Matt James & Rachael Kirkconnell - Bachelor 25 - Discussion

@chasus71 very cute video but I gained 5 lbs watching it! Oh to be young!

Norcalgal wrote:@chasus71 very cute video but I gained 5 lbs watching it! Oh to be young!

IKR!! OMG to eat everything that Rachael eats I would be bloated everywhere to have that type of metabolism again, wow I would eat EVERYTHING!!

Happy Birthday Rachael!!

Wow. I listened to about 20 minutes. TPTB were trying so hard to make it a black couple they did everything they could to keep Rachel away.

Matt put his foot down and told them, that's who he wants and they need to make it work.

At the FRC after Matt gave her the rose, they literally started tearing the set apart, no congrats no nothing.

I need to listen to the rest later.

Wow I wish I can say that I am surprised by this but considering how the production\ and franchise has treated the Lead/F1 I just have to smdh!! They really need to do better even if not for Matt but for future leads even more so the minority leads, they choose (they may never do that again, which is typical sadly). I can't even fathom to give the franchise my viewership because they will never learn from what Matt's season should have been over what a freaking nasty mess it turned out to be. This is no fault of Matt's at all, IMO. He was naive & probably hoped that the franchise would treat him better & yes because he is the 1st African American male lead! that should have been treated more magnanimous than it was. I know some may not agree with that but to me everything about his season should have been handled better.

I'm glad however that Both Matt & Rachael have come together and rebuilt their relationship in-spite of everything that occurred. They are certainly happier being as far as they can be away from the franchise, IMO.

GuardianAngel wrote:Wow. I listened to about 20 minutes. TPTB were trying so hard to make it a black couple they did everything they could to keep Rachel away.

Matt put his foot down and told them, that's who he wants and they need to make it work.

At the FRC after Matt gave her the rose, they literally started tearing the set apart, no congrats no nothing.

I need to listen to the rest later.

OMG this is such a great moment. Matt honoring his mother some flowers at a Wake Forest game.

The caption says it all:

mattjames919
Verified
The Patty James Women’s Athletic Scholarship Fund
.
How do you honor someone who has given you the world? By providing the same resources for the next generation


https://www.instagram.com/p/Cj3Dxnppe3F/

That shows Matt's character more than anything! But I'm guessing Patty wasn't expecting it - she's dressed pretty casually!

GuardianAngel wrote:Wow. I listened to about 20 minutes. TPTB were trying so hard to make it a black couple they did everything they could to keep Rachel away.

Matt put his foot down and told them, that's who he wants and they need to make it work.

At the FRC after Matt gave her the rose, they literally started tearing the set apart, no congrats no nothing.

I need to listen to the rest later.

Bri is so well spoken! But Michelle commented to Rachel at AFR that the core audience of The Bachelor is white and Rachel got so much more support than any of Matt's final 4 contestants - 3 of whom were black. And Rachel did say their break up was 100% real - not fabricated! So in essence, Matt broke up with all of his final 4. At the AFR, he took about 10 minutes to answer each question - frustrating just about everyone. He was trying to be true to himself and still give the producers what they wanted. I think we all sensed the tension.

The last part of the interview is about Rachel's photo dressed in antebellum attire and why that occurred and the aftermath of all the publicity. Rachel said she felt it overshadowed everything else that season - all the other women, etc and felt badly for it. She explained that she went to a small college in Georgia and there just weren't that many blacks or other diversity. She took that photo when she was 20 and during the time of the photo and appearing on Matt's season, she had grown. But she readily admits that had she been more aware and educated about what the photo meant to people of color, she would not have participated.

My overall impression is Rachel has matured and grown through this and it 100% reinforces my mantra of "go out and see the world". There is no way you will remain unaffected/unchanged by experiencing people who are different from you or what you grew up with.

Rachel and Bri have a really wonderful friendship. I would listen to more of Bri's podcasts - she is smart, well-spoken and thoughtful - not to mention beautiful. I wish her well!

@Norcalgal thanks for the recap.

IA Rachel has matured and going out into a different life experience will do it. She is enjoying a full life with Matt, travelling, and everything else they do together, it's a whole new world for her.

Second part. I like Rachael more and more. She is smart and mature, and has gone through a lot and grown from it IMO.

Matt ran in the NY City Marathon this weekend: (more vids are also posted in his IG stories).

https://www.instagram.com/p/Cko8OlPjGFC/
https://www.instagram.com/stories/mattjames919/2965900665413259472/