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His second shot at love. With the night one bombshell that his middle school sweetheart cheated on him before he went on The Bachelorette, fans have been desperate for information on the identity of Sam M.’s ex-fiancee and the woman who broke his heart before he opened it up again to Jenn.
Sam McKinney, a 27-year-old Contractor from Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, is one of 25 contestants on The Bachelorette Season 21 with Jenn Tran. On night one, Sam, who received the First Impression Rose from Jenn, revealed that he was previously engaged and his ex-fiancee cheated on him. “I’ve been single coming up on a year. I dated a girl that I’ve known since middle school,” he said in a confessional interview. “We got engaged, and had our life planned out ahead of us. But she ended up cheating on me, and there was just no repairing that relationship.”
More: Meet The Bachelorette Season 21 cast
He continued, “That was definitely the biggest heartbreak I’d really ever experienced, but I wasn’t going to let that situation be something that was going to stop me from chasing my dream, which is to be a husband, to be a father.”
While Sam M. hasn’t confirmed who his ex-fiancee was before he went on The Bachelorette Season 21, it’s believed that he was engaged to a woman named Sierrah McCarthy-Welch. Sam M. first shared a photo with Sierrah on Facebook in March 2021, “You so handsomeeee baby,” Sierrah commented on the post, seemingly confirming they were together. Sam M. also shared another photo of him and Sierrah at a party in August 2021, as well as a third photo in September 2022. “I love you!!!”
More: All The Bachelorette Season 21 spoilers, including Jenn’s winner
Sierrah commented on the third post, along with a black heart emoji. Sierrah’s family member, Janice Hopkins Welch, also commented on the post, “Love this ❤️. I hope the next wedding is for y’all!”
A couple named Sierrah McCarthy and Samuel McKinney (who are believed to be Sierrah and Sam M.) also have a wedding registry on The Knot with a wedding date set for August 30, 2024. Though the page doesn’t seem to be updated, there are a few items items on Sierrah and Sam M.’s registry, including three cocktail glasses at Crate & Barrell. According to Reality Steve, Sam M. and Sierrah broke up in January 2024.
According to her Linkedin, Sierrah is from Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, where Sam M. is also from. She attended Catawba College, where she majored in biology with a minor in communications. Her most recent job listed on her Linkedin was as a captain for the the water sports company Downwind Sails, which she started at as a first mate in 2016.
Related: Who went home each week on The Bachelorette Season 21
As of writing this, Sam nor Sierrah seem to still follow each other on Instagram. Sierrah’s Facebook and Instagram also appear to be private. Though Sierrah only uses McCarthy as her last name on her Linkedin, she did not remarry, despite fan speculation. Her mother’s full name is Heather Welch, while her father’s name is Douglas McCarthy, according to a 2015 article by Lockport Journal.
Who are Sam M.’s other exes from before The Bachelorette Season 21?
Warning: The Bachelorette Season 21 spoilers ahead. A woman named Rayleigh shared a TikTok the week of The Bachelorette Season 21 premiere, in which she claimed to have met Sam M. at a wedding in October 2023 and they kept in contact, according to Reality Steve. Rayleigh, who isn’t from the same area as Sam M., allegedly visited him once and he came to see her twice. (Sam M. also stayed with Rayleigh the times he saw her.)
Related: Which Bachelorette couples are still together?
Rayleigh graduated from Texas State University in May 2024, around the same time Sam M. finished filming The Bachelorette Season 21. She claimed that Sam M. didn’t tell her he was applying to be on The Bachelorette any time during the six months they were together, and that she didn’t find out he was going on the show until the day he left for filming.
Reality Steve reported that Sam M. sent Rayleigh a long note while on the plane for The Bachelorette, explaining why he chose the opportunity over her. “Not going to read the whole thing, but it was basically him putting the onus on her,” Reality Steve wrote.
Rayleigh also claimed that he didn’t know that Sam M. was still in contact with his ex-fiance while they were seeing each other. (According to Reality Steve. Sam M. and Sierrah broke up in January 2024, and he met Rayleigh in October 2023.)
Rayleigh also told Reality Steve that, once he returned from filming The Bachelorette Season 21, Sam M. reconnected with Rayleigh and told her that he was going to plan a trip for her graduation, but couldn’t make it as his sister’s wedding was around the same time. Reality Steve also alleged that, due to his sister’s wedding, Sam M. planned with production to be eliminated by Week 6, so he knew he couldn’t win.
“Anything he says to Jen in six weeks is complete and total bullshit,” Reality Steve wrote. “He could never win. He wouldn’t logistically be allowed to win because he knew he was leaving. He knew he never had a chance to make it to the end of the show Because he had to be back to marry his sister and so did production. So when you watch Sam for the next five episodes, just keep that in mind Just know that anything he’s feeding Jen is total bullshit.”
Rayleigh told Reality Steve that she ended things with Sam M. after another woman who goes to the same gym as Sam M. messaged her saying that they were also seeing each other. Rayleigh also claimed that Sam M. called Jenn a “liar” once he returned from The Bachelorette Season 21 and that Jenn’s feelings were “all over the place” and her winner is going to prove that.
The Bachelorette airs on Mondays at 8 p.m. on ABC. Stream it on Hulu.
