Who Is Cody Menk? 5 Things to Know About ‘The Bachelorette’ Contestant

‘The Bachelorette’ contestant Cody Menk is vying for Katie Thurston’s heart on season 17 — what you need to know about him

Here for the laughs! Cody Menk made an impression after he stepped out of the limo during the season 17 Bachelorette premiere with another woman … a blow-up doll named Sandy.

Cohosts Kaitlyn Bristowe and Tayshia Adams were instantly fans of Cody, 28, as he walked up to meet Bachelorette Katie Thurston on the June 7, episode.

“He’s so handsome for her!” Tayshia, 30, said as the former Bachelorettes watched the meet-cute. “I’m already in love with him!” Kaitlyn, 35, added.

Their opinions changed, however, when Cody pulled out his sex doll and joked about how she was a “huge part” of his life during the coronavirus pandemic. Cody’s antics also caused a stir inside the New Mexico resort with Aaron Clancy confronting him during night one and later revealing that the two men have a rocky past.

“I don’t like you, bro. Like, I’ve never liked you,” Aaron, 26, told Cody. “And that’s fine. We don’t have to talk at all. And it’s not my fault I don’t like you.”

The zipper sales manager seemed confused by the altercation, saying, “Well, you don’t like me, so that is your fault.”

Aaron replied, “I’m literally just telling you exactly what’s up,” which again came as a surprise to the New Jersey native. “All right, I don’t agree with anything you said. I don’t think there was a need for that at all,” Cody responded.

A source later told Us Weekly exclusively that the two contestants have “mutual friends” and both reside in San Diego, but they didn’t have any major issues until night one of Katie’s season. A second insider told Us that things got heated after Aaron confronted Cody about his blow-up doll.

The pair’s feud will continue throughout the ABC dating series, per a teaser of the Monday, June 14, episode in which Aaron states, “I’ve never been a fan [of Cody] and he knows it.”

Katie, meanwhile, didn’t appear to mind Cody’s choice of female companion, telling Us that the worst impression out of the limo was Jeff Caravello.

“The RV was probably my least favorite,” she explained on Us’ “Here for the Right Reasons” podcast. “I’ll take [Cody’s] blow-up doll any day over that RV. That RV was so scary.”

The Bachelorette airs on ABC Mondays at 8 p.m. ET. Scroll down to learn more about Cody: