ABC not only cast their first Black Bachelor ever, but they also did something they’ve never done before with Matt James. Tanya Rad shared on-air that a lot of people were shocked to learn Matt had been crowned the bachelor because he hasn’t technically ever been part of the franchise yet.
Matt is 28-years-old and is best friends with Bachelorette alum Tyler Cameron, who was runner-up on Hannah Brown’s season. Matt was originally cast to be on Clare Crawley’s forthcoming season of The Bachelorette, which was supposed to premiere in May, but got pushed back due to the coronavirus pandemic.
“Matt has been on our radar since February, when producers first approached him to join Bachelor Nation, as part of Clare’s season,” ABC Entertainment president Karey Burke said in a statement. “When filming couldn’t move forward as planned, we were given the benefit of time to get to know Matt and all agreed he would make a perfect Bachelor.”
So what makes Matt the perfect man? He used to play professional football and is now a real estate broker and entrepreneur and is behind non-profit ABC Food Tours with Tyler.
Tanya also reached out to Tyler for more intel on the eligible hunk and learned he’s a sagittarius.
Watch back the on-air moment for more, including which signs are most compatible with the new Bachelor!
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