Season 23 of The Bachelor only just started and yet the connections between Colton and the contestants are already *fire.* Despite the constant drama between a select few, it's easy to spot real chemistry when the one-on-one dates air. One of such dates showed Colton and Elyse at Belmont Park entertaining a slew of adorable kids for a pseudo "group date." Funny, Colton. It looks like the pair had a great time, but did you pay attention to the conversations or are you still Googling "where is Elyse on The Bachelor from?" No worries — I got your back friends.
Elyse is from Soldotna, Alaska — just outside of Anchorage — where her ABC bio claims, "she spent her childhood ice-skating and snowmobiling," and she's never been outside of the country. Sounds like a simply perfect way to grow up. Alaska is mostly known for its cold weather and wildlife like moose and bear, but there's a whole other side that Elyse knows well. The 31-year-old makeup artist eventually left the frigid temperatures in exchange for a warmer climate, relocating to Scottsdale, Arizona. It's there she traded ice skates for hiking boots and fell in love with the food and wine culture. You might even find her posing for pictures with Scottsdale's iconic nature views in the background, but you have to really search for them. Her bio also reveals her love of all things "glitter, glam, and hope of new beginnings," just as New Year's Eve brings. I'd also argue that "hope for new beginnings" may reference her journey on The Bachelor, but that's just me.
Soldotna's visitor website says the town "is a thriving community located on the world-famous Kenai River, the most popular sportfishing destination in Alaska." It goes on to add, "the Kenai Peninsula is nicknamed Alaska’s Playground," due to the wildlife, canoeing, hiking, glacial blue waters and even "the world record King Salmon, caught by Les Anderson in 1985." This is not the Alaska you probably envision so it's no wonder Elyse is so worldly. Her Alaska offers so much more than cold and snow, for ice-skating and snowmobiling and it shows.
If you were to check out Elyse's Instagram page, you'd find there aren't a ton of scenic Scottsdale pics. Actually, you'll see some of Elyse hanging at the beach in California and tons of makeup photos with before and after shots. The girl loves makeup, which is probably why it's her job. You'll also see a lot of her family — specifically her late sister Sarah and her battle with cancer during pregnancy (in which she spoke about on last week's episode). If you scroll far enough, you'll catch a gorgeous shot of her hometown in Alaska with the colorful sky as a backdrop where the caption reads, "The view may be distracting me a bit, but my heart is SO happy to be here. Moments and views like this will always take my breath away." I don't know about you, but I think I'll be Googling all things Soldotna for the rest of the day, thanks, Elyse.
With promos for next week giving a glimpse of something Elyse calls "a mistake," I know it can't refer to her childhood in Soldotna or her "new beginning" in Scottsdale. As someone Colton seems to have a real connection with, Elyse became an early fan-favorite. But do she and Colton have what it takes to really make it in the end?
