Countless suitors come to The Bachelorette looking for love, and while only one lucky guy can walk away with that final rose at the end of the day, there are a few of the other contestants that always manage to leave their own special mark on our hearts. Derek from The Bachelorette Season 12 is one of those people. Not only was he hands down one of the nicest suitors of the season, but he also shared an uncanny appearance with the iconic TV character, Jim Halpert from The Office, which immediately launched him into becoming an instant fan favorite. Bustle had a chance to speak with Derek about those Jim Halpert memes and whether or not he'd ever noticed those undeniable similarities before.
"I had never really heard that before in person and everyone seems to feel that way," Derek says about all those Jim comparisons, though he's certainly not complaining, especially since he's always been a huge Office fan right when the show first launched back in 2005.
"I’ll take it," he tells Bustle. "I watched the very first episode of The Office when it was first played on TV, I’m the biggest Office fan." And as far as being categorized as a Jim Halpert lookalike, Derek couldn't be more thrilled since that's exactly the side of his personality he hoped would shine through on-screen.
"He’s like a great human being, a great person," Derek explains. "So to be compared to him … like this super awesome guy that people are comparing you to, there’s nothing but good things that can be attached with that." And even though he himself had never connected the dots before now, he can understand how some of his traits and mannerisms have a very Jim-like quality. "I do a lot of like, big eyebrow expressions and facial expressions," he admits.
Of course, avoiding drama is almost impossible on reality TV, but Derek's kind demeanor proved to be a powerful asset that held both JoJo and America's interest for quite some time, which made saying goodbye to him all the more heartbreaking. But in the end, Derek is thankful for the experience and all of the positive feedback he's received. "It’s a major magnifying glass that you're under," Derek reveals about being on the show. "It’s good to know that people saw me in a positive light and I’m appreciative of anybody that has some nice comments."
So even though he may not have won over JoJo's heart in the end, I think it's safe to say that he certainly won over ours. And with any luck, maybe we'll be seeing a lot more of him in the future. Only this time, perhaps he'll be the one giving out those roses this time around.
Reporting by Samantha Rullo
Images: Veronica Gambini/ABC; Giphy
