There have been a lot of questionable contestants on Gabby Windey and Rachel Recchia's season of The Bachelorette (don't get me started on Hayden!), but let me tell you: Nate Mitchell doesn't seem to be one of them. Nate and Gabby had amazing chemistry during their one-on-one date, and he seems like a genuinely nice person whose number one priority is raising his daughter. Like, it's no wonder he ended up making it to Gabby's top 6!
However, Reality Steve kiiind of complicated things recently after one of Nate's exes had some not-so-great things to say about the Chicago native that left us feeling all?!?!?!? Obviously, the time has come to get to know Nate better because he racked up a lot of screen time this season. Let's get into it, shall we?
Thirty-three-year-old Nate is from Chicago, where he works as an electrical engineer and spends time with his family. As ABC put it in Nate's bio, "This handsome Chicago native is the full package! Humble and hardworking, Nate tries to always live life to the fullest! He is determined to take chances and is finally taking the time to focus on finding true love."
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And Gabby pretty much hits every single one. Ahem: "Nate is looking for a woman who is kind, adventurous, smart, and ready to complete his beautiful family. He also has a weakness for a woman who can make him laugh so hard, his belly hurts. Nate loves to do thoughtful things for the woman he loves, and as an example, he says he plans amazing picnics! Cheese and crackers with a handsome guy like Nate? Sounds like the perfect one-on-one to us."
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As Nate told Gabby during their date, "I have a beautiful baby girl who is 6, and she is my world. Like, a pocket of my heart just burst open the first time she said 'Dad' or first time she told me she loved me, the first time I felt her hug me. I'm a girl dad one thousand percent." He also told Gabby a bit about his daughter's personality, saying, "She's like the human form of coffee."
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People literally love Nate. Just take a look at this post from @BachelorData, which tracks Instagram growth among contestants and leads through the season:
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This is a clear indication that audiences are connecting with Nate, so hopefully ABC is paying attention because he *definitely* seems like he'd be a good pick for Bachelor. But before we get too ahead of ourselves, let's talk about *those* newly surfaced rumors..
In a new podcast episode, Reality Steve addressed rumors that Nate cheated on a former girlfriend he was dating from 2020 to 2021 (before he came on the show, obvi). During the episode, Steve spoke with Nate's ex-girlfriend, who claimed that Nate reportedly sent DMs to another woman.
"I wish Nate all the best," she said to Steve. "I don't want to affect his future, but it's important for me to try and prevent another girl from being blindsided by his secrecies." Additionally, the ex alleged that Nate kept his daughter a secret from her during the entire duration of their relationship-she even made a TikTok about it back in July:
According to Page Six, Nate addressed the rumors directly. In response to an Instagram commenter asking, "Why you playing girls?" Nate said, "Two sides to every story wish u the best." Welp! So I'm guessing now may be a good time to move on to those spoilers??
Although we already knew that Nate wouldn't end up being one of Gabby's final three contestants thanks to spoilers, we weren't sure exaaactly when he would leave until week 6. The elimination was pretty tough, to say the least, with Gabby taking Nate out on a date that ended up being.well, a breakup. ?? TL;DR: After considering how important Nate's daughter is to him, the Bachelorette decided that she simply wasn't ready to be a mom yet.
"Nate does have a daughter, so I have to think about both of them when I'm making decisions," Gabby explained. "I take the potential of being a mom so seriously because of my past and at times it's hard. I'm terrified of maybe putting someone in my position or maybe making a wrong decision. I have to weigh these options really heavily."
Many, many tears were shed during this goodbye, and Gabby broke down as she explained, "I wanted today for us to be special. I have such deep feelings for you. It's going to get harder. I never want to say goodbye, but I think we're just in two different places in our life. It's not you, it's me."
Sad all around.but TBD whether or not fans see Nate on The Bachelor going forward. ??