Meet the ‘Bachelorette’ Contestants Vying for Katie Thurston’s Heart in Season 17
Let’s be honest, ABC had to bring its A-game when casting The Bachelorette contestants vying for Katie Thurston’s heart in season 17. This is the girl who showed up to night one of Matt James’s Bachelor season with a dildo, cementing her place as the most sex-positive member of Bachelor Nation. She went on to win even more hearts (minus James’s) by continuously fighting against bullying on set. She deserves the world.
“I’m ready to find love,” the 30-year-old bank marketing manager said during the “After the Final Rose” special on March 15. “And not just the temporary kind—I’m talking forever, my husband. And I’m in a place in my life where I feel like I’m the best version of me.”
In fact, The Bachelorette has a lot of work to do, considering there will be another season of the female-led dating series shortly following Thurston’s. Remember, Michelle Young has been chosen to lead season 18 of The Bachelorette and will begin shooting this summer. All this to say, the casting directors over at ABC had a lot of hot men to find.
Considering the potential cast of season 17—including hosts Tayshia Adams and Kaitlyn Bristowe—have already been quarantining at the Hyatt Regency Tamaya Resort and Spa, just outside Albuquerque, it was only a matter of time before word on this year’s first batch of Bachelorette contestants got out.
On March 18, ABC released the photos and names of 34 potential love-interests for Thurston on their official Facebook page. While bios won’t be released until a later date, we already know that none of the men are under 25 years old, which is pretty refreshing.
In case these men want to get a leg up, here are a few things about Thurston, according to her official Bachelorette bio. “Katie knows exactly what she wants in a man and is done wasting her time on boys who won’t live up to her expectations,” the statement begins. “She is a witty storyteller who says when she finds someone worth committing to, she is the most loving and committed partner anyone could ask for. Katie is daring and adventurous. While Katie is serious about finding her person, she needs a man who can laugh along with her but is okay with him laughing at her too when the moment calls for it.”
The bio adds that Thurston “is looking for a mature man who has ambitions to succeed in everything he does” and “nothing turns her off more than someone who sits around playing video games all day or a man who tries to kiss her at the inopportune moment.”
Game on, guys!
