Michelle Young had four sweet hometown dates on the latest episode of The Bachelorette, but two were especially sentimental as they called back to her standout poem earlier in the season.
During a poetry-centric group date a few episodes ago, Michelle wrote and shared a heartfelt poem about her experiences growing up and her desire for love.
Bachelor Nation praised Michelle for so vulnerably writing about how it feels to go unseen and be the “token Black girl” which many could relate to.
Michelle also shared about experiences she missed out on or wasn’t sought out for and two of the men in her final four set out to change that during hometowns.
Rodney Mathews takes Michelle Young apple picking
One of the lines in Michelle’s poem featured her sharing that she was never the girl invited to cute dates like going to an apple orchard.
So it was incredibly fitting when Rodney Mathews took her apple picking during their date. Michelle finally got to experience her own romantic moment at an apple orchard, which was refreshing to see.
The apple-centered date didn’t just call back to Michelle’s poem, it also called back to Rodney’s costume that he wore when he first met Michelle during the premiere.
Rodney stepped out in a red apple costume which led Michelle to later question his knowledge of apples. Their journey seems to have come full circle when the pair went apple picking together.
Joe Coleman asks Michelle Young to prom
Another line in Michelle’s poem touched on her prom experience in high school. Michelle shared that while she was often the first picked for basketball due to her athleticism, she was also “the girl picked last for prom.”
For Joe Coleman’s date, he encouraged Michelle by first taking her to his high school after she also showed him her Minnesota high school previously. Then Joe asked her to go to prom with him, fulfilling her desire to have a prom experience where she felt seen and wanted.
The pair looked gorgeous in their prom attire and took tons of adorable photos in the photo booth, ate the sweets at the dessert table, and danced together.
A tweet from Bachelor RealitTea drew the comparison between Michelle’s poem and her hometown dates and fans were happy to see Michelle getting all the love and experiences she deserves.
The Bachelorette airs Tuesdays at 8/7c on ABC.