According to Kaitlyn Bristowe, Michelle Young is in for a tough decision on the season finale of The Bachelorette.
“Back in the day on these shows, we used to be, like, ‘I can’t believe they’re in love with more than one person and they said it.’ Michelle is just — she is so strong in who she is,” the cohost, 36, said during an exclusive interview on Us Weekly’s “Here for the Right Reasons” podcast while promoting the Dancing With the Stars tour. “And she’s like, ‘No, if I’m in love with two people, I’m in love with two. I didn’t think it would happen, but it did.’ I think it’s gonna be really hard for her no matter what the outcome because she genuinely is in love with two people. [The finale is] gonna be all of the things — it’s gonna be emotional, it’s gonna be hard to watch, it’s gonna be beautiful, it’s gonna be sad. It’s all the things that you’d wanna see in a finale. But I mean, she really, genuinely is in love with two people.”
The 28-year-old teacher’s final two are Nayte Olukoya and Brandon Jones. During the Tuesday, December 14, episode, Joe Coleman was sent home after Brandon, 27, pulled Michelle aside at the rose ceremony.
“Brandon is just such a sweetheart who wears his heart on his sleeve. He is so open with his emotions that I think he genuinely wanted to tell her like, ‘It’s OK if it’s not me,’” Kaitlyn told Us. “Because he was putting her first and worried about her stressing out. And I think when you walk into that moment and you’re looking at those final three men, I’m sure you know who it is that it might not make a difference in that moment. Now it might, but I don’t think it did in that moment.”
The “Off the Vine” podcast host added that she was “shocked” when Joe, 28, went home. “But again, she just had such strong relationships with all three men that I would’ve been shocked no matter who went,” she explained.
When it comes to Nayte, 27, Bachelor Nation is seemingly split on whether he is ready to commit to Michelle, but Kaitlyn tells Us he’s all in.
“Nayte’s a funny character because he’s just, like, he really is so chill and laid back. And I think Nayte just really is confident in his relationship with Michelle and where they’re at at this point,” she explained. “His confidence is different than the others. It’s almost like he can compartmentalize what it is happening and the show that he’s on. And it’s so interesting because we watch the show and people can’t, you know, you’re damned if you do and you’re damned if you don’t, because if you can’t handle Michelle going in the fantasy suite with the other people, then people at home are going, ‘Well, you knew what you signed up for and you know what show you’re on.’ And then if you sit there and you can compartmentalize and say, ‘Yeah, I know what show I’m on and I’m gonna be confident in my relationship and I’m not gonna get in my own head about it,’ well then you’re cocky and you might not care enough. So I think he is just has a different confidence about him and knows where he’s at with Michelle.”
When asked whether Nayte is ready for an engagement, Kaitlyn added: “I think Nayte never in his life thought about being ready for an engagement until now. And I just think Nayte [is] the kind of person that if he isn’t ready, he’s not going to propose.”
After hosting the live After the Final Rose on Tuesday, December 21, Kaitlyn is hitting the road for 57 dates on the Dancing With the Stars tour.
“You can find tickets at dwtstour.com and just look and see if we’re coming to your city because it’s just gonna be such a fun show,” the season 29 champ said. “I mean, think about all the shows you watch on TV, Dancing With the Stars is such a feel good show. It’s not super dramatic. It’s just one of those ones where you’re rooting for people, you feel happy after watching it, you feel motivated, inspired, and that’s what you’ll get when you come to the tour.”
For more from Kaitlyn, listen to Us Weekly’s “Here for the Right Reasons” podcast.