Bachelorette LIVE- Michael opens up to Katie about losing wife to cancer as men in the house rage against ‘phony’ Thomas

WHY WAS ANDREW SPENCER ARRESTED?

In 2018, Spencer was arrested on alcohol-related charges. He faced two counts of Fourth Degree DWI.

In court, he pled guilty to blowing a higher alcohol level than the state minimum in Minnesota.

In exchange for his guilty plea, all other charges were dropped against him.

The reality star took responsibility for his behavior at the time, and in a statement obtained by In Touch, he said:

“I do not dispute the test result. I also acknowledge that I have been advised as to the enhanceable nature of the offense to which I am pleading guilty, and I understand that future offenses could be charged more severely as a result of my conviction for this offense,”

The Bachelorette hunk received a $400 fine and one-year unsupervised probation for his sentencing.

This was not Spencer's only alcohol-related charge, however.

In 2014, was fined $185 by cops for consuming alcohol underage.

HOW TO WATCH KATIE'S SEASON OF THE BACHELORETTE

Season 17 started back on June 7, 2021.

New episodes air Mondays at 8pm EST and can be streamed the next day on Hulu or ABC.com.

WHO IS STILL COMPETING ON THIS SEASON?

With eight contestants gone, that leaves 22 suitors in the running for Katie heart, including top contender Greg Grippo who was given the first impression rose.

• Aaron Clancy
• Greg Grippo

WHO HAS BEEN ELIMINATED SO FAR THIS SEASON?

Katie has wasted no time this season. So far she has eliminated these contestants:

WHAT DOES KARL DO FOR WORK?

Karl, 34, is a motivational speaker from Miami, Florida with .

According to Instagram, he is also the founder of 

His website boast that he has 15 years of experience in sales, leadership, and business development.

He’s given more than 1,000 talks and seminars, and he's trained more than 40,000 entrepreneurs, business & sales professionals worldwide.

REALITY STEVE REVEALS MICHAEL'S EXIT

According to , "Michael lasts long this season, but his exit I’ve been told revolves around his son".

While he doesn't have all the details he explains in his podcast: "I just know either Katie sends him home to be with his son or he wants to leave because of it.

"I believe he makes it to the episode before hometowns."

WHO IS MICHAEL ALLIO?

The 36-year-old will be among the group of nearly 30 men competing for 's love in .

After the passing of his wife, Michael lives in Akron, , with his four-year-old son.

On his page, he describes himself as an "experienced entrepreneur with a passion for start-up businesses, developing novel products and services, making lasting connections and serving the greater good".

In March 2020, he started his newest venture, Allstera, which works to "deliver quality and affordable sanitation consumer products and personal protective equipment to individuals, companies and organizations of all size".

WHAT IS THE L4 PROJECT?

Michael and Laura were "committed to creating a purpose to their pain" and a month after she passed Michael created  to continue her legacy.

The L4 Project page explains: "The courage, determination and selflessness that Laura demonstrated throughout her life and during her cancer journey inspired thousands to look inward, gain perspective and make the drastic changes necessary to live a 'life worth living'.

"The L4 Project seeks to continue her great work by ensuring that these noble organizations are given the financial resources need to carry out their important work.

"We tapped into Laura's spirit and created a platform for charities to showcase their mission through the sale of their own online merchandise."

WHAT HAPPENED TO MICHAEL'S WIFE?

Michael's wife Laura Ritter-Allio passed away from cancer in 2019 at the age of 33.

Michael and Laura were married in 2012 after meeting while studying at Loyola University Chicago.

After a few years of marriage, the couple welcomed their son, James Michael, on September 9, 2016. 

Sadly, Laura was diagnosed with  in April 2017.

Philanthropy was always a passion of Laura's and when she was diagnosed with cancer she gathered a following .

Michael's sister created a  to support the family through their cancer journey with a fundraising goal of $25,000 - the page gathered over $73,000.

KATIE HAS 'COME A LONG WAY' TO BECOME SEX POSITIVE

Katie said she had to come a long way before she was widely labeled by fans as the “most sex-positive” Bachelorette in history.

She made a wild entrance when she arrived to Matt James' season of  carrying a  and went viral for a TikTok boasting of 

The brunette beauty also proudly wears shirts with messages that include "no fake orgasms" and is adored by fans for being proudly open about the topic.

KATIE REVEALED SHE WAS SEXUALLY ASSAULTED IN THE PAST

Elsewhere in the episode, Katie tearfully revealed .

During a group date hosted by  Nick Viall, Katie revealed she hadn't given "consent" during an NYE party 10 years ago.

She took some deep breaths before saying: “I know you all know me as this sex-positive person now.

“But she wasn't always here. 10 years ago at a New Years Eve party, I was drinking and I was involved in a situation where I did not give consent. And I do not wish that upon anybody.

“And I was in denial about what happened, so much so that I tried to form a relationship with him.  So for awhile, I did not have a good relationship with sex. I didn’t even want to talk about it. But it wasn’t my fault.”

KARL SMITH WAS SUPPOSED TO APPEAR ON CLARE'S SEASON

This isn't the first time Karl has been in The Bachelorette organization. He was first cast in the show for  season.

However, due to  complications, Karl was cut before the show aired along with  who is also on Katie's season.

KATIE SENDS KARL HOME

Katie Thurston sent Karl Smith home after the other Bachelorette contestants called him out in the explosive rose ceremony.

The 30-year-old was left shocked when Mike Planeta and the other men banded together to tell her that Karl is a "liar".

After expressing her doubts to hosts Kaitlyn Bristowe and Tayshia Adams, Katie decided to send Karl home - as well as d and y.

MIKE TELLS KATIE KARL IS A LIAR

In Monday night's rose ceremony, Mike told Katie that Karl's claims about him and the other guys was wrong.

"This isn't something that we want to do right now given what you've already gone through, but we feel as a unit that it's our job to protect your heart," he said.

"We've cone together in solidarity to say that we think that unfortunately what Karl said wasn't true.

"As a unit we really feel that's what you need to hear."

A baffled Katie turned to the rest of the group and asked, "Do you all feel the same way?"

Her suitors nodded, while Karl looked on in horror.

THOMAS ADMITS TO WANTING TO BE THE BACHELOR

Thomas dodged the question multiple times about whether he wanted to be the Bachelor.

"I don't have the f--king right answers. One of the issues that I face is that I always feel like I have to say something to everybody and have those smiles," he said, referring to his charming personality.

"If you're positioning for something else, she's going to get her heart broken, and I'm not okay with that," Hunter redirected.

"Before coming here, I didn't know what to expect," Thomas finally said.

"I can't be disingenuine with you guys, and I'm not going to be. Yes, coming into this, one of the thoughts on my mind was potentially being the next Bachelor," Thomas went on.

"Well that explains a lot to me," Hunter said. "That's messed up."

MEN WORRY THAT THOMAS IS MANIPULATING KATIE

"There's flipping and flopping," Hunter said to Thomas. "It's like you want to be the Bachelor."

"I would never do anything to hurt you," Thomas responded to the group of men assembled.

"I feel manipulated. It just makes me really worried about what's going on with Katie because you could be doing the same thing with her," Hunter hit back.

'TIRED OF HIS LIES' MEN SAY ABOUT THOMAS

"I think he's like a psycho," Aaron said about Thomas. "I think he's legitimately a manipulative psychopath."

They railed about how Thomas initially said he was on the show for "the platform" but later said he had developed strong feelings for Katie.

"I am 100% falling in love with this woman," Thomas apparently said about Katie, according to one of the men.

MICHAEL OPENS UP TO KATIE ABOUT LOSING WIFE

On his one-on-one date with Katie, Michael opened up about losing his wife.

"I know what it's like to love. I know what it's like to give everything," Michael said. "I'm ready to open up my heart."

Michael told Katie about losing his wife to cancer.

"The way I look at this is what a gift to be able to fall in love twice," he went on.

"I think what you had is beautiful," Katie said.

As their date wound down, she gave him a rose.

KATIE SAID SHE WAS INVOLVED IN A SITUATION WHERE 'THERE WASN'T CONSENT'

After each of her suitors had their chance to speak from the heart, Katie revealed something extremely personal of her own that “not even her own mom knows about.”

She took some deep breaths before saying: “I know you all know me as this sex-positive person now.

“But years ago at a New Years Eve party, I was drinking and there was a situation where I had sex with someone that I did not give consent to. 

“And I was so confused and unsure about what had just happened I even pursued a relationship with him afterwards. 

“So for awhile, I did not have a good relationship with sex. I didn’t even want to talk about it. But it wasn’t my fault.”

Fans were thankful for Katie her bravery in sharing her story, with one saying: “In awe of Katie talking about consent.

“And normalizing how assault can impact the relationship we have with sex post assault and how sex is an important component of any relationship.”

CONNOR B. OPENS UP ABOUT STORY WHERE HE'S 'NOT A GOOD GUY'

Connor B. talked about developing a drinking problem and cheating on his girlfriend.

"It became more and more of my life, the drinking. I started to just get angrier and angrier when I was drunk. I would just get blackout drunk," he said.

He said family, friends, and his girlfriend told him he said horrible things when he was blackout drunk.

"It kind of all culminated one night when I got really drunk, and I picked a fight with my girlfriend at the time...and I ended up cheating on her and kind of blowing up my entire life in one day."

He said he went to therapy and tried to better himself afterwards.

"I really hurt somebody, and I carry a lot of guilt with that. And all I can say is I don't recognize who that person was and that's not me, and I've used that to become a better man."

HUNTER OPENS UP ABOUT DIVORCE

"I met a woman, and she was absolutley the woman that I knew I would spend the rest of my life with," Hunter opened up.

"By the time we had my son, I had just completely shifted priorities," Hunter said tearfully.

"I was destroying all of that while I was trying to build it. I failed at marriage, and that doesn't just affect me and her. It affects two amazing kids. I never imagined divorce for myself. It's absurd," he went on.

"When I'm in that position again, I will cherish it. I will never stop maintaining that love," he promised Katie.

Katie thanked him for his honesty.

"The fact that he just put it all on the table, I think that says something," she said.

NICK VIALL JOINS THE MEN FOR A GROUP DATE

Katie sent the men a date card that read: "Love is about honesty and I need 100%..."

"It looks like some sort of intervention," Justin said arriving at the scene of the date, which had a circle of chairs.

"I know exactly what you guys are going through," Nick said. "I've also been in Katie's shoes, and I can tell you how serious she is...So I'm here to hold you guys accountable."

"Today's about being truthful and sharing with Katie the things that we're not so proud of. Stories like people who have led women on, ghosting, cheating, someone trying to be the next Bachelor. All things Katie deserves to know," Nick said.

KATIE SENDS KARL HOME

"These guys hate me, fine. These guys can be mad at me all they want. But at the end of the day, I just know that I'm getting a rose," Karl said before he was denied a rose.

"I’m getting a rose tonight. I'm not worried about it. It’s just going to happen," Karl went on. "You’d have to get the military to come drag me out. I'm not leaving. I'm not going."

After Katie did not give him a rose, he walked out without saying goodbye to her.

KATIE CUTS THE COCKTAIL HOUR SHORT AFTER CHAT WITH KARL

After Karl told Katie that some men aren't on the show for the right reasons, Katie cut the cocktail hour short.

She tearfully announced to the men that she would go straight to the rose ceremony.

"I know these guys are upset at me," Karl said. "If you wanna come at me, come at me."

The men ranted about Karl's behavior as he shadow-boxed alone in a separate room.

KATIE CONFRONTED THOMAS LAST WEEK

Despite  that he is on the show for fame and not love, Thomas has made it through the first two weeks of the show.

On last week's episode, Katie confronted Thomas ina heated exchange after another contestant had been questioning his motives.

"He said that you're here for fame," Katie yelled at Thomas, not revealing what contestant told her this.

Katie has made it very clear with her suitors that if they're not on the show to win her heart then they need to "Get the f*** out."