Since she was announced as the season 17 Bachelorette, fans had one question on their minds: Who is The Bachelorette 2021 winner for Katie’s season?
Katie Thurston, a 30-year-old bank marketing manager from Renton, Washington, was announced as the season 17 Bachelorette at the “After the Final Rose” special for season 25 of The Bachelor with Matt James in March. Katie was a contestant on Matt’s season and was eliminated in 10th place, which makes her one of the earliest Bachelor or Bachelorette eliminees to become the lead of her own season. (Michelle Young, a 27-year-old teacher from Edina, Minnesota, was also announced as the season 18 Bachelorette. Her season will premiere later this year.)
Katie filmed season 16 of The Bachelorette from the beginning of March to the end of April at the Hyatt Regency Tamaya Resort & Spa in New Mexico. Instead of Chris Harrison, her season was hosted by season 16 Bachelorette Tayshia Adams and season 11 Bachelorette Kaitlyn Bristowe.
In her Bachelor bio for Matt’s season, Katie said that she wants a man who is as “daring and adventurous” as she is. “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,” her bio read. “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.”
Her bio continued, “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. Katie is looking for a mature man who has ambitions to succeed in everything he does, both personally and professionally. Her dream man will be passionate about building a long-term life with her and will treat Katie as his equal in the relationship. 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 … it’s all about creating the right vibe with Katie!”
A source told Us Weekly in April that Katie was “in control” of her season and knew exactly the man she wanted. “Katie was in control and made sure the men she wanted were there and the men she wasn’t interested in, she sent packing,” the insider said. “[Filming] went great and it wrapped a week ahead of schedule.” The source continued, “Tayshia and Kaitlyn can relate to Katie’s journey in a lot of different ways, which you’ll see play out, so it was nice to have them there to help out with whatever situation came up. Tayshia had fun and loved doing it. She and Katilyn made a great team.”
So those are the basics on Katie’s Bachelorette season. But who is The Bachelorette 2021 winner and is Katie engaged? Ahead are all the spoilers we know about how Katie’s twist-filled Bachelorette season ends. (For more spoilers about The Bachelorette 2021, click here.)
Who is The Bachelorette 2021 winner?
Image: ABC.
So who is The Bachelorette 2021 winner for Katie’s season? According to Reality Steve, the winner is Blake Moynes, a 30-year-old wildlife manager from Ontario, Canada, who became a surprise contestant on Katie’s season in episode 4. As Bachelor Nation members know, Blake was also a contestant on season 16 of The Bachelorette with Clare Crawley and Tayshia Adams, where he was eliminated in ninth place. According to Reality Steve, Blake proposed to Katie at the Final Rose Ceremony, and they’re engaged and still together.
According to Reality Steve, Katie’s other three finalists are: Justin Glaze, a 26-year-old investment sales consultant from Baltimore, Maryland; Michael Allio, a 36-year-old business owner from Akron, Ohio; and Greg Grippo, a 27-year-old marketing sales representative from Edison, New Jersey.
Blake is also one of the few Bachelorette winners, who hadn’t received the First Impression Rose, which went to Greg and is a precursor for many Bachelorette wins. (Some examples include Kaitlyn Bristowe and Shawn Booth on season 11; JoJo Fletcher and Jordan Rodgers on season 12; Rachel Lindsay and Bryan Abasolo on season 13; Becca Kufrin and Garrett Yrigoyen on season 14; Clare Crawley and Dale Moss on season 16.)
In an interview with Us Weekly in June, Katie revealed that she and Blake had talked before her season. “I definitely knew who he was, which also Tayshia’s ex-boyfriend! So that’s weird,” she said. “We had chatted before, but usually what happens is, like, the guys will reach out to the women once they’re eliminated and be like, ‘Good luck, you did great.’ Like very generic, you know? And so to see him, I was like, ‘Why is he here?’ Like, ‘What’s happening?’”
Tayshia, who is a co-host on season 16 of The Bachelorette, told Us Weekly at the time thatshe was “shocked” to see Blake on Katie’s season but approves of their relationship. “I was a little shocked!” she said. “But in a good way, you know, I had a conversation with him and he’s a good man. So, if he felt like he wanted to show up and surprise someone, then I stand behind it.”
Nick Viall, who hosted a group date on Katie’s season, told Us Weekly in June that Katie and Blake’s pre-Bachelorette relationship was reminiscent to him on season 11 with Kaitlyn Bristowe. “It sounds like there was some dialogue between Katie and Blake. I don’t think it was to the degree that it was with [me and] Kaitlyn,” he said. “[For us], it was like a pretty intense, you know, two months of dialogue, but I do think Blake will go far.” He continued, “I think Katie had met him. I don’t know for sure. She had told me about it and it was filmed. They didn’t use it, but it was filmed,”
Before Katie’s Bachelorette season, Greg, another of Katie’s frontrunners, was already in controversy. In April, the celebrity gossip Instagram account @DeuxMoi received an anonymous submission calling Greg a “manipulative liar” and an “actor.” “Greg G is a manipulative liar and actor on Katie’s season of the Bachelorette. He cleaned up his social media/Linkedin and removed all evidence of his aspiring acting career the past few years,” the submission read.
The anonymous source claimed that Greg attended William Esper Acting School from 2017 to 2019. In 2019, Greg posted an Instagram photo of himself in front of the William Esper Acting School celebrating his graduation. “What a journey. Forever grateful for these last two years @esperstudio,” he wrote in the caption.
In their @DeuxMoi submission, the source called Greg a “total ego-obsessed diva in class” and alleged that he wasn’t on The Bachelorette for the right reasons.”He is not on the show for love, let alone Katie, and his appearance on this show is solely to promote / kick-start his acting career,” the source wrote. @DeuxMoi’s source also claims that Greg has been living at his mother’s house since he graduated from college and “never had a real job up until recently likely because he needed a bio for the show.”
Source: Instagram
In June, @DeuxMoi received a second anonymous tip from a source who claimed to be a friend of someone who dated one of Katie’s Bachelorette contestants. Though the source didn’t name Greg, many assume that the submission was about Katie’s frontrunner because of they describe him as an “actor.” “My best friend dated a fan favorite contestant on The Bachelorette very seriously for a year and a half and he was awful to her. This sweet shy boy act is exactly that, AN ACT,” the source wrote. “He really is actually an actor. I’ve personally witnessed him throw a fit and call her a terrible name for wearing a mini dress, so I can only imagine what happened behind closed doors.”
The source also described her friend and the contestant’s alleged breakup. “He broke up with her, she was extremely upset and then made her Uber an hour back to her apartment alone at 1am,” the source wrote. “We watched our kind, confident friend turn into a shell of herself and then get thrown to the curb. Of course his social media is perfectly curated now, he has an image to protect.”
@DeuxMoi’s source also claimed that the contestant believed to be Greg e-mailed The Bachelorette‘s producers while he was still in a relationship. “Oh and he had been emailing with producers for the show while they were dating; this exposure was always part of his plan to launch his career so whoever wrote that first post is on point,” the source wrote, referencing the previous @DeuxMoi submission.
It’s important to note that @DeuxMoi is an un-fact-checked Instagram account, so neither of these submissions are confirmed. Though, from a look at Greg’s Instagram account, it’s at least confirmed that he’s an aspiring actor and attended William Esper Acting School.
But back to Katie’s finalists. Before Reality Steve confirmed the final four, John Hersey, a 27-year-old bartender from Pacific Beach, California, was rumored to be Katie’s winner. The rumors started in April when Katie posted on her Instagram that she went to Duke’s in La Jolla, California, where John worked as a bartender. This led fans to believe that Katie chose John at the Final Rose Ceremony. According to Reality Steve, Katie and John are not together and he doesn’t even make it to her top eight.
For more spoilers about The Bachelorette 2021, click here.
The Bachelorette airs Mondays at 8 p.m. on ABC.
Image: Courtesy of Penguin Books.
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