Bachelor 25 - Matt James - Feb 22 - *Sleuthing Spoilers*

more parents need to be like Bri’s mom during hometowns

RS said that Matt and Rachel have broken up., It must've just happened because as of last week or so RS said he could confirm that they were still together. I personally didn't like him with Rachel at all , I thought Michele was a much better fit for him age wise and common interests. JMO Wonder if Bri or Michele will be the next ette OR if the Franchise is dunzooooo.

The home towns have never been a particular favorite of mine since I tend to find them very scripted and I dislike the requisite "leading the women on." BUT I really liked Serena's. She and her family seemed and sounded grounded, living in reality (real reality, not reality TV).

She's still quite young and I hope she finds happiness and her one person to love.

Jolena wrote:RS said that Matt and Rachel have broken up., It must've just happened because as of last week or so RS said he could confirm that they were still together. I personally didn't like him with Rachel at all , I thought Michele was a much better fit for him age wise and common interests. JMO Wonder if Bri or Michele will be the next ette OR if the Franchise is dunzooooo.

I like(d) him with Michelle a lot. I just think with Rachael it was mostly a matter of strong physical attraction leading to infatuation.

I like him best with Michelle.  I think Serena is so young and it shows in this episode.  I think Bri is lovely also and would be happy with either her or Michelle with Matt and/or as Bach'ette.   Looks like they keep trying with CH like nothing happened!!!!

luvstx wrote:

suzq wrote:Anyone else having a hard time watching this episode with all that has happened?

Yes.

Just said to my daughter that I was surprised that Rachael’s family didn’t seem to have an issue with Matt being a black man.

I wonder if that’s true though. They were adamantly against Matt & Rachael being together but just couched it in the process being too fast. At the end they said they’d be supportive but it rang a bit hollow as they weren’t supportive for the entire evening.

Michelle seems great. I think she looks like a match for Matt on paper, but I didn’t see any romantic attraction from Matt at all. She’d make a great B’ette though.

Bri is really lovely. I really like her and I think Matt connects with her emotionally and romantically. I was surprised she got the last rose. Of the F3 and what I’ve watched I would pick her for Matt.

I don’t really have much of a sense of who Rachael is from what I’ve seen on the show. It seems like infatuation between them? It’s also very sad with all that has transpired and how things will play out.

I just wish that they would address the whole Chris Harrison thing. It honestly feels weird to me when he acts so "supportive" of Matt on the show. I am not getting a lot of enjoyment out of watching the episodes right now, but I think it is bringing to light some of the things that have to be changed within the franchise. I am not sure how I feel about the rest of the season.

Michelle: I loved her HTD and her mom & dad. Her students were so cute! I worry about her when/if she leaves as f2 because she's so sure that she's the one. I thought that she got a very positive edit which gives me hope that she could be the next Bachelorette. She's the perfect age at 27.

Rachael: I didn't love them skydiving. It's very dangerous and it didn't tell us anything about her or her home. I get her dad being concerned but he came across as abrasive to me. She seemed very young last night, maybe being around her family?

Bri: I feel like I finally got to know Bri a little more. I liked her mom. I get the feeling that Bri would have gone home if not for Serena leaving which surprised me. Bri comes across as very mature for her age, unlike Rachael.

Serena: I liked the Canadian part!    I'm not a Poutine person but do like fries & gravy. Her sister is really pretty. I'm not sure why it took her so long to realize that Matt's not for her because it seemed obvious in her last 1 on 1.   I wasn't expecting Matt to be so upset by her leaving. I hadn't seen their connection at all.

It was too strange seeing CH there. I wonder what Matt's thinking when he sees it (if he's watching). Not liking his beard at all!

Ratings:

“The Bachelor” lost a little bit of love last night with its COVID-era version of hometown dates, but the week-to-week ratings decline was not enough for Fox to top ABC among adults 18-49. Fox and its “9-1-1” lineup did win another Monday primetime in terms of total viewers, however.

ABC was first in ratings with a 1.0 rating/6 share in the advertiser-coveted 18-49 demographic and third in total viewers with an average of 4.8 million, according to preliminary numbers. “The Bachelor” from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. averaged a 1.2/8 and 5.2 million viewers. At 10, “The Good Doctor” got a 0.5/4 and 3.8 million viewers.

https://www.thewrap.com/ratings-the-bachelor-declines-with-hometown-week-but-abc-clings-to-first-place-in-key-demo/

I had a hard time watching last night. My heart is just not into the whole series. I absolutely loved both Michelle's and Serena's families. I didn't get any warm fuzzies from Rachael's family but it could have been editing. Regarding Bri's HT date, I was left with nothing.

Matt lit up like Christmas lights when he saw Rachael and it made me sad for the other girls. I wonder if the producers gave the girls a list of date ideas - some ran with those and others (Michelle and Serena) came up with their own. Those dates seemed like what we saw with Tayshia's season - they really had the touch of the individuals who planned them.

I can't wait for this season to end. What offered so much promise is now pitiful.

I posted in the epi discussion for next week that I wondered if that was part of his disguise for SHV?

Have they eliminated eating dinner with the family from the HD dates?  if so, then how long do you think Matt spent with each family?  In years past, we've heard it was hours and hours.