Mequon’s ‘Bachelorette’ contestant
Former Homestead High and UW player Darius Feaster will vie for love.
“The Bachelor,” the ABC television dating franchise, seems to be in a love affair with contestants who have Wisconsin ties.
When the next season of “The Bachelorette” premieres May 28, another Wisconsinite will grace television screens. One of the suitors vying for Becca Kufrin is 26-year-old pharmaceutical sales rep Darius Feaster, who grew up in the Badger State.
“Darius is an energetic, fun-loving Milwaukeean who loves to dance,” reads his biography on the ABC cast page. “His most important mission is to live a life of service by giving back to others. He travels frequently and has been to over 11 countries in the past few years.” For the show, Feaster lists his hometown as Sherman Oaks, Calif.
Feaster graduated from Homestead High School in Mequon in 2009, according to his LinkedIn profile. He played football, ran on the track team and was, apparently, a little bit of a show-off.
“Sure, Darius Feaster showboated,” a Milwaukee Journal Sentinel story about the Wisconsin Football Coaches Association All-Star Classic game started. “Who wouldn’t be in a showoffy mood after making the play that saves your team’s day in the state allstar football game?” Feaster returned an interception 55 yards for a gameclinching touchdown.
“The coaches told me to stay back and watch for the screen, and there it was,” Feaster said about the play. “The second I grabbed it, I was thinking, ‘I’m taking this to the house.’ “
We’ll see how that attitude plays with the other contestants on “The Bachelorette.”
Feaster continued to play football for the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Although Feaster wasn’t the same star on the field as he was in high school, he graduated from UW-Madison with a degree in business administration in 2013, according to LinkedIn.
Feaster and 27 other men will try to win the heart of Kufrin, a publicist from Minnesota, this season.
Kufrin received Arie Luyendyk Jr.’s final rose on the last season of “The Bachelor” and accepted his proposal. After the show wrapped, Luyendyk made a switcheroo, broke up with Kufrin and reunited with his No. 2.
Now, Kufrin’s running with her well-established tagline, “let’s do the damn thing” as “The Bachelorette.”
Feaster was one of the few contestants to meet Kufrin on live television during “The Bachelor” special “After The Final Rose.”
“I wanted to formally apologize on behalf of my gender,” he said, referring to her breakup with Luyendyk. “Sometimes, you know the male gender, we sometimes mix up our actions with our feelings a little bit, unfortunately. But that’s the past. This is the future.
“I’m here for one reason. The audience is great. To make friends is great, but I’m here for you, honestly. At the end of the day, I just want to let you know I’m excited for this journey with you.”
Feaster was taken aback by Kufrin’s good looks and was amazed at the prospect of ending up with the bachelorette. “That could be me, wow,” he said.
Kufrin brushed him off and said “don’t get ahead of yourself.” She’s from Minnesota, after all.