The Truth About Bachelorette Contestant Rick Leach

Filled with tears, drama, and a slew of accusations about people being there for the "wrong reasons," Season 18 of "The Bachelorette" is already off to a suspenseful start. This season centers on Bachelorette Michelle Young, a 28-year-old elementary school teacher and former college basketball player (via Parade) who experienced heartbreak as the runner-up on Matt James' season of "The Bachelor."

There was a general consensus that the Minnesota native has a stellar group of men on her season, even before it began airing. "I have met all of the men from Michelle's season and there are some amazing guys in her cast," said "The Bachelorette" co-host Tayshia Adams on her podcast "Click Bait with Bachelor Nation" back in September. "There's some guys that you would never expect to surprise you the way they do."

One eligible bachelor this season who has captured viewers' hearts: Rick Leach, who wasted no time making his presence known on the first episode. His grand entrance? Hiding under a silver platter to meet his potential true love. The 32-year-old contestant described himself on the "Click Bait" podcast as "very lighthearted." "I like to enjoy life even during the serious moments, and I like to make people laugh," he shared. Read on for more about "The Bachelorette" contestant Rick Leach.

Rick Leach clearly wanted to leave Bachelorette Michelle Young with a memorable first impression. On the "Click Bait" podcast with Tayshia Adams, the California resident revealed he had more than one motive behind his grand entrance. "The story behind the table itself is I love food and I know she's kind of a foodie herself," Leach shared with "Click Bait." "And in my past, I worked in restaurants for a long period of time, so I thought it was a good way to introduce a few details about me." Well played, Rick! 

As if that story didn't already say it all, the beloved "Bachelor" contestant wears many hats. Leach is a former model who now works as a senior sales representative at a medical sales company (via Us Weekly). But, behind it all, Leach is a dog dad and "self-proclaimed hopeless romantic" at heart, via his ABC bio, which tells us he's "been thinking about his future wife for as long as he can remember" and that he's "the type of guy who will send you flowers at work for no reason but to say, 'I love you.'" Sounds like a keeper!

In his first Instagram post about his time on the reality TV series, Leach referred to Young as both an "amazing woman" and as someone who "could be the one." Will the two find true love together this season? Keep watching to find out!