The Truth About 'The Bachelorette's' Dennis Walega
With Matt James' historic season of The Bachelor now in the rearview, fans are already looking forward to Season 17 of The Bachelorette. As of March 2021, the newest installment is in pre-production, with cast and crew spotted quarantining at the Hyatt Regency Tamaya Resort and Spa, outside of Albuquerque, N.M. But aside from the dramatic desert locale, we're more interested in Katie Thurston's crop of men — who are already promising plenty of drama.
According to an April 1, 2021 episode of the podcast Almost Famous, Blake Moynes is making a second appearance on The Bachelorette in his quest to find love. (Fans may remember that the hunky Canadian wildlife-lover first appeared on Clare Crawley's season in 2020.) Along with Blake, Katie's guys range in age from their mid-20s to mid-30s. There's jokester Jeff Caravello, single dad Hunter Montgomery, Bachelor Nation star Clay Harbor's cousin Andrew Spencer, and beer games entrepreneur Tanner Guisness.
Another contestant to catch our eye is Dennis Walega, who speaks more than one language, according to our sleuthing. Let's take a closer look at the contender for Katie's heart!
Will Dennis Walega's sense of humor be a match for Katie Thurston?
According to TV blogger Reality Steve, Dennis Walega is a 26-year-old police officer for the Village of Barrington Hills, in Chicago, Ill. If his Instagram bio — which reads "Chicago-ish | Mówimy po polsku" — is to be believed, he is fluent in Polish. (Per Google Translate, the phrase literally translates to "We speak Polish.")
Dennis displays an endearing sense of humor via his fun-loving 'gram photos. One picture, which shows him skiing with a somewhat questionable hairdo, is captioned, "Icier than my frosted tips (it's just a hat, chill)." Another image has him drinking in a racing car, with the tongue-in-cheek caption, "If you ain't first, you're last. —Gandhi."
This season will determine if Dennis is the right fit for Katie Thurston, who viewers likely remember from The Bachelor for her sex-positive attitude, anti-bullying stance, and wicked sense of humor. Per her official ABC bio, she's looking for "a man who can laugh along with her but is okay with laughing at her too when the moment calls for it." A good sense of humor may just be the ticket to a lasting relationship with Katie, but we'll have to wait and see if Dennis fits the bill. TV Insider reports that The Bachelorette debuts on June 7, 2021 at 8/7c.