Michelle Young and Nayte Olukoya, who got engaged on The Bachelorette season 18, have broken up with several expected repercussions, including the $200,000 check given to them by ABC. Michelle, a 28-year-old teacher from Minnesota, immediately felt sparks when she met 27-year-old Canadian-born Nayte. Nayte was not only given the first impression rose but was given the first rose five times throughout the season.
Although Michelle and Nayte have appeared madly in love since The Bachelorette season 18 ended last December, rumors of their breakup began swirling around the internet last month. Michelle, who was seen without her engagement ring, swiftly denied the gossip before the pair jointly announced their separation on June 17. In now-deleted Instagram Stories, Michelle and Nayte declined to explain why their relationship ended, although they still referred to one another as "best friends."
Now that Michelle and Nayte have ended their engagement, fans of The Bachelorette are not only wondering what caused their relationship to crumble, but what will happen to the $200,000 they received during the "After The Finale Rose" special.. When ABC gifted Michelle and Nayte the six-figure check last year, which was presented inside a gingerbread house, they stipulated that the money would go towards a down payment on their first home together. Although the former couple confirmed that Nayte would be joining Michelle in Minnesota multiple times, the move never happened. The duo also broke up before purchasing a house, and as of June 2022, Nayte still lives in Texas. Hopefully, Michelle and Nayte didn't use any of the money for other purposes, as it's almost guaranteed that they will have to return the $200,000 check to ABC.
Michelle and Nayte losing their $200,000 gift shouldn't surprise longtime viewers of The Bachelor and The Bachelorette since the network also has a strict policy on the final couple's engagement rings. During an interview with EW in 2016, former host Chris Harrison stated, "There's some rule [...] after a certain number of years, you get to keep it anyway. But after months […] it goes back." The couples have to stay together for at least two years after getting engaged to keep the gifted engagement ring, otherwise, ABC requires it back. This was confirmed by The Bachelorette season 6 lead Ali Fedotowsky in 2020. When Ali was on US Weekly's podcast in 2020, she revealed that when she and Roberto Martinez broke up, "[ABC] wanted to take my engagement ring away. And I was like, ‘No, this is part of my history, like, this is mine, you cannot have it!’ Per the contract, it was supposed to be two years, but they let me keep it.”
Despite the unfolding controversy, Michelle and Nayte aren't the first Bachelorette couple to break up after less than a year. Katie Thurston and Blake Moynes only lasted for two months following the conclusion of The Bachelorette season 17, while season 15's Hannah Brown and Jed Wyatt's engagement barely survived a month. Even though it's hard enough for Bachelor Nation to watch beloved couples separate after seeing them fall in love, Michelle and Nayte's $200,000 gift adds a complicated layer to their failed engagement. With The Bachelorette season 19 set to premiere on July 11 with co-leads Gabby Windey and Rachel Recchia, fans of the franchise are hoping more than ever that the runners-up of Clayton Echard's The Bachelor season make successful relationships. However, it's doubtful that ABC will present a lavish check like that again.