Kirk Bryant sacked on ‘Bachelorette,’ ready for Texas Tech football
AGOURA HILLS, Calif. (BVM) – Texas Tech football coach Kirk Bryant was eliminated during Episode 4 (aired August 1) of Season 19 of “The Bachelorette.” After appearing as the first ever Division I coach on “The Bachelorette,” Bryant now looks to make history with Texas Tech football.
The college football coach literally fought for love during his exit episode. The producers had several of the contestants participate in a type of French boxing called Savate during a group date. Bryant’s match was venture capitalist Spencer Swies.
“If I have to get down on one leg to propose to you, I have to get up to fight for you. Which is what I will do now,” Bryant said to Gabby before his boxing match.
ABC didn’t air much of Bryant’s fight, but apparently, it was intense. Even the host of the show, Jesse Palmer, live-tweeted during the episode to note that he was disappointed that fans wouldn’t get the chance to see it.
“I wish we could’ve shown the boxing match between Spencer and Kirk in its entirety… it was an ABSOLUTE BRAWL,” Palmer stated in his tweet.
Although many on Twitter believed that Bryant won the match, the press photos released by ABC following the show revealed that Bryant actually lost his match. He even tagged Swies in his Instagram story with the caption, “rematch soon?”
Throughout the week, Gabby had seven roses to hand out to the nine men she had remaining, but Bryant didn’t receive one. ABC also didn’t air his goodbye message to Gabby, but he probably gave some type of motivational speech as he gave during Episode 1.
Bryant took to his Instagram following his exit from the show to thank the leading ladies for their time.
“Don’t need a 🌹 [rose], all I need is a 🌵 [cactus] because it’s finally football time in Texas,” Bryant concluded in his message.
Texas Tech football reacted on Twitter with, “We’ll always choose you as our starter.” Head football coach Joey McGuire retweeted it.
What’s next for Kirk Bryant?
No one knows for sure if “The Men Tell All” was filmed yet. It’s an episode dedicated to having the men reunite one last time to hash out their issues and receive some closure from the bachelorette(s). Bryant was unproblematic this season, so chances are he may not get screen time, or he may even get a pass on flying out to film if he’s too busy with the football season.
Until the “Tell All” episode, his attention turns away from reality TV and now returns to the gridiron as the senior offensive analyst at Texas Tech. He’s definitely been plenty busy since his return to Lubbock because he’s been preparing for his first season with the Red Raiders.
Texas Tech kicks off its 2022 football season against a familiar foe in Murray State, as Bryant went head-to-head against the Racers while working for the football team at Austin Peay. During the 2021 spring season, Austin Peay defeated No. 13-ranked Murray State with Bryant on the staff.
Texas Tech kicks off Big 12 action on Sept. 24 against rival Texas. They will face off against Baylor later in the season which is where Bryant spent four seasons prior to his time at Austin Peay.
He looks to contribute to helping the team improve their 7-6 overall record from last season. The Red Raiders are ranked No. 9 in the 2022 Big 12 Football Media Preseason Poll.
The team will have its home opener on Sept. 11 against Stephen F. Austin. Although his time dating on reality TV is over, maybe he’ll find what he’s looking for right at home in Lubbock.
What are the chances of Kirk Bryant making another reality TV appearance?
Bryant will likely not be invited back for another appearance in the franchise. He received so little screen time that he wasn’t set up for building a bigger image. He had just over 3,500 followers on Instagram on the morning of the premiere of “The Bachelorette,” but amassed only an extra 2,000 followers by the morning after this elimination.
When it comes to Bachelor Nation, more screen time equals a higher social following. To put it in perspective, NHRA driver Jordan Vandergriff received ample screen time even though he was eliminated in Episode 2. He has amassed more than 20,000 followers since the season’s premiere, so there’s speculation he’ll be invited to be on “Bachelor in Paradise.”
Unfortunately, Bryant wasn’t given a big edit on the show because of the little connection he made with the bachelorettes. To read about Kirk Byrant’s journey on “The Bachelorette” in previous episodes, click here.
