Season 18 of the reality series kicked off on Tuesday.
Michelle Young has a lot to say about her first night as the Bachelorette! ET's Lauren Zima spoke with Michelle, along with Bachelorette hosts Kaitlyn Bristowe and Tayshia Adams, ahead of Tuesday's season premiere, and they didn't hold back their thoughts on Ryan's betrayal, Nayte's first impression and Joe's past ghosting problem.
Ryan was quick to catch Michelle's attention when he showed up in an ice cream truck, but that soon ended when Kaitlyn and Tayshia revealed that they'd found notes about how to get a good edit and more screen time in his room.
"I remember going in and seeing some of these documents and they were talking about who to act like on previous seasons, how to not be the villain, how to get the most time, so it was it was very eye-opening," Kaitlyn told ET. "... It looked like he was a very big fan of the show."
Meanwhile, Tayshia called their discovery in Ryan's room "quite disturbing."
"It was like an Excel document, front and back, multiple pages," she said. "I had never seen anything like it before."
While Michelle felt similarly at first, she initially decided to hear Ryan out.
"I think the hardest part with all of these situations coming in, is it truly is your first impression. I have some good friends who I didn’t have a good first impression with them and now we are extremely close," Michelle told ET. "I think it was hard because you are trying to make a decision that is best for you, and you want to fall in love and you want to make sure you don’t send the wrong person home."
In the end, though, Michelle decided to listen to her gut and send Ryan home as he was "just not the person" for her. It's a choice she does not regret.
"I'm a stick-to-my-guns person for the most part," she said. "When I'm thinking through things, I try to be logical. I have emotions, but also try to see if my heart and my head are in sync. I feel like I made the right decisions."
One of her other decisions of the night included handing out her first impression rose to Nayte.
"I'm not a love-at-first-sight [person, but was] honestly very attracted to him as he came out of the limo," Michelle said. "I think the biggest part was when we sat down, we just had a natural conversation. That's kind of where that rose came from."
The hosts picked up on Michelle and Nayte's connection, too, with Tayshia telling ET, "There was just an unspoken chemistry there, which was really cool to watch."
Michelle also had a connection with Joe, someone she'd previously DM'd and been ghosted by. While she questioned his intentions, Michelle ultimately gave him a rose.
"We have a lot in common," she explained. "I think that was the one thing that just kind of [had me] wanting to learn more. That's why I kept him around."
Kaitlyn agreed with Michelle's decision to give Joe a rose.
"If you feel something, why not explore that?" Kaitlyn said. "Even if it's gonna shake some things up in the house, guys are gonna question you, but as long as you are staying true to you and what you want, go for it."
As for what the rest of the season has in store, both Kaitlyn and Tayshia teased that it's going to be "really romantic."
"I feel like Michelle is so authentic in what she was looking for. I feel like she wasn't there for the wrong reasons. She wanted to go right back to her students after filming, and that's who she is," Kaitlyn said. "[There is] a lot of authenticity, romance, and some really heartbreaking heartbreaks. I cried a few times."
"It's like a fairy tale, which is different, I think," Tayshia added. "You guys will understand that word at the end. It unfolds beautifully."
Michelle, meanwhile, told ET that viewers "are going to see all of the emotions that take place in a relationship as relationships are building."
"They're gonna see me laugh, they're gonna see me get nervous, they're gonna see me figure everything out as a Bachelorette, and they're gonna see me cry," she said. "It's truly like everyone coming along with me for the ride. I hope it's a unique experience... I think all of the viewers are going to be on their toes."
The Bachelorette airs Tuesdays on ABC. ET has got you covered throughout the entirety of Michelle's season with all of our Bachelorette coverage.
RELATED CONTENT:
