Will There Be an ‘After the Final Rose’ for Matt James’ Season of ‘The Bachelor’?

ABC Matt James.

Fans of The Bachelor and The Bachelorette tend to like updates on the couples after they stop filming the show, and start living their lives (albeit in secret) in the real world.

Usually, ABC airs a live special called After the Final Rose in which the lead sits down with his or her “runner up” for the first time since breaking things off. In addition, this is the first time that fans get to see the lead with their season pick, making them officially official.

For Clare Crawley‘s and Tayshia Adams’ double season of The Bachelorette, there wasn’t an After the Final Rose special due to filming constraints brought on by the coronavirus pandemic. However, it does sound like producers have figured out a way to bring back ATFR — but it will be pre-taped, according to Reality Steve.

Here’s what you need to know:

‘ATFR’ Will Likely Be Filmed at the End of February, According to Reality Steve

ABC/John FleenorChris Harrison hosts a previous ‘After the Final Rose’ special.

Matt James has already finished taping his season of The Bachelor (find out who he picked by clicking here). However, to the knowledge of Reality Steve, ATFR has not yet been filmed. It sounds like the top two women and Matt James will be sent off to quarantine somewhere — likely in Los Angeles — for 10 to 14 days before filming can begin.

It’s also possible that there will be six feet kept between everyone on the stage to comply with COVID-19 precautions.

Either way, Reality Steve reports that ATFR will be pre-recorded and that the taping will occur sometime in late February.

The blogger also confirmed that the Women Tell All special will be taped in Los Angeles next week.

“Just like last season, they will have to quarantine for at least week. And there will probably only be about 10-12 women there. And again just like last season, I would expect those women who are attending, will start flying to LA this Wednesday or Thursday,” Reality Steve wrote on his blog on Tuesday, January 26.

The New ‘Bachelorette’ Will Likely Be Announced, but it’s Unlikely That Her Season Will Start on ‘ATFR’

ABC

If you have been viewing the current season of The Bachelor, you may already have your eye on a few women that you’d like to see take the helm as ABC’s next Bachelorette. So far, there haven’t been any clues or hints as to who may ink a deal to hand out roses, but that announcement will likely be made on After the Final Rose, as is tradition.

However, according to Reality Steve, the Bachelorette likely won’t begin meeting guys straight away, which has sort of become a thing on ATFR in recent seasons.

“Normally in a non-COVID year, the ‘Bachelorette’ starts filming later the same week that the ‘Bachelor’ finale airs. The guys set to be on the show are already isolated in their LA hotels watching the ‘Bachelor’ finale, the ‘Bachelorette’ is named on the live ATFR, they bring out 5 guys on stage so she gets an early ‘start’ then filming begins later that week,” Reality Steve writes.

Steve also confirmed that the new season of The Bachelorette will be filming in Canada — for the first time ever — so that’s going to change how things are done when it comes to ATFR.

“Well, because of COVID and quarantining, they can’t do a live ATFR this year, because even if they left for Canada the day after filming, due to having to quarantine for 2 weeks, that would push the start of filming back to beginning of April. I’ve been told cast & crew will leave for Canada (production/crew probably a week or so earlier than cast like they did for Matt’s season) at the end of February/beginning of March, quarantine for two weeks in Canada, so they can begin filming the week Matt’s finale airs, which looks to be March 15th or 16th, depending on if they’re gonna do a one or two night finale,” reads Reality Steve’s blog.

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