‘The Bachelorette’ Sets Twitter Aflame After Olympian Aly Raisman’s Ex-Boyfriend Revealed As Contestant
There’s already a buzz surrounding the new season of The Bachelorette after it was revealed that former Olympian Aly Raisman’s ex-boyfriend is one of the suitors competing for Becca Kufrin’s heart. ABC premiered Season 13 of the reality dating series on May 28 as the newest batch of hopefuls competed to find love.
Colton Underwood made his Bachelorette debut holding two fireworks as he exited his limousine and met his potential new love for the first time. Fans picked up on his entrance right away and took to Twitter to out him to the world.
“He’s the dude that dated Ali Raisman, right?” noted one Twitter user.
“Did he?! I only approve if he treated her like the queen she is and didn’t hurt her,” stated another Bachelorette fan.
“Ummm he used to date Olympian Aly Raisman…? I thought they were still together until I saw him on there lol,” quipped a viewer.
Colton made enough of an impression on Becca to make it through the first round of eliminations, but his relationship with Aly didn’t pan out as well.
The former professional football player, who played for the Oakland Raiders, began dating the former Olympian in 2016. The couple was introduced by Colton’s former teammate Andrew East. Coincidentally, Andrew is married to former Olympic gymnast Shawn Johnson.
Aly has won six Olympic medals as a member of the U.S. women’s gymnastics teams, the Fierce Five in 2012 and Final Five in 2016.
Colton and Aly made their red carpet debut at the Sports Illustrated Sportsperson of the Year Ceremony in New York late in 2016. They also appeared together at the Golden Globe Awards in January 2017.
The couple broke up in June of 2017. Colton confirmed he and Aly had parted ways to the Lincoln Journal Star.
“We’re taking a break right now. We’re still good friends and talk, but all that travel had been a nightmare,” he said. “It ended fine. We’re in a good place.”
“It put a lot of pressure on us, sure, but we had fun with it. A lot of fun date nights,” Colton continued. “Those six months were great.”
Colton’s introductory video on The Bachelorette detailed his work for a charity, the Colton Underwood Legacy Foundation, to get kids involved in athletics while also raising money for cystic fibrosis research and support for those with the disease.
When his young cousin was diagnosed with the disease at birth, he took on her cause. Cystic Fibrosis affects the lungs and digestive system by causing a buildup of mucus in several organs. Patients with CF often have trouble breathing and are prone to infection.
The Bachelorette airs Mondays on ABC.
