Two Naperville men will move on in the quest to win the hearts of best friends Gabby Windey and Rachel Recchia on ABC’s “The Bachelorette.”
The new season premiering Monday is a first for the franchise, featuring two women who will share rose responsibilities.
Naperville fitness guru Mario Vassall, 31, hit it off well with Windey in the first episode, earning a first- impression rose from her.
The “Bachelorette” biography on the ABC website describes Vassall is a ball of energy with a smile that lights up the room.
In his bio, he says he’s emotionally available and proudly wears his heart on his sleeve, and he’s looking for a woman in tune with her emotions and someone to share a good meal and conversation.
Back in his hometown, Vassall offers personal training, online coaching and circuit training boot camps through Inspired by Rio.
He earned his bachelor’s degree in sociology and Master of Business Administration at North Central College in Naperville.
More Top Picks Awnings Cars
During his college years, he worked as a graduate assistant in the Office of Multicultural Affairs at North Central College, where Vassall started to notice men were not having significant conversations with one another.
In his quest to find ways to bridge that social gap, he was inspired to found Legacy, a men’s student group on campus that uses social gatherings to create open dialogue about what it means to be a man in today’s world.
Also vying for a chance at love is 28-year-old Termayne Harper, a 2011 graduate of Neuqua Valley High School in Naperville and the University of Kentucky with a bachelor’s degree in agribusiness.
Harper’s LinkedIn page says he’s the CEO of The Doji Club, an Illinois-based stock and cryptocurrency trading services company.
In his biography on the “Bachelorette” website, Harper is described as an energetic guy with a big personality.
“He is a self-made entrepreneur who is not afraid to be bold and say what’s on his mind,” according to the website.
It says Harper is looking for a loyal woman who will love him for the hustler and hard worker that he is, and she must be intelligent, respectful and funny because nothing turns him on more than a woman who can take a joke.