Former Pilot Chris Siegfried to be a contestant on “The Bachelorette”
By Hannah Kintner Staff Writer kintner13@up.edu
On March 14, former Pilot Chris Siegfried probably sipped some champagne and wore a fancy suit while he lounged around a mansion making awkward small talk with strangers. While the details are not yet released, social media has speculated that Seigfried was one of several young lads to meet television's newest eligible sweetheart.
While this information cannot be confirmed with Seigfried due to confidentiality agreements with the producers, according to blogger "Reality Steve" or Steve Carbone and wetpaint.com, March 14 was the night Siegfried started his journey as a contestant on "The Bachelorette." As a contestant on "The Bachelorette," Siegfried is wine-and-dining Desiree Hartsock, the season nine bachelorette, while competing against 20 other men to win her affection.
Siegfried is a native of McMinnville, Ore. and started his education at UP in 2005. At UP, Siegfried was a walk-on left-handed pitcher for Pilots baseball. UP baseball coach Christopher Sperry remembers Siegfried well.
"Left-handed pitchers have a reputation for being a little goofy, and Chris was certainly a left handed pitcher in the regard," Sperry said. "He was a real nice kid who worked his way into a significant role in our program."
Siegfried also participated in Entrepreneurial Scholars at UP, a program in which students are selected and mentored to build business and networking skills.
"The type of people that go into the e-scholar program are the people who see opportunities and they pursue them, and Chris is that kind of person," said Robin Anderson, director of the e-scholars program.
During his junior year, Siegfried signed on as a minor league pitcher for the Chicago Cubs and played for them from 2007-2011. Taking this opportunity meant putting his degree on hold while pursuing his baseball career. According to Siegfried's LinkedIn account, he completed his B.B.A. in Economics from UP in 2012 and now calls Seattle, Wash. home.
It's no secret that the "The Bachelorette" producers go out of their way to find good-looking candidates for the show, and Siegfried seems to fit the bill, as he is a lifestyle model for Portland-based Option Model and Media.
Neither Sperry nor Anderson are surprised to hear that Siegfried is going to be a contestant on "The Bachelorette."
"Chris was a guy that enjoyed modeling and seemed to have an interest in being in front of the camera, so I was not really surprised to hear this," Sperry said.
Anderson attributed Siegfried's involvement with the show to his proactive personality.
"I see him as a person who says this would be kind of fun, this would be interesting, I'm going to go for it. That's the kind of personality he has," Anderson said.
"The Bachelorette" will premiere on May 20, but spoilers including a list of the other candidates and the locations of their dates may be found at realitysteve.com and wetpaint.com.
