Minnesota 'Bachelorette' Michelle Young named new co-host of 'Bachelor Happy Hour' podcast

One of Bachelor Nation's biggest podcasts is now hosted by two Minnesotans.

Fifth-grade teacher Michelle Young has been named the new co-host of "Bachelor Happy Hour," joining fellow Minnesotan and former star of "The Bachelorette" Becca Kufrin.

"Just two Midwest girls taking on the podcast world," Young posted on her Instagram, announcing the news this week.

The podcast, one of three "official" podcasts in Bachelor Nation, is also produced by Warner Bros., so the hosts nab big interviews with contestants as "The Bachelor" and "The Bachelorette" air.

In their first episode together, posted Tuesday, Young and Kufrin caught up on Young's "roller coaster" of a life since her season of the show ended with her engagement to Nayte Olukoya, a Winnipeg-raised, Texas-based sales representative.

Young described meeting Rihanna ("It was a special moment"), her mom's feelings about Olukoya ("She absolutely loves him") and what it's like being in the classroom ("I'm still living my double life").

Kufrin asked whether Young and Olukoya are still house-hunting in Minnesota, an endeavor aided by a big check at the season's end.

"We're still deciding," Young said. "It was a pretty generous down payment. Nothing says we can't get a spot in Minnesota and somewhere else, too."

Kufrin had been hosting "Bachelor Happy Hour" with guests since former co-host Rachel Lindsay left the show last year. (Lindsay and fellow Bachelorette Ali Fedotowsky launched the podcast together in 2019.)

A Prior Lake native who now lives in California, Kufrin was in the Twin Cities this week to host "The Bachelor Live On Stage" at the State Theatre. Young joined her onstage.