Spoilers are ahead. Bachelorette Katie Thurston has begun wading through the 30 men ABC cast for her season, but she's about to get a late addition to the crew. The promo that aired at the end of the premiere showed that Blake Moynes — who previously competed on Clare Crawley and Tayshia Adams' seasons of The Bachelorette — has decided that Katie is now the Bachelorette for him. His grand gesture upon arrival was to hold up a boombox outside of Katie's room — Say Anything style. Apparently no one told him that classic Lloyd Dobler (John Cusack) move is actually harassment. (Pro tip: Standing outside someone's house after they've broken up with you is not a vibe.)
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It seems to work for Katie, though — it helps that she hadn't just told him to kick rocks — because she appears to let him join her season, much to the annoyance of the other men. "[He] cut in line," one of them lamented in the promo for Katie's season. "I can't believe he's here," said another. It's possible that they're not talking about Blake, as Bachelor world promos are deceiving by definition. We also know the history of latecomers on the show; the night one cast never takes it well.
And when it comes to Blake, I kind of understand their frustration. I haven't forgiven him for acting like Clare owed him something because he read a whole book about dementia before coming on the show so he could talk to Clare about her mom. “Why did I invest so much and not get anything in return?” he asked in a confessional interview, after she left her season.
Once again, Katie doesn't seem to mind. She can be seen kissing Blake while fireworks go off behind them, so Blake is probably the recipient of a one-on-one date, and that means Katie has to be into him at least a little bit.
But when exactly, will all this go down? Well, it's unlikely that he shows up right away to stir up trouble. According to Us Weekly, Ashley Iaconetti, who confirmed the Blake casting rumors by obtaining photos of him on set, believes that he didn't join the show until after the third rose ceremony, which would be in two or three episodes, depending on editing. He was pictured on set on April 1, and the first episode was taped on March 22. He probably missed those first few days of filming because he had to quarantine before meeting Katie — and because production never lets a returning contestant come in without making it dramatic. (Save for Becca Tilley, who knew better.)
Maybe he's learned from the whole "I bought a book" moment, but I'll be watching him with eagle eyes from the moment he steps on screen.