CLEVELAND — In the game of love, two Northeast Ohio men continue to win.
Rick Leach, 32, and Spencer Williams, 25, have both received their second roses from Michelle Young, 28, on Tuesday's episode of the reality dating competition show, "The Bachelorette," and with that, the chance to continue to pursue Young's heart.
While neither man was lucky enough to be asked out on a one-on-one date just yet, Leach and Williams were each invited to separate group dates, and ultimately asked by Young to continue to stay on the show and get to know each other better.
On the second episode of this season, the field of contestants narrowed to just 19 men, after Young eliminated four bachelors from the competition.
Leach, a Walsh University graduate and medical sales representative who is working on his Executive MBA degree at Loyola Marymount University, was invited on the first group date of the season, along with nine other men.
The date paid homage to Young's career as a teacher. After going "back to school" for trivia, science and musical chairs, Leach and Young had a sweet exchange at that evening's cocktail party.
Even so, Leach did not win the group date rose, so he had to wait until the elimination ceremony to learn he would be asked to stick around for another week, with more chances to try to charm Young.
On Williams' 10-man group date, the single father and financial crimes analyst from Cleveland continued to capitalize on his shared love for basketball with Young. (Williams played professionally overseas, while Young played in college.)
His team won a game of five-on-five basketball, and so they were invited to a post-game cocktail party to spend extra time with Young.
Williams didn't win the group date rose, either, but stole enough time with Young to keep her interested in how their relationship might develop.
The episode was not without its drama, with Peter Izzo being accused of being a "narcissist" in front of Young during the school-themed group date, and men wondering about Young's prior connection to Joe Coleman during the basketball date. (Coleman also played college basketball, and the two had exchanged messages on social media years ago, before Coleman "ghosted" Young by never replying to her last message.)
Despite these awkward moments, both Izzo and Coleman remain in the running for the chance to propose to Young, alongside Leach, Williams and 15 other men.
Catch the recap of Leach's and Williams' journeys for love each Wednesday, following Tuesday's episode of The Bachelorette on ABC.