what he was thinking. When she walked him out, it seemed like she was trying to give him another chance, but he just couldn’t formulate the words. We definitely can’t wait until the 2-night finale to see how everything ends up!

Each night, we’ll tweet The Bachelorette and you can chat along with us (@AthleisureMag + with our Co-Founder/Creative + Style Director, Kimmie Smith @ShesKimmie) to see what’s taking place!

Each week we will let you know who our faves were last episode and if we’ve changed up since then as it pertains to who we think should go to Hometowns (it will be interesting to see how Hometowns will take place - we’re assuming families will be quarantined) if we were choosing right now! We will also say who we think should take it all. Poor Brendan has responses that are deemed inconclusive which makes Tayshia hesitant. Zac answers that he has cheated on someone which makes Tayshia uncomfortable. Riley is asked his name to set a baseline and the red bulb goes off!

We also suggest a podcast that we’re newly obsessed with, Wondery’s Bachelor Happy Hour which is hosted by Rachel Lindsay (contestant on The Bachelor Season 21; The Bachelorette Season 13) and co-hosted by Becca Kufrin (contestant on The Bachelor Season 22; The Bachelorette Season 14) to get their feedback!

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LAST EPISODE

Ben, Ivan, Brendan and Zac made it to Hometowns We felt that Zac would propose to her and that she would accept.

WEEK 10 (TAYSHIA’s 7th)

Hometown dates with Ben, Brendan, Ivan and Zac were fun to watch. We’re doubling down and cheering for Zac to propose to her as well as to get a yes!

WHO’S LEFT

BRENDAN

IVAN

ZAC

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THE BACHELORETTE’S CONTESTANTS

BEN, 29 - Indianapolis, IN

BENNETT, 30 - NY, NY

BLAKE, 29 - Hamilton, Ontario, Canada

BRENDAN, 30 - Milford, MA

CHASEN, 31 - Walnut Creek, CA

DEMAR, 26 - San Diego, CA

ED, 36 - Pittsburgh, PA

EAZY, 29 - Dallas, TX

IVAN, 28 - Dallas, TX

JASON, 31 - Rutland, VT

JAY, 29 - Langhorne, PA

JOE, 36 - North Woodmere, NY

JORDAN, 32 - NY, NY

KENNY, 39 - Chicago, IL

MONTEL, 30 - Boston, MA

NOAH, 25 - Tulsa, OK

PETER, 32 - Everett, MA

RILEY, 30 - NY, NY

SPENCER, 30 - San Diego, CA

TYLER, 27 - Morgantown, WV

ZAC, 36 - Haddonfield, NJ

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