The name Kristy Katzmann may not be familiar to you RN, but it should be. The 41-year-old is the star of Foxs new reality dating show Labor of Love, which premiered May 21. Looking for love and a baby daddy at the same time, this lucky lady started with 15 dad-chelors (a.k.a. contestants) in their 30s and 40s and has whittled them down each week. At last count, she has eight deserving daddies left. The new series is just zany enough to be utterly entertaining, and it's not too late to catch up on her journey.
Here, get to know Kristy and what she's looking for in a father-to-be and partner in parenting.
Kristy is a former Bachelor contestant.
She made her reality TV debut in 2007 on season 11 when Brad Womack was the Bachelor. She was ultimately eliminated in week five, but nobody ended up winning Brad's heart. He became the first and only Bachelor in the history of the show to reject all of the bachelorettes at his Final Rose Ceremony. (And you thought Pilot Pete's season had a rough landing!)
"I did The Bachelor at a completely different point in my life," Kristy tells Women's Health. "I think [with] Labor of Love, Im so much more well suited to that experience."
"Being rejected is never fun, especially in front of millions of people!" she also told CafeMom way back in 2010. "But luckily the people who approached me in my daily life after the show were really encouraging and supportive, so that helped a ton."
Kristy learned about Labor of Love through a friend.
She shared how it all went down on Facebook : "Well, my dear friend, mentor, and guide Debbie Taitel sent me the casting call and the rest is history! Debbie's guidance and support have been invaluable in my life, and honestly, if it had come from anyone else, I am not sure I would have applied."
She prefers Kristin Davis over Chris Harrison as a host.
Chris is a Bachelor fixture, but Labor of Loves new hostess with the mostest has him beat. Im a girls girl, and I love Charlotte from Sex and the City, so you know I'm gonna pick Kristin," Kristy tells Women's Health. "There's not even a contest there."
I love, love Kristin and shes amazing, Kristy continues. Shes such a powerful woman who also makes the perfect BFF. Shes such a great confidante in the experience, and I think that is the biggest difference, right there. Kristin really is the person that I leaned on to help navigate this experience which could be completely overwhelming at times.
Kristy filmed Labor of Love in early 2019.
Its been over a year since she got to know her 15 suitors, but the time has flown by. We filmed earlier last year, Kristy says. I have just continued on this journey. You know, that was maybe the start of it, but it doesn't feel that long ago for me quite honestly.
But, shes watching the show as it airs on FOX.
Kristy even put together a baby-shower-slash-Southern-soiree-themed watch party for the premiere. Im gonna be seeing this along with everyone else, she explains. Im really excited because I think theres probably going to be some surprises in it for me as well. Of course I was there and I experienced it, and in a lot of ways it feels like it was just yesterday, but I'm really looking forward to actually watching the story unfold.
Kristys ready to be a momwith or without a partner.
She worked with Dr. Brian Kaplan, MD, at OVA Egg Freezing Specialty Center in Chicago to freeze her eggs. (Fun fact: The Bachelor season 19 winner Whitney Bischoff Angel works there as a nurse specialist.) Kristy was pleasantly surprised to find so many men who wanted fatherhood as much as she wanted motherhood.
The first challengefertility testing for all the men just moments after they all met Kristymade that very clear. I really thought half of the men would leave... I was shocked and really pleasantly surprised that they all really were good sports about it, and they took it seriously, she recalls. So, that did calm a lot of my fears that are these guys here for the right reason.
And she knows exactly what she wants in a co-parent.
One thing I was very clear about is, I was looking for a hands-on dad, she tells Womens Health. So I really needed someone who wanted to be present and very proactive in raising a child. Right there, that was like really important to me. I really wanted a partner who was confident and secure and generous, and really ready to step up.
Kristy has been married once before.
Kristy revealed in Labor of Love that she was married for six months. That was about five years ago. DuPage County court records show her divorce was finalized in 2015, according to the Chicago Tribune . She called her split sudden and unexpected while reflecting in an Instagram caption.
She's opened up to some of the contestants about her previous relationship and how hard it was to go through the unexpected split.
Kristy works for a health and wellness startup IRL.
During filming, she was a sales rep for Garden of Life in Chicago. But she started with Ora Organic in August 2019. (TBD exactly what prompted the job change.) The health and wellness startup is based in San Diego. (Worth noting: The company's LinkedIn geo tag is Austin, Texas.) The company creates organic and plant-based nutritional supplements and boasts a sustainable supply chain.
According to Kristys LinkedIn profile, shes a holistic health and beauty expert who is results-oriented, a strategic thinker, creative problem solver, and accomplished speaker.
Play catch up on what you've missed on Labor of Love:
Kristy also switched her LinkedIn location from Chicago last August.
She changed it to a more vague United States, and it seems like that may have to do with how the show ended. I can't totally say where I live now, she tells Womens Health. Im a Chicago girl.
The contestants competing to be her new mate come from all over the country and the world. There's a South African suitor and men from California, New York, Georgia, and more.
She graduated from University of Notre Dame.
Her Bachelor of Arts degree is in American Studies and Journalism. Kristy later studied Oriental Medicine with a focus on acupuncture and herbal medicine.
She loves traveling.
Kristy has gone wine tasting in Argentina, eaten her way through Vancouver, and many more adventures around the world. She wrote in one Insta caption: Traveling is one of the biggest ways I feed my soul. I love exploring new places and cultures and cannot imagine a life without traveling the country and globe.
Working out is also important for Kristy.
She requested a treadmill and yoga mat in the gym in her house while filming. Kristy aimed to work out a few times a week, but sometimes that meant a quick 10-minute sweat sesh. Im a big yoga fan, so I definitely knew I would want that not only for strength but obviously it was going to be a stressful situation," she tells Womens Health.
Kristy took CorePower Yoga classes on the app and followed along with Boho Beautiful 's yoga Youtube channel. "Yoga is my saving grace. Im a total huge committed fan. I cannot advocate yoga enough."
And so is eating healthy.
Kristy was able to get her fridge and kitchen stocked with all her fave foods and gadgets to make them. She starts her day with a celery juice, so a juicer was a must in her kitchen. I swear by it, she told Womens Health. I feel so much better when I do that. My fridge was super healthy actually. I had like a lot of fruit and protein bars. Her faves: Perfect Bars and Lara Bars.
But she loves a glass of bubbly.
On Labor of Love, she regularly requests Champagne from her suitors, but her go-to is actually Italian prosecco. "I love La Marca prosecco so my fridge was definitely full of that, Kristy says. Its always a good time for bubbly. I really love all things Italian so I think somewhere along the way, prosecco grabbed my heart.
So... is Kristy currently expecting?
Thats one question the reality TV star cant answer, yet. What I can say is the truth and that [is] this journey has just continued for me," she tells Womens Health. I can say that Im really happy with how everything turned out.
Im on exactly the same path I was as I started. So, you know, theres that and my fertility doctor hes, amazing, Kristy concludes. I actually know a lot of people personally that have shared him as a doctor and they have multiple kids now, so well leave it at that.