Michelle And Nayte Used These Tricks To Keep Their Relationship A Secret

Michelle Young and Nayte Olukoya are in looove, and it’s honestly beautiful to see. This duo has the kind of affection that’s impossible to hide. (They even whispered a not-so-secret “I love you” to each other during their “After The Final Rose” interview — and no, I’m not OK!). But for the three and a half months before their proposal aired, keeping their love hidden is exactly what they were contractually obligated to do. And it wasn’t easy. Here’s how Young and Olukoya kept their relationship a secret ahead of the season finale.

During the newly-engaged couple’s E! interview on Dec. 22, Young and Olukoya revealed that they had a couple of tricks up their sleeves when it came to keeping their romance hush-hush. “We had to put like alternate names in our phones. And then we had to have our close family and friends who knew how everything ended, like call each other by those names,” Young told E!.

But that doesn’t mean that they never slipped up. “I'd be out with dinner with some of my very, very close friends and then if we're talking about something, they could say Nayte,” Young continued. “And there was a time where like, the name came up and everyone froze. So you know, there's been moments.” Yikes!

So what were these code names? Something incredibly romantic and heart-melting, perhaps? Nope! Young said, “Mine was ‘Red’ because the whole season it was this really funny inside joke about how he's my personal walking red flag. So, in my phone it's ‘Red.’ And then my name was in his phone backwards.”

“Backwards, yeah. I'd spell her name backwards,” Okukoya added, “And then when I was talking to my friends and I'd be going to go see Michelle, for my friends who did know, we'd just say ‘Charles.’ So, ‘Yeah, I'm about to go see Charles,’ my stepdad. So, for whoever didn't know they just think I'm hanging out with my stepdad.” Who wouldn’t like to be referred to as your partner's step-father?

During their conversation, Young and Olukoya also revealed some other exciting tidbits about their engaged life so far. Apparently, they are planning on having a wedding sooner rather than later. “Summer wedding for sure is what we what we agreed upon and just looking in the near future,” Olukoya told the outlet. Summer 2022, anyone?

Also, if you’re wondering if the duo has seen Minnesota Joe (aka Joe Coleman, who came third in Young’s season) yet, the answer is yes... well, at least, Young has. “I have not run into Joe's family, but I have run into Joe. We come from the same basketball community, and Joe and I did not leave on any bad terms. Wonderful person, has a good head on his shoulders,” Young said. “And so for that, he wished me and Nayte well. Nayte and Joe talk.”

Olukoya put in, “Yeah, Joe's a good friend... It's an interesting environment with ex boyfriends. But Rodney is a good friend, Joe is a good friend, and they're coming to come visit me in the near future. It's all love.”

Hey, all’s well that ends well!