OMG, Jake & Becca Already Knew Each Other From Before 'The Bachelorette'

Being cast on The Bachelor is no longer as mysterious as it once was — if you know the Bachelor or Bachelorette in question, you could be a shoo-in to get on national television. That’s just the way it works. And on Becca’s season of The Bachelorette, it’s no surprise that there’s been someone cast on the show that has a past with our newest leading lady. When did Jake and Becca meet before The Bachelorette?

Limo arrivals are probably a whirlwind of activity for the new Bachelorette or Bachelor — I know that I can’t keep names straight while sitting on my couch, eating popcorn, so I can’t imagine what it’s like to try and remember names while dealing with the butterflies and set lighting and being nervous about being on television. But as soon as Becca saw Jake, her face twitched because she totally recognized him from home in Minnesota! Jake introduced himself, and bam, she got it. “From Minneapolis? I knew I recognized you,” Becca said. “Oh my god, no, hi! This is crazy.” Her BS meter must have been going crazy, because in a one-on-one interview, Becca told the Bachelorette producers, “What the heck? I definitely didn’t expect to see someone I semi-knew coming out of the limo. Jake is an acquaintance. I’ve met him on multiple occasions, and so now, I don’t know. I don’t know.”

I don’t know either, Becca, because it definitely seems suspicious that a guy that she knows from home suddenly appears on The Bachelorette. If she’s saying that Jake is an acquaintance, that means she doesn’t know Jake well, and they never dated or anything. Is Jake really there for the right reasons, y’all? After a little bit of sleuthing, I can confirm that Jake does live in Minneapolis. According to his LinkedIn, he’s the Executive Producer and Director of Business Development at SuperBird Studios in Minneapolis. Before that, he was the Sales Director at Softline Studios, also in Minneapolis, so Jake and Becca definitely could have crossed paths and even hung out a bit.

I did a little bit of diving on both of their Instagram accounts, and I couldn’t find any pictures of them together, but it’s not unreasonable to think that two 20-somethings in Minneapolis could meet each other through friends and be somewhat acquainted. This isn’t a stretch of the imagination here.

So why is he on The Bachelorette? Well, that's hard to say. His ABC bio is as follows: "This adventure-seeking Minneapolis native grew up riding dirt bikes in rural areas, racing motocross since the age of 13. He's also jumped off the third highest bungee jump in the world! He is a hopeless romantic who likes to write poems and loves a good dance." That sounds like a tailor-made Bachelorette bio if I've ever heard one. Jake is handsome, but outdoorsy, because he likes to ride dirt bikes. And he's romantic and likes to write poems.

Is it me or is Jake just... a little too perfect? He's too handsome, too tailored, too produced to be true? It's up to Becca and whether or not she thinks that Jake is there to date her or to get famous and sponsored. (I guess it could be both). It seems very, very convenient that Becca has another Minnesotan on her season, but hey — I could be cynical. Maybe it is true love, and I've just seen too many episode of The Bachelorette to think that this could be real. Becca's been burned before, but if she thinks she can trust Jake, all the more power to her. Of course, if she doesn't think she can — she probably won't waste any time cutting him loose. She won't want an Arie situation 2.0 here.