ABC Matt James's 'Bachelor' promo.
Matt James‘ season of The Bachelor is coming to a close in just a couple of weeks. The Bachelor finale is set to air on Monday, March 15, and will be three hours long.
James’ season of The Bachelor has been truncated slightly. This is primarily due to COVID-19 precautions and protocol put into place by production. It may also partially be due to the controversy surrounding long-time Bachelor franchise host Chris Harrison, who won’t be a part of the show’s After the Final Rose special for the first time in the show’s history.
Warning: Bachelor spoilers ahead.
James finished filming The Bachelor several weeks ago. As previously reported by Heavy, spoilers indicate that he did not propose to his season pick. Instead, the two left Nemacolin Resort as boyfriend and girlfriend. There are some rumors that James presented his number one girl with a promise ring.
Heavy also previously reported that James has already parted ways with the woman he chose on the finale. Before fans see that play out, however, they will be invited to watch the Women Tell All special which will air tonight (Monday, March 1). The Fantasy Suite/overnight dates will take place on Monday, March 8, while the three-part finale (consisting of the final one-on-ones, the very last rose ceremony, and the ATFR special), will air on March 15.
Here’s what you need to know:
Matt James Will Head to the Final Rose Ceremony With Only 1 Woman
Earlier this year, Reality Steve confirmed that Rachael Kirkconnell is the woman who receives Matt James’ final rose on The Bachelor finale. Steve also reported that the runner-up will be Michelle Young, but she will not get all dolled up to head to the final rose ceremony.
“I’ve been told that Matt actually lets Michelle go before the final rose ceremony. Take that as you will, as they usually don’t let the ‘Bachelor’ do that, that’s always been more of a thing on the ‘Bachelorette’ where the lead will save the final 2 guy the embarrassment of ‘walking to the altar’ only to get dumped,” Reality Steve wrote in his blog.
As previously reported by Heavy, this is only the second time that something like this has happened on The Bachelor. The last person to send women home before the finale was Colton Underwood.
The ‘After the Final Rose’ Special Will Be Pre-Recorded & Will Feature a Different Host for the First Time in Franchise History
Due to coronavirus precautions, the After the Final Rose special is set to be pre-recorded.
According to Reality Steve, the people who will be taking part in the event (Matt James, Rachael Kirkconnell, and Michelle Young for sure) have already begun their quarantine in order to be in the same room for filming. The filming, however, has been pushed back due to the need to find a new host.
Long-time franchise host Chris Harrison made the decision to step aside for the televised special after he became the center of controversy for defending Rachael Kirkconnell’s self-described past racist behavior. ABC took a bit of time to find someone to take Harrison’s place for the evening, and it was only recently revealed that Emmanuel Acho had inked a deal to take the helm.
It’s unknown if Harrison will return to host future franchise shows or if ABC will find a permanent replacement for him.
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