AKRON, Ohio — For The Bachelorette's Michael Allio, being a single dad turned out to be a competitive advantage over the other men vying for the love of Katie Thurston, in season 17 of the reality dating show.
It was being able to operate on very little sleep that helped him keep his cool under pressure, even when he was saying goodbye to Katie, Michael, 37, tells 3News' Stephanie Haney on the 3 Things to Know podcast.
'Nights go really really late on the show. I mean really, really late. You’re operating off very little sleep,' the father of 4-year-old James says in the candid conversation, covering everything from off-camera conversations he shared with his leading lady to how Kaityln Bristowe 'threw him under the bus,' and what it would take for him to agree to be the next Bachelor.
'For some... they get a little fidgety or more emotional, but for me that’s just status quo.'
Michael adds: 'You know I typically only sleep like four hours a night so I can go a pretty long time. I’ve got some good endurance there. You know some of the other guys, the younger guys, you know they’re fresh out of college, they’re used to 12 hours of sleep. As a single dad, I’m up at like 5:30-6:00 every morning.'
The issue came up while discussing how Michael was able to stay calm while telling Katie, 30, that he had to leave to be with his son, a decision that he says he stands by even though he still has feelings for the Seattle-area native.
Listen to The Bachelorette's Michael Allio on the 3 Things to Know podcast on Spotify, or scroll down for the video podcast plus links to listen on your favorite podcast platform
In a shortened episode that aired before The Bachelorette's 'Men Tell All' special on July 26, Michael approaches Katie after a difficult conversation with his son, where James says to his father: 'Maybe Daddy don't want to see me.'
In the episode, we see him very matter-of-factly tell Katie that he has to go home, and that it has nothing to do with their relationship.
'What was going on there?' Stephanie asks Michael, questioning how he was able to keep it together during his goodbye. 'Were you just hyper-focused on James, or was there any part of you that was thinking, "Maybe this isn’t right for both of us right now,"?'
Michael quickly dismissed that thought, explaining that he was experiencing a range of emotions that might have made him come off as more composed than he actually was in that moment.
'I know I was really sweaty, really nervous but it was a mix of emotion,' he explains. 'I mean, one, devastated I had to leave. Like, broken that she was feeling pain that I inflicted on her because she, since day one, had been nothing but courteous to me in my life and my situation and understanding. And I really believe that she was ready to step into the complexities of my own life.
'And then there was joy that I’m going to be able to see James soon. There was gratefulness that I was able to experience any of this. So all of this is kind of just hitting at once and it probably just came out like I’m lethargic or whatever, but I was just overwhelmed.
'And I wanted to make sure that she understood that the reason I was leaving wasn’t because of doubting us as a couple. I wasn’t running from that. I was more or less running towards just being a loving father and the duties and responsibilities that accompany that.'
Listen to the full chat with Michael, including what it would take for him to agree to the next 'Bachelor,' and where Katie and him were planning on living if they had gotten engaged, on the 3 Things to Know with Stephanie Haney podcast on your favorite podcast platform, at these links:
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Check out more episodes of the 3 Things to Know with Stephanie Haney podcast at the links below.