Krystal Has Already Opened Up About Her Harrowing Backstory On 'The Bachelor'

I always find Bachelor premieres so interesting because the viewers, as well as the lead, meet upwards of 30 people all at once. Some people's stories are lighter, like Bekah's, while others like Krystal's hint at tragedy. So who is Krystal's brother on The Bachelor? This contestant revealed a harrowing backstory.

During the premiere, Krystal discussed her career as others tend to do; she is a fitness coach, and it seems like a good one at that. She did, however, also mention that she is passionate about helping homeless people. The reason is that she found out her little brother has been homeless for two years and refuses to get help from his and Krystal's family.

According to her ABC biography, Krystal is a 29-year-old from Missoula, Montana. In addition to being a fitness coach, she considers herself a "bomb.com" cook. Her ideal Saturday night is "dinner out with friends or home relaxing alone with [her] puppies." She's also afraid of sharks and spiders (relatable) and her greatest achievement so far in life is finding purpose as a fitness coach. What is she most afraid of? Unused potential. While hailing from Montana, Krystal currently resides in San Diego after graduating the Boise St. University with a degree in Journalism in 2010; she also went to UCLA for Broadcasting.

From the premiere, it seemed to me that Krystal is an incredibly positive person. Her passion is helping out other people, whether it be as a fitness coach or as an advocate for the homeless. Not much is known about Krystal's brother — not even his name — but Krystal did say he was younger than her (though she did not reveal his age). Furthermore, she treats homeless people with kindness because that's how she wants others to treat her brother. The facts about homeless youth is devastating. According to DoSomething, 34 percent of homeless people are under the age of 24. Around 80 percent of homeless youth (between the ages of 12 and 21) use drugs and alcohol to self-medicate from the trauma they've experience or continually experience. What's more, the Department of Justice estimates that over 1.7 million teens experience homelessness every year.

It's clear that homelessness, especially among young people, is a huge problem, so I applaud Krystal for bringing it to the forefront. Some viewers who are not too familiar with The Bachelor may wonder why she revealed such personal, devastating details about her life right at the very beginning; this is how The Bachelor, and other reality shows, work. I'm sure if Krystal gets a one-on-one date with Arie, she will reveal these hardships to him. Perhaps her appearance on the show will raise more awareness about this issue, or even encourage her brother to get some help. The contestants on The Bachelor have used the show as a platform for a variety of things; often, it's to promote themselves and their brand (remember Whaboom?). While Krystal spent time talking about her coaching, what made the biggest impact (to me, at least) was talking about the prevalence of homelessness and how it's affected her family, which shows she has a big heart.

Whether The Bachelor will change Krystal's brother's situation, no one knows. There is a chance, however, that Krystal may be the one to win Arie's heart in the end. The season is still young, so it's difficult to guess anything at this point, but I hope Krystal gets the chance with Arie she deserves. In the trailer for The Bachelor Season 22, she reveals she's falling in love with Arie — so maybe the feeling is mutual.