The Bachelorette: The men defend a front-runner when his character is questioned
Palm Springs, California – The competition is getting stiff on The Bachelorette, and guys are hitting below the belt to get ahead.
There's a rivalry brewing in the desert of Southern California between front-runner Nayte Olukoya and the broker from West Hollywood that is Chris Sutton.
Since day one on The Bachelorette, Nayte and Michelle Young have had an undeniable connection.
Their unbreakable eye contact alone speaks volumes of the chemistry between the two, and producers were sure to provide plenty of screen time for the blossoming couple.
But not everyone is as psyched on Nayte as the 28-year-old lead, such as Chris. When the guys received their date card for the evening and Nayte learned he would be joining the masses rather than scoring a one-on-one date with Michelle, he wasn't phased.
While many of the guys often express their disappointment when learning they didn't get the one-on-one, Nayte instead shared that he wasn't concerned about missing out this week because he was confident he'd get his chance to shine.
Rather than reading this as the action of a man who's secure with himself that's more concerned with his relationship than his competition, Chris takes it as Nayte being cocky and disrespectful towards Michelle.
After the 12 guys, including Nayte, who attended the group date successfully ignored the leading lady for its entirety, Michelle pulled the Austin, Texas native aside to address how their collective actions made her feel unseen.
The school teacher admitted that she was particularly hurt by Nayte not sweeping her away on the group date due to the "level of feelings" she has for him.
Realizing that he had made a huge mistake, he admitted that his actions aren't matching the deep feelings he has for her, and promised to break out of his "shy guy" shell to make her feel seen and adored.
Tensions and jealousy rise amongst two men
But Chris wasn't just going to let Nayte win Michelle over without him doing his best to sabotage his competition's chance with The Bachelorette herself.
At the cocktail party before the cocktail party, Chris wastes no time cutting Michelle off and addressing the group about Michelle feeling unseen the day before while claiming that several guys thought they had things "in the bag."
There's no doubt that his words were directed at Nayte, who was still unaware that Chis was coming for his head. But when he pulled Michelle aside after his dramatic speech in front of the guys, he actively threw Nayte under the bus in an exaggerated recap of events from the day prior.
While Michelle question Nayte about the allegations, the rest of the guys were actively questioning Chris and telling him he likely wasn't going to get a rose for the move he tried to pull.
Fortunately, Nayte lived to see another day and secured the second to last rose at the ceremony, with the final rose of the night going to his nemesis, Chris.
With the rest of the guys on Nayte's side, the future is looking bleak for the West Hollywood resident, despite his belief that he's leading the way in the quest for Michelle's love.
Next Tuesday, the 11 remaining men will travel to Minneapolis, Minnesota for a group hometown visit – something that's never been done in Bachelorette history.
Tune in to ABC at 8 pm EST on November 16 to see what chaos unfolds next.
Cover photo: Collage: Screenshot/Instagram/kingbabatunde & michelleyoung & chris_sutton1