ABC/Billy Kidd Matt James is the lead of season 25 of 'The Bachelor.'
Matt James will be pre-taping the After the Final Rose special this coming Friday, according to Reality Steve. Producers are taping the show, which is usually live, due to coronavirus pandemic precautions.
The current star of The Bachelor is set to sit down with his top three women, Rachael Kirkconnell, Michelle Young, and Bri Springs, to discuss what happened during the season, on the finale, and over the past several weeks since the show wrapped.
Warning: Bachelor spoilers ahead.
Last week, Reality Steve confirmed that Matt James had split with his season pick, Rachael Kirkconnell. Since then, many people have been wondering if the two really did split, and, if they did, will they get back together ahead of the ATFR taping this week? Reality Steve took on those rumors in his blog uploaded on Tuesday, March 2. His answers were very straight forward.
“Sooooo [sic] many questions as rumors are circulating in the tabloids and what not. I’m still trying to get to the bottom of things, but what I reported a couple weeks ago still holds true. Matt and Rachael are broken up, there will be no reconciliation happening at the ‘ATFR’,” he wrote.
The After the Final Rose special will air on Monday, March 15, following the 2-hour finale of The Bachelor.
Here’s what you need to know:
Matt James Is Single & Won’t Be Giving Michelle Young or Bri Springs a Second Chance, According to Reality Steve
ABCMatt James & Michelle Young.
Bachelor season spoilers indicate that Matt James is currently single. According to Reality Steve, James broke things off with Kirkconnell recently, and his reasoning on timing isn’t clear. James spoke out about the controversy surrounding Kirkconnell and The Bachelor franchise as a whole, but his statement was made several weeks after the photos of Kirkconnell at an “Old South” formal from three years ago were posted online.
“The reality is that I’m learning about these situations in real time, and it has been devastating and heartbreaking to put it bluntly,” James’ statement read in part.
Something else that fans shouldn’t expect to see on the After the Final Rose special is James giving one of his other frontrunners a second chance. While James may have had a strong connection with his runner up, Michelle Young, nothing is expected to come out it.
“…there will be no reconciliation happening at the ATFR, nor will anything happen with Bri or Michelle either. Matt seems to be content on leaving this thing as a single man, and frankly, seems to be done with this franchise,” Reality Steve wrote in Tuesday’s blog.
Rachael Kirkconnell’s Mother Has Spoken out About Her Daughter & Matt James
Just last week, The Sun ran an interview with Kirkconnell’s mother, Kim. While she couldn’t give too much away due to the fact that the show is still on the air, Kim explained that her daughter really wanted to find love with Matt James.
“We have seen the devastation and heartbreak this has caused for Rachael. She wants to be able to prove to him that she has changed and work with him to fight against injustice. This isn’t about winning a show. This was about finding love with Matt,” Kim Kirkconnell told the outlet.
She went on to say that it’s ultimately James’ decision when it comes to working things out with Kirkconnell.
“If he chooses Rachael, and stands by her, then you know Matt does truly love her. If he chooses Rachael, and then leaves her, then it was not meant to be, and there is someone else out there for her. Rachael has felt hopeless and frustrated about not being able to address the issue and speak her side,” she said.
The timing of the published interview is interesting; it was originally posted on February 25, three days after the report that James had broken things off with Kirkconnell.
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