The Truth About The Bachelorette's Karl Smith

Katie Thurston's Bachelorette season is already one for the books. Following a tumultuous Bachelor stint, Katie can now sit back and enjoy her 34 new suitors while filming the hit spinoff series in New Mexico. The Seattle-based marketing manager will be guided in her quest for love by former Bachelorettes Kaitlyn Bristowe and Tayshia Adams, and Katie's crop of men doesn't disappoint. 

Rapper Riff Raff's younger brother will compete side-by-side with Bachelor Nation star Clay Harbor's first cousin. Additionally, fans spotted another familiar face amongst the new Season 17 roster: motivational speaker Karl Smith. Per the New York Post, Karl reportedly was a cut contestant from Clare Crawley's suitors. 

"Overall this will be his third attempt on the show for a third different Bachelorette," one fan wrote on one Bachelor Nation forum. "Covid19 sidelined him meeting Clare Crawley in March 2020. Over the summer when Tayshia [Adams] entered La Quinta, production let him out of quarantine. Ultimately not adding him to the mix of the 5 new guys she'd get. But hey if this doesn't work out, I hear there's another season around the corner with Michelle [Young]!" 

So, who is Karl? Keep scrolling to find out!

Karl Smith is the founder of Next Level Success, a brand specializing in "leadership, business, and finance" according to its Instagram page. With a slogan of "escape the matrix, achieve your goals, build a legacy, #liveyourvision," Next Level Success offers a Lifestyle Entrepreneur Cheat Sheet guide to building a sustainable lifestyle business. The business coaching company has been running for over 10 years, and Karl's personal (yet private) Instagram account boasts more than 40,000 followers. 

Karl separately has his own website for booking him as a motivational speaker. According to his bio, Karl has "trained more than 40,000 entrepreneurs, business & sales professionals worldwide" since working in the field of "business growth strategy and financial education." Karl also features his services on YouTube. 

Will Karl motivate Bachelorette Katie Thurston to give him her First Impression rose? Only time will tell if this match will work!