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Who Gets Bachelor Matt James’ Final Rose? Here’s What We Know So Far!
Let’s face it, waiting for the season finale of The Bachelor can be downright tiresome! After all, the reality dating series is still entertaining even if you have all the spoilers in your back pocket. With that, we’re breaking down everything you need to know about who season 25 Bachelor Matt James ends up with, his final four and his final two contestants, according to popular blogger Reality Steve. To learn more about who Matt picks, keep reading.
Who was in Matt James’ final four?
As viewers saw in episode 8 on February 22, the North Carolina native’s final four contestants were Serena Pitt, Bri Springs, Michelle Young and Rachael Kirkconnell.
All of the ladies went on hometown dates with Matt. However, because of the coronavirus pandemic, they didn’t actually travel outside of the Nemacolin Woodlands Resort. Instead, their families met them there, just like Tayshia Adams‘ season of The Bachelorette.
Who’s in Matt James’ final two?
After hometown dates, Serena sent herself home. Later, following his overnight dates, the former college athlete sends Bri home. In the end, Matt will be forced to decide between Michelle and Rachael. So … who does he choose?!
Who does Matt James end up with?
“Matt chose Rachael and is still with her,” Reality Steve originally reported in January 2021. That said, a lot has changed since then.
Beyond Rachael and Matt’s relationship, the Cumming, Georgia, native created a lot of controversy in Bachelor Nation after her past racist behavior was brought to light, specifically attending an “Old South” plantation party when she was a student at Georgia College & State University in 2018. All of the women at the event were dressed in Antebellum-style gowns.
Less than a week after photos of Rachael at the party surfaced, she issued a public apology on Instagram. “At one point, I didn’t recognize how offensive and racist my actions were, but that doesn’t excuse them. My age or when it happened does not excuse anything. They are not acceptable or OK in any sense. I was ignorant, but my ignorance was racist,” she wrote on February 11.
Two days prior, Bachelor host Chris Harrison addressed the outrage over Rachael while speaking with season 13 Bachelorette Rachel Lindsay. “I haven’t heard Rachael speak on this yet. And until I actually hear this woman have a chance to speak, who am I to say any of this?” he said during a February 9 virtual interview on Extra.
When Rachel suggested attending the “Old South” party was “not a good look,” Chris replied, “You’re 100 percent right in 2021. That was not the case in 2018. And again, I’m not defending Rachael. I just know that, I don’t know, 50 million people did that in 2018. That was a type of party that a lot of people went to. And again, I’m not defending it; I didn’t go to it.”
Immediately after the interview aired, Chris came under fire issued a lengthy apology. “While I do not speak for Rachael Kirkconnell, my intentions were simply to ask for grace in offering her an opportunity to speak on her own behalf,” he wrote in an Instagram Story. “What I now realize I have done is cause harm by wrongly speaking in a manner that perpetuates racism, and for that, I am so deeply sorry.”
Chris also released a separate statement announcing that he will be “stepping aside” from The Bachelor. “I have spent the last few days listening to the pain my words have caused, and I am deeply remorseful,” he wrote on Instagram on February 13. “My ignorance did damage to friends, colleagues and strangers alike. I have no one to blame but myself for what I said and the way I spoke. I set standards for myself and have not met them. I feel that with every fiber of my being. Now, just as I taught my children to stand up, and to own their actions, I will do the same.”
Furthermore, Chris continued to face backlash from Bachelor Nation alumni and viewers. Some individuals are even calling for his replacement.
As for Matt, he released a statement addressing the situation on February 12, writing, “I am beyond grateful to have Rachel as a mentor during this season. Your advocacy of BIPOC [Black, Indigenous and People of Color] people in the franchise is invaluable. I stand with you and the rest of the women advocating for change and accountability.”
In the aftermath of the scandal, Matt and Rachael have called it quits. “They are no longer together,” a source exclusively told Life & Style. “Matt broke up with Rachael mainly due to the backlash. At the end of the day, he cared more about protecting himself, supporting his friend Rachel Lindsay and speaking out against the franchise. Rachael can’t wait until she can finally share her side of the story once the finale airs.”
Now, fans believe Matt is dating contestant Heather Martin — and their theories are pretty solid!
Be sure to tune in to new episodes of The Bachelor on ABC on Mondays at 8:00 p.m. ET.
