Remember him? Bachelorette contestant Blake Moynes charmed Clare Crawley and Tayshia Adams during season 16, and he has returned to try and win Katie Thurston‘s heart.
The 29-year-old wildlife manager hails from Toronto, Canada, and surprised the season 17 leading lady, 30, during week 4. While his appearance added a twist to the Washington native’s journey to find love, Katie and Blake actually have quite a bit in common.
According to his ABC bio, he loves the Ninja Turtles, picnics and volunteers with a different endangered species every year. The outdoorsman is also ready to find a lifelong partner now that he’s at a “crossroads” in his personal life.
“Blake spent his Saturday nights hanging with his best friends, but now all of those friends are married and he’s the last single man remaining,” his bio reads. “His dream woman is outdoorsy, beautiful and fun. She has to have a goofy side and be OK with his self-described ‘potty mouth.’ He says he has no problems talking about his emotions and wants a partner who will appreciate that he wears his heart on his sleeve.”
The Bachelor Nation newcomer previously admitted he was a bit of a romantic via Instagram. “I have always wanted my love story to be similar to The Notebook … but do I get my wish?” he captioned a photo of himself and Clare, 40, together during season 16.
Blake stood out last season thanks to his instant connection with the Sacramento native. She confronted the reality stud about “breaking the rules” and reaching out to her prior to the season beginning. Filming was originally supposed to start in March 2020 but was postponed until the following July due to health and safety concerns amid the coronavirus pandemic. During that time, Clare’s mom, Lilia, who has Alzheimer’s and dementia, was in and out of the hospital.
“Over quarantine, it was really hard for me, and you were the only guy that reached out to me the entire time,” the hairstylist told Blake during their first conversation. “I didn’t want to bring this up but there are these weird rules that we have to follow for the show of not contacting somebody. So, you broke the rule.”
Despite Blake circumventing franchise rules, Clare was touched that he was willing to risk the chance to appear on the reality dating show just to check in on her. She noted that she did not respond to keep the playing field fair for season 16 but still appreciated the thoughtful gesture. He then laid a romantic smooch on the leading lady.
Clare went on to get engaged to Dale Moss a few weeks in, and Tayshia stepped in as the new Bachelorette to finish out the season. Blake stuck around for a couple more weeks but was ultimately eliminated. Contestant Zac Clark popped the question during the finale, and he and Tayshia are now engaged.
Good luck, Blake! If you can’t wait to see how Katie’s journey ends, see spoilers here.