Entertainment

One Of Becca’s ‘Bachelorette’ Contestants Is A “Colognoisseur” & Yes, That’s A Real Thing

ABC/Craig Sjodin

Becca's season of The Bachelorette promises some interesting contestants, and contestants with interesting occupations. Jean Blanc has already made quite the impression ahead of The Bachelorette's May 28 premiere, because his job is listed as "colognoisseur" in his official bio. So, exactly what is a colognoisseur? Jean Blanc's occupation isn't one you run across every day.

Apparently, that's a pretty commonly used word, which describes someone who's extremely enthusiastic and knowledgeable about fragrances and colognes. There's even a website with that name focused entirely on all things fragrance. Chris Harrison even revealed in the Facebook Live announcements of the contestants that Jean Blanc has about 250 bottles of cologne. I mean, at least we know he's not afraid of commitment — that's a lot of cologne. You have to be pretty dedicated. And Becca can rest assured that he'll always smell nice.

It does appear, though, that Jean Blanc's affinity for fragrances branches well beyond being a hobby — he also is in the cologne biz itself. According to his website, he's about to embark on his own fragrance company — "Jean Blanc Boutique, an innovative company that will disrupt the luxury fragrance industry." So let's not judge the title of "colognoisseur" too much — he appears to have some actual skin in the game.

But, naturally, when the contestants were announced, Jean Blanc's occupation was the target of some social media criticism. It seems incredibly weird that the show would describe him, first and foremost, as a colognoisseur, when the bio goes on to say that he has a masters in business administration and worked for a time in Memphis as an engineer. It also states he still works in finance at his current home in Pensacola, so he's very obviously not just some schmuck who thinks he can get by in life by professionally liking cologne. It's always seemed like the contestants pick their own occupation — because why wouldn't they? — but more and more this season, especially in the cases of Jean Blanc and fellow contestant, Kamil, it feels like the producers might pull some strings here in order to get people talking before the show. And, uh, if that was their plan, it worked.

Kamil was the contestant described as a "social media participant," when in reality, that's not at all how he makes his living. And when he clarified the statement on Instagram, his tone seemed to suggest that maybe the suitors aren't the ones who get to determine what they're known as. "So whatever 'Social Media Participant' means for the new season of 'The Bachelorette.' For everyone thinking the same thing as me. I'll clarify this below," Kamil wrote in an Instagram post. "I work in Real Estate. **Model & Make Custom Training programs for many of my followers out there in this beautiful World that are looking to change their lives for the better, amongst other things..Now that this is cleared up have a good day!"

So yeah, Kamil is not thrilled with the label, and it sure doesn't sound like he approved it. But again, the purpose of teasing these bios and photos ahead of the show's premiere is to drum up speculation, and drum up speculation they did. Perhaps given the fact that Becca has been vocal in the past about her desire to remain career-driven even after The Bachelorette, production thought it might be funny to make some of these guys seem way less employed than they actually are. And, again, if they wanted to create some sort of controversy before the show even airs, then mission accomplished.

But hopefully viewers will see more and more about Jean Blanc's plans, depending on how far into the show he makes it. And if he gets to hometowns, maybe Becca and the fans will even catch a glimpse of that cologne collection.