Clare’s Dueling Blakes Ended A Long-Standing Bachelorette Tradition

Fans are used to Bachelor and Bachelorette seasons often having multiple contestants with the same name. This is usually easily solved with the use of a last name initial — like with Shawn B. from Kaitlyn Bristowe's season or Lauren B. from Ben Higgins' season. But Clare Crawley's Bachelorette season has two contestants named Blake who also have the same last initial. So there will be no Blake M. this season, instead they're both going by their full names.

It's not the first time a contestant has been referred to by their full name. John Paul Jones on Hannah Brown's season was always known as John Paul Jones because, as Chris Harrison put it John Paul Jones was a "mood" and "way of life," not just a name. The host added, "You don't ever say 'John' at all." 

The explanation for the Blakes' monikers isn't all that exciting, but at least ABC spared us from having to tell the difference between two Blake M. 1 and Blake M. 2. This way they each have their own identity.

Per his ABC bio, the 31 year old is a self-described Male Grooming Specialist from Phoenix, Arizona. In 2016, he founded Statum Style, a line of grooming products for hair and beards. Now he uses his Instagram to show off how his products work. "Sweat proof 'Hybrid Paste' Clay Pomade for bike days," he captioned this shot of him riding a motorcycle. 

Before he made his way into Nick Viall's former line of work (never forget the now-defunct Polished Gent), Blake Monar was a baseball player. He played in the major leagues for the Washington Nationals before being downgraded to the minor leagues. After two years, he left the sport due to a neuromuscular injury, according to his ABC bio. That's when he moved to Arizona and started anew with his grooming business.

And Monar's own luscious locks now have Chris Harrison's seal of approval, with the show's host raving during a Facebook Live, "He really does have incredible hair." High praise.

The other Blake may be an all-American former baseball player, but Blake Moynes is all-Canadian. It's helpful for telling them apart, because only one of them is likely to slip an "eh." The 29-year-old Moynes is a sporty guy, too, only he played hockey instead of baseball like the good Canadian cliché he is. And when he's not playing hockey, he's watching it. His other hobbies are mostly outdoor activities where Moynes is often joined by his dog.

And with his job as a Wildlife Manager putting him in contact with all kinds of creatures, he's become one with animals as small as chipmunks and as large as giant birds of prey.

According to Harrison, Moynes even has a falcon as a pet. Moynes said on Instagram that training and working with the bird helped him get through quarantine. Cannot relate, but good for him.

Having two Blakes should be no more confusing this year than it was when there were four Laurens on Arie Luyendyk Jr.'s season. And considering that they're pretty dissimilar guys, fans should be able to tell the difference between Monar and Moynes in no time at all.