The old adage "good things come to those who wait" has never really been true on The Bachelor, but Katie Thurston is turning that around this week. After leaving Michael Allio out of all three Bachelorette dates last week, Katie is giving Michael the season's second one-on-one, which means... it's time to do some stalking — uh, I mean research. So, I rolled up my sleeves, entered into the world of Instagram and got to work to find out what Michael Allio's deal is on The Bachelorette.
Michael hasn't had a ton of screen time yet on The Bachelorette, but we know that he's a single dad, and Bach producers let him FaceTime his son every night. We also know that Katie is feeling a connection already, which she said is why he didn't go on any dates last week. She already felt good about him, so she didn't need to vet to know him any better right away. Or so she said. The Bachelorette is weird. Anyways, that's the basics, but it doesn't really give us anything more to go on. And when that happens, there's only one place to turn: Instagram.
Michael & The L4 Project
Michael's Insta is pretty sparse, but does contain a lot of #DadContent. Here are a few key takeaways:
- He doesn't post a lot, but when he does, he shares a respectable amount of photos of his son, James (not too much where you think there's nothing else in his life, but not so little that it feels like he's hiding something.)
- He also posts regular tributes to his wife, Laura, who died after a long battle with cancer in January of 2019.
- In September of 2019, Michael was honored with Akron's 30 for the Future award, which celebrates 30 young local professionals every year. His wife, Laura, had actually received the award back in 2017.
Michael's real story, though, goes way beyond his personal Instagram. After his wife's death, he founded The L4 Project, a clothing brand that donates all proceeds to charities helping support people with cancer and their families. Specifically, according to the organization's website, The L4 Project focuses on giving to charities that provided resources for cancer patients including: "direct financial support, transportation, health care system navigation, counseling, and lifestyle experiences." You can check out the merch they sell here. (When he's not helping run The L4 Project, he's also reportedly a managing parter of Allstera, which sells PPE in Akron.)
Micheal's main social media presence is on the L4 Project Instagram page, where he regularly shares updates on how he and James are doing in the wake of Laura's death. Most recently, in April, he shared that he and James were having a birthday party for her, writing in part, "We will play music, Motown for sure, and James will dance."
Did Micheal Reveal His Bachelorette Ending?
Go through Micheal's Instagram, and you'll find this very interesting video, released just after his Bachelorette casting was announced in May of 2021. Michael keeps things pretty vague — good for him, it seems he read his Bachelorette contract — but some of the things he said might hint at what happened at the end of his reality TV journey. First in the video, he explained his motivations for going on the show, saying he figured it was now or never. "I'm not getting any younger," he said, "time to take some risks!" He also revealed that he'd been "in a little bit of a rut" for the past few years, and thought this experience might push him out of it.
According to the video, Micheal's experience on The Bachelorette motivated him to face issues he'd been avoiding. "It was really kind of this opportunity to focus on some pressing issues that I needed to address, and I'm feeling really good about them," he said, hinting at some previously "unresolved things." But the most telling part of the video is when Michael says that he's not sure about what his next chapter in life is going to look like. Hmm...does that sound like an engaged man to you?
According to some spoilers from Reality Steve, Micheal makes it almost all the way to hometowns before either self eliminating or being sent home to spend more time with his son. And with that in mind, it definitely doesn't sound like he got engaged to Katie. Still, if there's one thing I've learned from years watching The Bachelorette, it's that you can't rule anything out. Not even Michael Allio. Not yet.
Other Fun Facts:
- He enjoys a good run outdoors in his home state of Ohio, and he even trained to run the Akron Half Marathon in 2019. (Per his late wife's Instagram, he completed the Half Marathon in 2018.)
- He doesn't really talk politics on his main page, but an old Instagram profile that appeared to have belonged to his wife and is tagged in some of his early posts, @ritsbits_1, did declare that she was not a Trump supporter, and called out fellow Christians for turning their backs on refugees.
- He's supportive of his fellow Bachelorette contestants. Last week, after the first group date aired in which Mike revealed he was a virgin, Michael took to Instagram to celebrate him. "This man right here was tested... and didn't even flinch," he wrote of Mike's big moment. "Courage and conviction at its finest. BRAVO!" He also gave a shoutout to Katie for how she handled the situation, saying she "couldn't have been warmer or more respectful to Mike and the values he so chooses to live by, even if they're counter to her own."
Based on all this info, there really doesn't seem to be anything bad to dig up about Michael, which makes me both hopeful and nervous. Is Michael... actually too good for this show?
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Image: ABC/Craig Sjodin