Who Is the New ‘Bachelorette’ Michelle Young?

A new season of The Bachelorette is set to begin on Tuesday night and, of course, that means that a new lead is set to start their journey. Michelle Young, who fans were introduced to on the most recent season of The Bachelor, will attempt to find love on the ABC competition. But, who is the new Bachelorette?

Young is 28 years old and originally from Minnesota. According to the Huffington Post, she grew up in a suburb of Paul, Minnesota, with her parents, Ephraim and LaVonne, and her two siblings, Alex and Angela. After graduating from Woodbury High School, Young went to Bradley University, where she got a scholarship to play on the Division I basketball team. While at the university, Young studied elementary education and eventually became a teacher after graduation. It has been speculated that Young filmed her season of The Bachelorette during the summer so that she wouldn’t have to take any time away from her duties as a teacher. 

Audiences first got to meet Young during The Bachelor. She wasn’t there at the start of the season, as she was brought on to meet Matt James a couple of weeks into the show alongside four other new women. Even though she got a late start, she quickly formed a connection with James. Ultimately, she made it all the way to the final two before James broke things off. He ended up giving his final rose to Rachael Kirkconnell, whom he is currently dating. 

ABC initially threw fans for a loop this year when they announced that there would be two seasons of . The first, which featured lead Katie Thurston, premiered in early June. Her season came to an end in August. The network shared that Young’s season of The Bachelorette would air at a later date. During the After the Final Rose special, which was hosted by Emmanuel Acho, for James’ season, both Young and Thurston opened up about being the new Bachelorettes. The 28-year-old Minnesota native said, “When they first told me, I thought we were going to be Bachelorette at the same time. I was a little nervous, but once I found out it was two different seasons, I was here for it.” Fans will finally get to see Young in action as The Bachelorette during the show’s premiere on Tuesday at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.