Who Is ‘Bachelorette’ Contestant Robby Hayes, And Why Does His Ex Look So Familiar?

Who is Bachelorette contestant Robby Hayes and how far does he make it with JoJo Fletcher? Hayes is rumored to be one of the Season 12 frontrunners, but his recent breakup with a girl who looks just like JoJo may cause problems for the 27-year-old sales rep from Jacksonville, Florida.

[Spoilers ahead]

Robby hails from Jacksonville, Florida, and like many Bachelorette contestants on past seasons (Nick Viall, Chris Strandburg), Robby has worked as a model. However, WetPaint reports that Hayes is currently employed as a sales rep for Myrtha Pools USA and is currently working towards a Masters degree in finance at the University of Miami.

According to a previous report from the Inquisitr, JoJo is looking for a man who is “on her level” when it comes to money and a successful career. Robby seems to fit the bill — he’s gainfully employed and is working towards a degree that will increase his earning power. However, a relationship that ended right before he joined the cast of the Bachelorette may put him out of the running to become JoJo’s final pick.

Blogger Reality Steve reports that Robby ended a four-year relationship with Hope Higgenbotham shortly before he was picked to become a contestant on the Bachelorette.

Steve states that Hope did not know Robby was cast for the show — her Instagram account is still filled with photographs of them enjoying life as a couple and one thing is clear — she looks like she could be JoJo’s sister.

Did Robby and Hope really break up or did he leave her temporarily to go on the Bachelorette to find fame?

Whether not Robby is there for the right reasons won’t be clear to viewers until the season gets underway, but cute couple photos on Instagram and the fact that Robby and Hope still follow each other on Twitter will undoubtedly raise a red flag as to his intentions with JoJo.

Fans will have to watch this season of the Bachelorette to find out if Robby tells JoJo that he broke up with Hope shortly before coming on the show to supposedly find love.

“So let’s see how much he lies or downplays his 4-year relationship with Hope to JoJo,” Steve states. “There’s zero chance he can really be honest about it since no woman in her right mind would keep him around knowing he’d just done that.”

Despite his recent breakup, spoilers indicate that Robby had no problem getting JoJo’s attention while filming the Bachelorette — he was a frontrunner throughout the season.

@RealitySteve Look at who we just saw! pic.twitter.com/kCYuJGHMhi

— SheShe Made (@sheshemade) April 22, 2016

The final rose ceremony is being taped in Thailand this week, but the names of the final two guys have not leaked out yet. However, Reality Steve has confirmed that Robby was one of the final four (Jordan Rodgers, Chase McNary, Luke Pell) who made it to hometown dates and there is speculation that he moved on to the overnight dates that were filmed last week.

If producers are able to keep the outcome of the final rose ceremony a secret, fans will have to wait until the season finale airs in July to find out if JoJo is engaged to Robby Hayes or if he only made it as far as hometowns.

The Bachelorette Season 12 premieres on Monday, May 23, at 9 p.m. ET on ABC. The popular ABC reality show will return to the normal 8 p.m. ET time slot starting with the Episode 2, scheduled to air May 30.

[Image via Robby Hayes Twitter]