The Bachelorette: Everything you need to know about the two Palm Beach County men this season

Two Palm Beach County men are among the 25 men vying for the admiration and roses of Miami resident Jenn Tran on the upcoming season of ABC's reality TV show “The Bachelorette,” which premieres Monday, July 8.

John Mitchell, a 25-year-old Delray Beach resident, is a former Florida Atlantic University football player who will compete along with Brian Autz, a 33-year-old Boynton Beach resident.

It's the second time in consecutive seasons of the franchise that Palm Beach County will be represented by two contestants, following this season's "The Bachelor," which featured Starr Skyler from Delray Beach and Marlena Haddad from West Palm Beach.

Autz will be Boynton's first representative on the franchise that is rolling out its 49th season (28 for "The Bachelor" and 21 for "The Bachelorette") since its inception in 2002.

The two men already have a geographical advantage — along with Miami's Ricky Marinez — in trying to capture the heart of Miami's Tran, the first Asian-American bachelorette.

Of Vietnamese descent and originally from Hillsdale, New Jersey, the 26-year-old says she is looking for a man who is reliable and thoughtful and is ready to move on from her breakup with bachelor Joey Graziadei. Here's a closer look at the South Florida men:

John Mitchell, 25-year-old Delray Beach resident, played football at FAU

A former Florida Atlantic University football standout, Mitchell was a wide receiver turned tight end when he played for the Owls. The 25-year-old is originally from Tallahassee but now calls Delray Beach home.

Raised by two educators, academics have always played a major role in his life along with sports. He earned a bachelor’s degree in biological science on a pre-med track, followed by a master’s degree in biomedical sciences last year, according to FAUsports.com and his LinkedIn profile. He is currently in medical school and has aspirations of becoming a surgeon, reports WTXL, the ABC affiliate in his hometown of Tallahassee.

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Mitchell spoke to FAU’s University Press in a video interview about bouncing back from an ACL injury that sidelined him for the entire 2021 season and a back injury that redshirted him for the 2017 season. In Spring 2022, Mitchell signed with the NFL’s Seattle Seahawks as an undrafted free agent. He is also a member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc.

According to his official bio on ABC website, Mitchell is looking for a wife who is compassionate, honest, ambitious and wants a big family. He enjoys Christmas, hosting game nights, going to the movies, playing basketball and learning Spanish.

Perhaps Mitchell will complete Tran’s heart — she’s also in the medical industry studying to become a physician’s assistant. Mitchell would not be the first FAU alum to appear on "The Bachelorette." Tyler Cameron, who competed on Hannah Brown’s season of the show, has an MBA from FAU.

Brian Autz, 33-year-old Boynton Beach resident, hails from New York

Like many in Palm Beach County, Brian Autz is a New York transplant. The 33-year-old Long Island native currently resides in Boynton Beach. According to his LinkedIn, he works as an injectable territory manager in Palm Beach for Merz Aesthetics, a medical aesthetics business. In his profile, the Botox lover describes himself as a “highly energetic and result-driven professional with over 10 years of significant sales, coordination, and management experience and a demonstrated track record of accomplishments.”

He may not be afraid of injections, but he is afraid of sharks and hopes to conquer that fear by going scuba diving. Portions of this season of “The Bachelorette” filmed in Australia, so perhaps he had an opportunity at The Great Barrier Reef.

Autz is proficient in Spanish and holds two bachelor’s degrees — one from University at Buffalo in political science and a second from Farmingdale State College in business administration and management. Since 2009, he’s been involved as an adult leader with the Boy Scouts of America, which is changing its name to Scouting America.

Although his Instagram account is set to private, his bio says he also works in hospitality and music production.

Autz comes from a family of strong parents who served in the New York Police Department and the Fire Department of New York, so it’s not surprising he wants a woman who exudes confidence. But he also has a soft side and wants to emulate Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s romance. “I hope to meet the woman of my dreams, my partner in crime, my queen,” he says in his “Bachelorette” bio.

And another South Floridian: Ricky Marinez, 28-year-old from Miami

We’ll see if Tran has a thing for athletes. Ricky Marinez played baseball for Clarke University in Dubuque, Iowa, where he received a bachelor’s degree in biology. He previously took classes at University of Central Florida and played ball for Riverland Community College.

If Tran and Marinez decide to round the bases together, neither will have to make a sacrifice and relocate. They both already call the Magic City home. Could that give him an even stronger upper hand in the competition?

The two do share a love of travel. He’s played baseball professionally in Australia and Germany, per baseballjobsoverseas.com. On his profile on the site, Marinez describes himself as a “natural born leader who is always the hardest working guy in the room. Being born and raised in Puerto Rico, my style of play is to bring infectious energy and excitement every day to the field, with a team first mentality.”

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Marinez, whose first language is Spanish, currently works as a health science advisor for Otsuka Pharmaceutical Cos., according to his LinkedIn profile. He also has a way with words, so it’ll be interesting to see if he has a catchy pick-up line when he meets Tran and if he writes her poems. The bio of his private Instagram account reads,“I bring words together in hopes that they dance.”

He says his idea of a perfect date would be cooking breakfast with his special lady and watching the sunrise at the beach.

Would any of these guys get your first impression rose?

What we know about the upcoming 'Bachelorette' season

This season doesn't film at The Bachelor/Bachelorette Mansion.

On the premiere episode of most seasons of “The Bachelor” and “The Bachelorette”, the lead stands on the driveway of The Bachelor Mansion and meets his/her suitors when they step out of a limo or make a memorable made-for-TV grand entrance.

However, this season, the Agoura Hills, California, home is not being used. Instead, Tran and her men begin their journey for love at the Hummingbird Nest Ranch in Santa Susana, California, according to Entertainment Tonight.

This season then took Tran and her guys down under to Australia and New Zealand.

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An online casting notice invited Melbourne fans to partake in an April 7 filming. It read, “We’d love to steal you for a sec and offer you and a guest an exclusive invitation to join us for a date in Melbourne, Australia, as Jenn’s journey for love unfolds. Expect your usual dose of drama, tears, romance, and roses, while up close and personal with ourleading lady and the men hoping to get her final rose!”

Reality Steve posted on X that a group date allegedly challenged the men to perform in a male revue show that was guest-judged by former Australian bachelorettes, sisters Becky and Elly Miles.

Later that month, the show filmed in Seattle. BachelorNation.com posted a casting call to invite fans to chaperone two dates there. Spoiler king Reality Steve posted photos of Tran on a "Wizard of Oz"-themed outing in the Emerald City and on another date at Pike Place Market.

The first bachelorette, Trista Sutter, as well as two of Tran’s castmates from last season of “The Bachelor," Daisy Kent and Graziadei’s fiancé Kelsey Anderson, were also spotted filming scenes.

Depending on how things play out, we may see a hometown date or two or three here in South Florida. Get your “Bachelorette” bracket ready and make your predictions ahead of the first rose ceremony on July 8.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Two Palm Beach County men will compete on upcoming Bachelorette season