Whether you love them or hate them, Bachelorette spoilers are usually all over the internet before each new season airs a single episode.
While they occasionally miss the mark, for the most part, these insider news items — particularly the ones reported by spoiler-master Reality Steve — are pretty reliable.
And as expected, Steve called the winner of Katie’s season very early on in the proceedings.
We have no reason to doubt the accuracy of his prediction, but there are new questions about what might have occurred after filming ended.
So yes, this is the point at which we warn you that spoilers lie ahead, and you should stop reading here if you hope to be surprised by the outcome of this season.
Now that we’ve unrolled the caution tape, let’s get down to business:
As you’ve probably heard by now, Katie gives her final rose to Blake Moynes.
Accounts differ as to whether or not Blake pops the question in the finale, but everyone seems to agree Blake is the guy who comes out on top.
Of course, as the many Clare Crawley-Dale Moss breakups have recently reminded us, there’s rarely a blissful happily ever after following the proposal.
More often, it’s the beginning of a new story that’s just as gloriously messy as everything that came before it.
And as we all know, nothing complicates the a relationship quite like an ex who just won’t go away.
In this case, the ex in question is none other than fan favorite Michael Allio.
We know — it comes as a bit of a shock, as Michael was just about the least shady character to ever appear on The Bachelorette.
A widower and the father of a 5-year-old boy, Allio captured hearts and emerged as an early frontrunner during Katie’s season.
Viewers were heartbroken when Michael tearfully quit the show in order to return to Akron, Ohio and be with his son.
But Allio re-entered the public consciousness this week thanks to some unexpected social media activity.
As you may recall, Katie posted some lingerie pics this week that had tongues wagging and hearts pounding.
One person who was all worked up into a tizzy was Michael, who made his feelings very clear in an extremely thirsty comment.
“Can’t say what I’d like to,” Allio wrote, adding some flame emojis in case anyone missed his point.
Now, there are several possibilities here:
Either Katie is still with Blake, and Michael seriously crossed the line with his comment …
… Or Katie and Michael reconciled after the show, but they’re keeping their relationship on the down-low in order to comply with the terms of their contracts.
Frankly, the former scenario seems the least likely, as Michael doesn’t strike us as the sort of guy to publicly hit on another dude’s fiance.
Whatever the case, the comment has been deleted, although it’s not clear if Michael withdrew her remark, or if Katie was the one who made it disappear.
Either way, it seems there might be some developments around the corner that even Reality Steve couldn’t have predicted!