Tensions rose between Chris Sutton and Nayte Olukoya on the Nov. 9 episode of The Bachelorette. It all started on a group date when Michelle expressed that she wasn’t feeling “seen” by a lot of the guys. Chris was on the losing team during the group date, so he wasn’t at the after party where Michelle shared her feelings. However, he heard about what went down, and decided to take it upon himself to address it at the cocktail party — in front of Michelle.
“I think there are guys here that think they have it in the bag,” Chris said. “I think that’s bulls***. I think that they’re not showing you [Michelle] the effort that you deserve. I think you should give time to he people who are here for you and showing you effort you deserve. I feel like the guys who feel like they have it in the bag, they should speak up or they should go home.”
Nayte and Chris S. on season 18 of ‘The Bachelorette.’ (Craig Sjodin/ABC)
After his speech, Michelle pulled Chris aside to hear more about what he had to say. During their one-on-one chat, Chris specifically called out Nayte as one of the guys he was referencing. “When the one-on-one date card didn’t have [Nayte]’s name he said, ‘I already know I’m going to get one, it’s just a matter of when, so this doesn’t really matter,'” Chris told Michelle. “I’m sorry, but I think you deserve to know.”
Michelle had already formed a very strong connection with Nayte, who got her first impression rose, so she was shocked to hear this take. “I feel disappointed when I learn something about somebody that I wish I hadn’t,” she admitted. “But I just want to make it clear that there’s nobody that has it in the bag.”
Next, Michelle pulled Nayte aside to fill him in on what Chris said. “I’m not sure why he decided to single me out,” Nayte said. “I can’t control how people feel about me. It is what it is.” Michelle was stern as she told Nayte, “It’s not like winning something. You don’t have anything in the bag. You shouldn’t feel like you have anything in the bag. I’m not a massive prize at the end of this. I shouldn’t have to light a fire under someone’s ass to be with me.”
Michelle during one of her dates. (Craig Sjodin/ABC)
Nayte was frustrated after the conversation, and he confronted Chris with the situation. The guys bickered back and forth, with Chris insisting that he didn’t mean to single Nayte out. The fight escalated, and nothing was resolved. “Nayte was obviously upset that I singled him out,” Chris said in a confessional. “I didn’t go there with a plan to single Nayte out. She asked me and I told. I came in on my white horse and saved her from the castle she’s stuck in.” Meanwhile, Nayte called Chris a “dweeb” and said that what he did was “weird.”
The overall consensus in the house was that Chris’s actions were uncalled for. A majority of the guys were frustrated with him for bringing up drama at the cocktail party. Luckily, Michelle missed the fight, as she was having great conversations with some of the other guys, who she said were finally making her feel seen. In the end, Michelle trusted her gut when it came to Nayte, and she gave him a rose. However, Chris got a rose, as well.
