Karl Smith has seemingly emerged as the first villain of Katie Thurston’s season of The Bachelorette.
Karl has proven himself to be tactical and talkative, and he may even be the man that prompts Katie to accuse men of being there for the wrong reason.
While the season has just started, both viewers and his fellow Bachelorette contestants already have expressed their dislike for him.
As this current episode of The Bachelorette airs, it’s becoming clear that Karl is getting the villain edit.
Justin and other Bachelorette contestants take aim at Karl
At the very top of the episode, Karl showed off his excitement to win Katie over at the group date.
Fellow contestant Justin Glaze wasn’t amused by his chatter and even said his first impression of Karl is that he talked too much.
Later on during the group date, other contestants joined in on ragging on Karl.
Karl’s over-the-top sexual presentation didn’t amuse them. Even though the point of the challenge was to show off their sexual side, they felt Karl took it too far.
Karl said he would entertain Katie in the bedroom for 17 hours as he aggressively slammed a banana against a cardboard cutout of Katie.
Karl’s fellow contestants began to heckle him during his set. They especially enjoyed pointing out that he messed up the word “suffocate” by saying “sufferkate.”
Usually, when contestants take aim against a particular contestant, it means they’ve gotten to see a side of them that isn’t so pleasant.
Karl went on to show off a more calculated side of his personality during the second half of the group date.
During his confessional, Karl explained how it’s his priority to win the rose and that he would do whatever it takes.
As he sat down with Katie, he immediately parroted and agreed with everything she said, including recently enduring a tough relationship.
When Katie asked Karl to elaborate, he stated he didn’t want to go into it, which many fans felt was a red flag.
Ultimately, Karl was fuming that he didn’t win the rose after he had felt that situation was so “in his control.”
He sealed the deal when he told Katie men were there for the wrong reason without presenting any proof. This sent Katie into emotional distress and had the rest of the men fuming.
Fans dub Karl as the Bachelorette villain
Fans are not amused by Karl’s antics and have given him the title of the first villain of Katie’s season of The Bachelorette.
“Meet Karl. Motivational speaker and first villain of this season,” one fan wrote.
Another viewer ragged on Karl’s lack of charm despite being a motivational speaker.
“Karl is a very good motivational speaker. He’s motivating me to mute the tvs when he speaks,” the viewer wrote.
“There is something about Karl that just…rubs me the wrong way,” another fan tweeted. “He needs to go.”
Viewers will have to wait and see if more of Karl’s villainous side comes out this season.
The Bachelorette airs on Monday at 8/7c on ABC.