Right This Way for Every. Single. Spoiler. From Matt James’s ‘Bachelor’ Season

“I was told, ‘Michelle and Rachael were final 2, and Rachael wins.’ Well, if you believe everything coming out of the small town of Cumming, GA, then it’s Rachael Kirkconnell. Because for the last month, all I keep being told out of Cumming is that Rachael won, and all her friends and family know and they’re telling everyone.”

“People always think (including myself) that an engagement at the end of this show is pretty ridiculous since these people barely know each other. However, now knowing that Matt doesn’t propose to Rachael this season, do you think most people will think, ‘Oh, great. That means that can really take their time to get to know each other and hopefully have a long, prosperous relationship?’ Hell no. Everyone will basically say this relationship has zero chance because it doesn’t have that ‘label’ of engagement, even though that’s never mattered in the past since so many don’t make it any way. So whether Matt did or didn’t propose I don’t think should matter in the least bit, since engagements on this show really don’t mean anything. But I can already tell you him not proposing will immediately have people giving the hot take that these two won’t make it. I mean, I don’t think they will either, but not because he didn’t propose. I don’t think they’ll make it because I don’t think for a second Matt is ready for a serious relationship, and never was.”

“The past few weeks have been some of the most challenging of my life, and while there are several episodes left of the season, it is important that I take the time to address the troubling information that has come to light since we wrapped filming, including the incredibly disappointing photos of Rachael Kirkconnell and the interview between Rachel Lindsay and Chris Harrison. The reality is that I’m learning about these situations in real time, and it has been devastating and heartbreaking to put it bluntly. Chris’s failure to receive and understand the emotional labor that my friend Rachel Lindsay was taking on by graciously and patiently explaining the racist history of the Antebellum South, a painful history that every American should understand intimately, was troubling and painful to watch. As Black people and allies immediately knew and understood, it was a clear reflection of a much larger issue that The Bachelor franchise has fallen short on addressing adequately for years.

“This moment has sparked critical conversations and reporting, raised important questions, and resulted in inspiring displays of solidarity from The Bachelor nation. It has also pushed me to reevaluate and process what my experience on The Bachelor represents, not just for me, but for all the contestants of color, especially the Black contestants of this season and seasons past, and for you, the viewers at home.

“I will continue to process this experience, and you will hear more from me in the end. My greatest prayer is that this is an inflection point that results in real and institutional change for the better.”