Facts About The Bachelor and FBoy Island's Katie Thurston

She Used to Be a Bank Marketing Manager

Although Thurston clearly loves to laugh and have fun, some may be surprised to learn she used to be a successful bank marketing manager at Renton, MA's First Financial Northwest Bank. However, she's since traded her corporate job for a career in comedy.

According to The Seattle Times, following her "Bachelor" stint, the "FBoy Island" star moved to San Diego to try her hand at stand-up. The outlet noted that her interest first sparked at age 20 from making YouTube videos, which led to improv and then TikTok videos during the COVID-19 pandemic. Her following from that helped push her into the Bachelor franchise. Currently, Thurston is working on a prospective show with two other writers while she sharpens her comedy chops.

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She Loves Animals

Thurston regularly features her cat, Tommy, on her Instagram. Posing with her kitty and referring to him as "the absolute love of [her] life," it's obvious just how much Tommy means to her. But she loves dogs, too! She told ABC back in 2021 (via Stylecaster) that she once hosted a dog flash mob that got "a huge turnout." We'd like an invite next time!

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She Is Sex Positive and Uses Her Platform to Make a Difference

Thurston showed her passion for sex positivity by bringing the vibrator on the first episode of "The Bachelor" and regularly speaks out about what she believes is right on her social media channels. She spoke to the "Bachelor Happy Hour" podcast about her now-infamous move, saying, "I knew it could very well send me home night one. I would have no regrets, because it really summarizes who I am as a person, my sense of humor, my confidence, my sexual empowerment for females. I didn't know what to expect when I did my little stunt. But he laughed. And I just felt like this huge weight lifted off of me after that."

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People Compared Her to Past "Bachelor" Contestants

Although Thurston's personality is as unique as they come, standing up in the face of drama (aka Queen Victoria) and putting her most authentic self forward, many people kept comparing her looks to past "Bachelor" contestants during her season — including Kristina Schulman from season 21 and Becca Kufrin from season 22.

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For Thurston, Finding Love Is All About the Right Vibe — and Lots of Laughs

It's no secret that Thurston loves a good laugh. So although she's serious about finding the love of her life, she "needs a man who can laugh along with her" and even laugh at her too "when the moment calls for it," per her "Bachelor" bio (via People). But all humor aside, the "Bachelor" fan fave has said she's looking for a mature man with the ambition to succeed in everything he does, whether in regard to his professional or personal goals. Her dream man? He must be "passionate about building a long-term life with her" and treat her "as his equal in the relationship." Last thing? Her biggest turnoff is a guy who sits around all day playing video games, although kissing her at the wrong moment is pretty terrible, too.

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Her Idea of a Fun Date Is Going Skinny-Dipping

Although it's not necessarily something she looks for in a man, Thurston proudly refers to herself as "daring and adventurous." So it's no surprise that her idea of a magical date is going skinny-dipping, per Stylecaster.

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She's a Natural Storyteller

Apart from her successful career and big personality, the "Bachelor" favorite is a witty storyteller, too. She regularly posts hilarious videos on Instagram that talk about dating, answer sex questions, and offer all kinds of advice. These days, she takes some of her stories to the comics stage.

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She's Really Good at Volleyball

Adding to Thurston's talents and hobbies, she's really good at volleyball, too. She's posted about her love of the sport before, particularly "peppering," or a two-player warmup drill.

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She Dated Another One of Her "The Bachelorette" Contestants

Image Source: Getty / Paul Archuleta

After ending her engagement to Moynes — a season 16 contestant who joined Thurston's season midway — in 2021, the "FBoy Island" star reconnected with another one of her season 17 guys, John Hersey, whom she sent home during week two. After moving to San Diego and developing a close friendship with Hersey, the two eventually began dating. People confirmed their relationship in November 2021, though they announced their breakup on their Instagram Stories seven months later.

In October, Thurston told Us Weekly the biggest lesson she learned from that romance was "don't hard launch too early." She explained, "When you're in such a public spotlight, I think you do have to keep things a little closer to your heart and private and protected, maybe, longer because as fun as it is to be public in the happy moments, it's really hard to go through a public breakup."

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She Believes "FBoy Island"'s Dating Process Is More Real Than "The Bachelorette"'s

Image Source: The CW

At this point, Thurston has been on enough reality dating series to understand the fast-paced game-show aspects. However, while comparing her "Bachelorette" experience to that on "FBoy Island," she told Us Weekly that the latter offered her more time to get to know the guys vying for her affection. "On 'Bachelor' and 'Bachelorette,' it's very quick. You're almost always looking over your shoulder expecting to get snagged away. During 'FBoy Island,' I felt like I got to have so much uninterrupted quality time with these guys even on group sessions where I would just forget, like, 20, 25, 30 minutes later, and then finally another guy's coming. I'm like, 'Oh yeah, there's other guys here,'" she explained. "It was such a normal experience in a very un-normal [environment]. There wasn't a lot of outside interference."

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