‘Bachelor’ recap Week 4: The literal battle for Matt James’ heart begins
Is it too much to describe this week’s big “Bachelor” surprise — introducing five new women into the current group of 18 — as being akin to tossing a bottle of kerosene onto an already smoldering dumpster fire?
Maybe, but not by much.
And we’re not complaining! It’s still early, but the current season, featuring Raleigh native Matt James, definitely needed a little oomph.
Fans live for those season-defining, uber-dramatic moments, and “Bachelor” producers know it: the “Colton jumps a fence moment,” or the seething Hannah Brown telling a pious suitor that “I have had sex ... and Jesus still loves me!” moment. Television gold.
So far, Matt’s season is heavy on catty, mean girl antics, but not much else. Monday’s influx of fresh competition definitely stirred the pot (which, to be fair, just meant more bickering). In fact, the two group dates got so testy that even appearances by former “Bachelor” stars Ben Higgins and Wells Adams didn’t help much.
Matt James, who graduated from Sanderson High School and played football at Wake Forest University, started Monday’s episode still in shock over last week’s sudden departure by Sarah Trapp, but he got over it pretty quickly once the the new dates started.
Let’s dive in.
I know you are, but what am I?
As the women talk about Sarah’s sudden departure, Victoria calls her “trash” and Katie has had enough. She tells her that name-calling isn’t necessary, and to the camera accurately nails Victoria’s mean girl attitude as insecurity.
Later, Victoria ask Katie to talk and demands an apology. Victoria is offended that Katie asked her to stop expressing herself by not wanting her to call people names.
“I can express myself with name-calling if I want to,” Victoria says. Fine, Katie tells her, you be you. Then elaborates that she thinks the “you” in question is a b-word. Victoria responds by calling her a b-word right back. (And I’ve never felt more like a 12-year-old than when I just typed “b-word” twice ... that’s not what the women actually said.)
Katie essentially shrugs and tells her that she’s not getting an apology.
Meanwhile, Matt continues a group date (when did the first part of this date occur???), seeming a little sad at first. But the women draw him out and he laughs and loosens up.
He’s especially into Brooklyn runway model Chelsea Vaughn on this date.
Chelsea talks to Matt about her complicated relationship with her hair and how she shaved her head, which was very emotional for her. She shows Matt photos of herself with longer hair and Matt tells her he likes her hair both ways, and they kiss.
Later, Matt gives her the date rose and she’s thrilled.
Some new queens in town
We’re at the beginning of an episode and we’re already at a cocktail party, because there’s no structure anymore.
Night is day, up is down — and there are new women here for Matt.
Host Chris Harrison pulls Matt out of the cocktail party — with his most stern “I need to see you right now” tone — to tell him about the new women, and Matt gives this “you have to be kidding me” laugh, then turns toward the limo.
Meanwhile, the women in the house crowd around a window to see what’s going on, one hundred percent convinced that Sarah is back and not happy about it.
Oh, it’s so much worse than that, ladies.
The first lady out of the car is Brittany, who introduces herself and then grabs Matt’s face and starts eating it. She struts into the house and the women are saying to each other, “she is not welcome, she is not welcome.”
She was not welcome.
The next woman is Michelle, a sweet school teacher from Minnesota who seems nervous and gives Matt a hug.
Then we get Ryan and Kim and Catalina. Kim also seems very nice, and a little stunned by the chilly reception.
But Catalina, woo. Catalina is an actual queen — a beauty queen (Miss Puerto Rico) — and shows up wearing her sash and crown. “Queen” Victoria is momentarily stunned. She refers to the women as “random blankety blanks” (rhymes with “random grass grows”) and then takes Catalina’s crown off her head and puts it on her own head.
Here are the new women, now dubbed The New Five:
▪ Michelle Young is a 27-year-old teacher from Edina, Minnesota.
▪ Ryan Claytor is a 26-year-old dancer from Brooklyn.
▪ Kim Li is a 28-year-old ICU nurse from Los Angeles.
▪ Catalina Morales is a 29-year-old former Miss Puerto Rico, from Caguas, Puerto Rico.
▪ Brittany Galvin, a 23-year-old model from Chicago.
The Original 18 are very upset at the “Bachelor in Paradise”-style twist.
But here’s another twist.
Anna, a member of the O18, is a copywriter from Chicago and says that she recognizes N5er Brittany, a model from Chicago, and says “she’s like sketchy.” Then she says she doesn’t “know” her but has heard that she “[bleeping] sucks.”
Spoiler alert: Anna will soon remember even more about Brittany, and she will share that information.
Oh, and Khaylah Epps from Durham, who was “annoyed” at least three times last week? She has elevated to anger tonight. Can’t blame her at all!
A rose ceremony, already!
Five new women showed up like five minutes ago, and we’re already having a rose ceremony — not even at the halfway point of the show.
Will Matt send some of the N5ers home? All of them? Any of them?
Matt ends up keeping four of the N5ers — Michelle, Brittany, Catalina and Ryan (poor Kim!).
Of particular note for local readers: our hometown favorite, Khaylah, did not get a rose. We will miss her on the show!
We say the squirrels are a nod to Raleigh
Former “Bachelor” star Ben Higgins shows up to give Matt advice on how to help the “new regime” and the “old regime” get along. He had no actual advice.
He plans a Fall in Love Fest group date, which is an obstacle course that starts with women getting inside 1,000-pound pumpkins and rowing across a lake, then putting on a squirrel outfit and — WAIT DID HE JUST SAY SQUIRREL OUTFIT!?!? This just became the greatest group date in “Bachelor” history.
We choose to believe that putting the women in squirrel suits and having them dig for acorns is a nod to Raleigh, The Oak City.
While the girls are in squirrel suits digging for acorns and finishing the race, Magi is still paddling in her pumpkin.
Mari, a member of the O18, wins the race. The group date will continue. We just hope someone gets Magi out of the lake.
Big, if true (it’s not true)
On the group date, Brittany interrupts Anna’s time with Matt and then Anna suddenly remembers that friends back home in Chicago had warned her that Brittany might be an escort.
WHAT.
This is juicy, sure. But Anna has no proof of this, she’s just spreading a rumor about this woman because she’s mad.
Here’s her so-called proof: “There is a rumor that because she knows all of the rich men in Chicago that she may be an escort. She may be having a transactional relationship with men,” Anna says.
SIGH.
For a hot second, Anna thinks she’s getting the group date rose, but it goes to Bri.
Then Anna tells Brittany in front of the other women that she has heard she’s an escort and wants to give her the chance to respond. Brittany denies it and says you shouldn’t make a judgment about someone before you know them, and says it’s very hard being there.
Victoria says “OK, get out the house.”
‘People will never forget how you make them feel’
Meanwhile, Matt goes on his next one-on-one date with N5er Michelle.
The date is planned by Chris Harrison and starts with zip-lining. Then they answer questions like “how many children do you want to have?” (they both say “three” at the same time) and go for a ride in a hot air balloon.
The women back at the house see the hot air balloon and know what’s happening.
“Imagine your first kiss being in a hot air balloon,” Serena P. says, knowing they are in trouble.
And yes, Matt seems really into Michelle. “There’s something about her presence that kind of puts me at ease,” Matt says.
The dinner part of the date goes great. Both Matt and Michelle say that they feel like they’ve known each other for a long time. They talk about having a calling to help people, and how Michelle, a teacher, had tried to help her students through the past summer as they struggled with the killing of George Floyd and subsequent protests.
As Michelle talks to Matt, she casually drops in, “People don’t remember what you say, but they definitely remember how they make you feel.”
“Maya Angelou,” Matt responds, showing that he’s well aware of the late Winston-Salem Poet Laureate.
“You clearly know, I’m impressed,” Michelle responds.
Matt notes that the conversation with Michelle is flowing better than with some of the other women who have been in the house much longer. She has the “kind of depth” that he’s looking for, he says.
Float like a butterfly, sting like a hard right hook
After Brittany talks to Katie and Serena P. about how hurtful the “escort” rumors are, we switch to shots of Matt boxing and training shirtless in the forest. Much better.
The women on the group date show up and are introduced to former professional boxer Mia St. John and learn that they will have to literally fight for Matt in front of a live audience (the other women).
They get some tips and then we’re right into the Battle for the Bachelor. Luckily, none of the new women had to fight.
Katie fights Jessenia (who?). Kit fights Serena C. Rachael fights Pieper. Lauren fights Serena P. They all get some good licks in, but Lauren lands a particularly hard punch right in Serena P’s nose, and Matt calls the fight, saying things were getting out of hand.
“There would have been blood if the new girls had been on the stage,” bloodthirsty Anna said.
On the night portion of the date, Matt makes sure the women he likes most (Rachael, Pieper) know that he’s still into them. He talks about ending a tense date on a positive note, while Anna and Victoria are back at the house calling Brittany and Catalina terrible names.
Not much better, MJ and Serena C. and some of the other women are still complaining about the new women. Katie once again tries to get the women to act a little more mature and be nicer, and they basically laugh at her. So Katie goes to Matt to warn him that he needs to address the bullying.
Dangerous move, Katie, but it had to be done. Some housecleaning next week would be great. Get the broom, Matt, get the broom!
[RECORD SCRATCH]
That wasn’t the end of the show. The show actually ends with Matt showing Magi how he dances. Magi and I are both speechless. I promise I will devote my Tuesday to locating this video.
More about ‘Bachelor’ Matt James
James, who made news this past summer when he was named ABC’s first Black “Bachelor,” is 28 years old and works with a real estate investment firm in New York City. He is also involved in a program in New York that helps children affected by homelessness.
We will recap the show each week.
Catch up on our previous Matt James coverage:
▪ Raleigh’s Matt James named ABC’s first Black “Bachelor”
▪ Durham woman is a contestant on “The Bachelor”
▪ See Matt James in middle school yearbook photos
▪ Episode 1 recap: Meet, pray, love with Matt James
▪ Episode 2 recap: Matt James is a prince, but there’s an evil queen, too
▪ Episode 3 recap: The Sarah Show finale
How to watch ‘The Bachelor’
New episodes of “The Bachelor” air at 8 p.m. Mondays on ABC.
You can also stream “The Bachelor” the next day at abc.com/shows/the-bachelor or on Hulu.
This story was originally published January 25, 2021 at 9:00 PM.
