Television January 04, 2021
Matt James Dishes on the ‘Bachelor’ Premiere, Plus: His Ideal Woman
ABC Television
Tonight is the big night — Matt James, 29, is the latest Bachelor!
Ahead of the premiere, “Extra’s” resident “Bachelor” expert, Rachel Lindsay, spoke with Matt about her take on the episode. Rachel teased, “What I can say, you don’t want to miss the way it starts, it’s definitely a ‘what just happened?’ kind of moment.”
In a recent preview of the season, Matt told host Chris Harrison that he’s never been in love before. When Rachel asked how Matt is going to be able to differentiate between love and infatuation since he’s never experienced being in love, Matt said, “There’s things you will do for someone when you love them, there’s things I wasn’t willing to do up until this point. I told people that I love them and I guess I didn’t mean it like I mean it now… Love, for me, has grown.”
What is he looking for in a woman? The real estate broker answered, “I got to be able to trust you, you have to be able to trust me… Number two, we got to be able to laugh at each other, we got to be able to have fun… The third one is just commitment… I got to find a ride or [die], and I want to be someone’s ride or [die].”
Rachel also asked Matt about some of his suitors, including a contestant who has been accused of being an escort. He teased, “All I'm gonna say about that is, I'm laughing but those are serious accusations to bring against somebody… I don't have a sister, I don't have a daughter, but if my sister and my daughter was being accused of something like that, I would take that serious and, and that's what we did. You know I took that super serious and we got to the bottom of it.”
Matt played coy about how far she makes it on the show or if the accusations are true, saying, “You have to tune in and find out.”
As for Queen Victoria, who showed up on the first night wearing a crown to meet Matt, he quipped, “Listen, I'm gonna say this. I, I've never been in their position, so I don't know what it feels like to be one of many, and whatever you choose to do to make yourself seen, I'm all for it, so whatever you got to do to make sure I remember you and we get time together. There's no rules in war and love.”
During the episode, James met contestant Katie Thurston, who greeted him with a vibrator.
Of his reaction to the sex toy, James said, “Katie is hilarious for doing that because you gotta be so bold and confident with that type of prop. I respect her for that. I was hella nervous, but when she did that, I was dying laughing.”
He credited Katie with breaking the ice and making him feel “comfortable” because “nothing can be more left field than you whipping that thing out.”
When grilled on whether he found his wife in the room or if there was potential for that, Matt said, “1000 percent.”
Matt, who is making history as the first Black “Bachelor,” said there is “nothing” he would change about his season. He explained, “I wasn’t somebody who I wasn’t.”
