Bachelorette season 15’s Mike Johnson joins us for this week’s edition of Hot & Cold to help break down the beginning of Tayshia’s journey for love.
Mike Johnson is one of the most well-liked contestants in Bachelorette history. His time on Hannah’s season of The Bachelorette showed us all what a kind, thoughtful, confident person he was, with an unforgettable smile and a positive attitude that can only be described as contagious.
Since being on the show, Mike has been busy. Earlier this year, he released his first book, Making the Love You Want, which, as Mike puts it, has allowed him to become a vessel for folks to gain power in their self-limiting beliefs and regain control to create the life that they deserve. This was his biggest goal for the book.
Mike is now working on a film project that he created, getting his certification in a program he’s been working on, and hopefully getting on screen again soon! He’s also been following along with this season of The Bachelorette. Here’s what he had to say about this season’s contestants.
Hot: Brendan and Riley
While Riley is making his second straight appearance on the “hot” list, Brendan was a relatively unknown contestant until Tuesday’s episode. On his date with Tayshia, he won over fans, and our bachelorette, alike.
Mike: “Brendan opened up to Tayshia, and his previous marriage and Tayshia’s previous marriage seemed to be an area where they connected.”
My favourite part of this is- Brendan didn’t know who she was. Her background or anything, that’s how the bachelorette should be #TheBachelorette
— Ally Schafer (@AllySchafer) November 11, 2020
Brendan went into his one-on-one with Tayshia worried about his previous marriage. When he spoke about his past, he did so in a very respectful, mature way. Tayshia went through a very similar situation, so the two were able to bond over shared experiences.
Mike: “And Riley stood up, spoke his mind, and came across strong yet respectful. That’s how we do it!”
Riley was not afraid to tell Spencer what he thought about his slightly overzealous entrance last week. During the group date, Kenny and Riley confronted Spencer, with Riley hilariously calling him lunch meat.
While the conversation could have easily gone sideways, especially after Kenny bluntly called Spencer a d**k, Riley stepped in and calmly explained why the guys had issues with Spencer, which brings us to this week’s “cold” selection.
Cold: Spencer
Mike: “He was overly confident, possibly because he felt superior over the other contestants after getting Tayshia’s first impression rose.”
Tayshia seemed to like Spencer but he wasn’t feeling the love from the others. This was entirely his own doing, as he arrived at the resort and immediately dropped the “Which one of you scared away Clare” line to a group of men he hadn’t even met.
Mike: “He mentioned he wanted to ‘win’ the group date rose as well. The contestants are supposed to be trying to establish a relationship and see if it’s the right thing for them, not win a pick-up basketball game.”
Bruin: “I couldn’t agree more. His entire attitude, whether he planned to do this or not, came off as though this was all a game and not a way to find a meaningful relationship. You, in your season, came off quite the opposite. What was your biggest takeaway from your time on the show?”
Mike: “The Bachelorette was another way to find the love that was already there… and once I figured that out, I knew my calling was bigger: To a life of serving/spreading the message of self-love to the world because I know from personal experience that when self-love is found, we can all be more compassionate humans to one another, and the challenges of our life no longer feel insurmountable.”
Follow Mike’s journey on Instagram or through his website, MikeJohnsonSmile.com.
The Bachelorette airs every Tuesday at 8:00 p.m. ET on ABC.
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