The Truth About The Bachelorette's Ivan Hall

While it's pretty certain that Clare Crawley and Dale Moss are a thing, speculation still abounds about Clare's rumored replacement on season 16 of The Bachelorette, Tayshia Adams, and who wins her heart. ABC hasn't confirmed the theory that Clare chooses Dale early in the season, leaving Tayshia to take her place, but several sources including spoiler guru Reality Steve have said that this is the case (per Decider).

Contestant Ivan Hall is thought to be a frontrunner this season. Reality Steve wrote on his website that he's "almost positive" Ivan makes it to Tayshia's top four, and possibly her top two. "I do know that I have a picture of Ivan on set dressed up very late into filming, so he's gotta be in the final 3 at least," he wrote.

Who is the man who may or may not have won Tayshia's heart? According to his ABC bio, Ivan is a 28-year-old aeronautical engineer who lives in Dallas.

"Ivan is no average Joe," reads his bio. "In fact, some may say he's got it all — movie star looks, a loving and supportive family and a seriously cool job building jets for the U.S. military. Ladies, how is this man still single?"

Born in Chicago and raised in Plano, Texas, Ivan is super close to his mom and "talks to her every day." Ivan reportedly enjoyed the single life in his mid-twenties but is now ready to "settle down."

What's he looking for in a potential partner? "In Clare, Ivan is hoping to find someone who is not only beautiful and nurturing, but also smart and ambitious. Intelligence is a huge aphrodisiac to Ivan, and nothing turns him on more than getting into a spirited debate with the woman he loves," reads his bio. "We hope Clare is ready because Ivan is coming in hot!"

Ivan's mother hails from the Philippines, and he wooed Clare by telling her she's beautiful in Tagalog in the season premiere (per EW). He seems to rep his Filipino heritage proudly, even including a Philippine flag in his Instagram bio. His ABC bio also states that his "favorite foods always come from his mom's Filipino cooking."

LinkedIn reveals that Ivan graduated from Texas Tech University in 2015 with a degree in industrial engineering. He currently works for Lockheed Martin as a senior software quality engineer.

Other fun facts about Ivan are that he "is a recovered Croc enthusiast" and he "loves high-end cars and wants to run his own exotic car rental company one day." Judging from his Instagram, he's pretty athletic and can be seen playing tennis in one post. By all accounts, it seems like Ivan is the total package, so we can see why he's a frontrunner on The Bachelorette.

Once Clare left The Bachelorette to be with Dale, Ivan and Clare developed a close bond. Per ET, Tayshia is Black and Mexican while Ivan is Black and Filipino, and their shared multicultural background is one way they connected. In a powerful moment on the show, Tayshia and Ivan discussed what it was like growing up as a person of color.

Ivan shared that his younger brother had struggled with substance abuse and served a few years in prison. After George Floyd was killed earlier this year in an act of police brutality, Ivan said things "really hit home" (via The Daily Beast). He said, "You can only imagine how much wilder it could be in prison, right? And my brother used to tell me stories of how these C.O.'s literally beat him up. I felt so bad because my first question was like, 'Well, Gabe, what did you do?' But it doesn't matter. Like, no matter what George Floyd... or what my brother did, these people have a job to do... They can't just be hurting people for no reason, you know? "

Tayshia and Ivan then discussed the Black Lives Matter movement. "I never thought in my lifetime that so many people would come together for one common cause," she said. "It was so beautiful."

Ivan's relationship with Tayshia continued to grow on The Bachelorette, and he made it to her top four contestants. Instead of hometown dates, the suitors' families were brought to the resort where The Bachelorette was filmed this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Ivan's family hit it off with Tayshia.

The date started with Tayshia and Ivan preparing a Filipino meal. Tayshia then got to know Ivan's parents. While Ivan's mom said she's "a big skeptic" about her son falling in love on a reality show, she seemed supportive of his journey. Ivan's dad, meanwhile, had a heart-to-heart with Tayshia about relationships. Tayshia also bonded with Ivan's brother, Gabriel, who Ivan describes as his "best friend" (via Variety).

"That's a family I want to be a part of," Tayshia said after the date. Ivan ended up with a rose, securing his position in Tayshia's top three.