Meant to be? Brandon Jones hit it off with Michelle Young on season 18 of The Bachelorette, and their relationship has been full speed ahead ever since.
The traveling nurse recruiter, 27, met the teacher, 28, during the season premiere, which aired in October. Their connection progressed as he received two group date roses in a row. After Michelle wrote a raw poem about her experience as a biracial child during the November 2 episode, Brandon revealed that he related to her story, noting that he was a “late bloomer” in a predominantly white environment.
“I see a very attractive, handsome man,” the Bachelorette told him. “I think for me to be attracted to somebody, I have to be attracted to their mind as well, and that’s something that I’m very attracted to with you.”
Brandon told the cameras at the time that he was “falling in love” with Michelle. “I’m crazy about this woman,” he gushed. “She gives me butterflies, she gives me happiness. She brings out the absolute best in me, which is what I’m truly looking for in a wife, and it’s just literally the best feeling I’ve ever had in my entire life. It’s beautiful just taking that next step in our journey together.”
Despite their strong bond, the Oregon native had to wait for a one-on-one date until the week before hometowns. Michelle introduced Brandon to her parents during the November 23 episode, and he took a big step before earning a spot in the final four.
“I feel so deeply for your daughter, and she absolutely means the entire world to me, and I wanna have the happiest marriage with her and have that last forever,” he told Michelle’s mom and dad. “But I’m an old soul and I will not marry your daughter unless I have your guys’ blessing. So I was wondering later in time if I’m still here if you guys will allow me to be with your daughter.”
Brandon informed Michelle later in the episode that he was falling in love with her, to which she replied that her heart was beating “a million miles an hour.”
As the Minnesota native’s journey continued, she teased on November 19 that the way her season concluded came as a surprise even to her.
“I had no idea I would be in the position that I was at the end of the season,” she exclusively told Us Weekly. “[The ending is] something that I didn’t necessarily expect, something that I didn’t think was possible for me. I’m excited for everybody kind of to see what that entails because I think a lot of assumptions are made, you know, of either who I end up with or if I end up with anybody.”
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