When Matt James broke up with Rachael Kirkconnell after presenting her with his final rose during the most recent Bachelor finale, most viewers seemed to support his decision to end the relationship.
They reasoned that Rachael had a lot to figure about herself and the society she lives in, to put it as mildly as we can.
Will they, won't they and... wait... did they really just do that?
Earlier this week, Matt James and Rachael Kirkconnell were spotted together in California, once again sparking rumors that they may get back together.
We think it's safe to say that Matt James' season of The Bachelor did not go according to plan.
James gave his final rose to Rachael Kirkconnell, but long before the finale aired, the season became a s--t show.
So much for that amicable break-up, huh?
Weeks after Rachael Kirkconnell and Matt James sat across from each other on ABC's After the Final Rose special -- both sounding sad that their romance was over, yet not bitter -- the gloves have seemingly come off.
Last month, there were definite hints that Matt James was considering reconciliation with Rachael Kirkconnell.
The Bachelor stars were clearly head over heels for each other before Rachael's racism scandal was exposed.
Matt James was unwilling to hug Rachael Kirkconnell this past Monday on ABC's After the Final Rose special.
And yet:
Matt James is receiving support from an unlikely source:
The girlfriend is recently dumped.
The focus of this season of The Bachelor was Rachael Kirkconnell's racism scandal.
After The Final Rose had a thorough, necessary, and at times uncomfortable discussion about racism.
Rachael Kirkconnell had her past exposed on this season of The Bachelor.
Now, however, she's trying to look toward the future.
Well, for better or worse, it was an After the Final Rose special unlike any that we've seen before.
Some viewers complained about the awkward silences, of which there several.
In the end -- following an unpredictable season that concluded with the temporary ousting of the only host the show has ever known -- The Bachelor ended in the most predictable fashion imaginable.
Matt James chose the woman everyone knew he would choose, almost since Day One.
We apologize for the spoiler in the headline of this article, but some matters are bigger than The Bachelor, and in order to discuss them properly, we need to delve into the "secrets" that have actually been public knowledge for several weeks now.
So yes, Rachael Kirkconnell will receive Matt's final rose during tonight's finale of The Bachelor.
For several years now, Chris Harrison has been promising viewers that each Bachelor season finale will be the most dramatic in the show's history.
This year, he might actually be right -- but not in the way that he imagined.
Rachael Kirkconnell has admittedly done some racist stuff.
Rachel Lindsay has loudly called Rachael Kirkconnell out for her racist past.
Rachael Kirkconnell is smack dab in the middle of the biggest Bachelor scandal in show history.
And it has nothing to do with anything she said or did on the actual air.
If you're a fan of The Bachelor, we probably don't need to tell you these are very strange times for the longtime ABC ratings stalwart.
For nearly 20 years, the franchise has thrived on predictability:
Well, it looks like the most turbulent season in Bachelor history has experienced yet another twist - perhaps the biggest in Bachelor History.
Ironic, since Chris Harrison won't be around to deliver it.
At last.
Matt James is finally speaking out about the ongoing Bachelor franchise controversy that has taken attention away from his search for true love on Season 25 of The Bachelor.
Usually, when we discuss Bachelor spoilers, it's a lighthearted conversation about who might wind up with a Neil Lane diamond on their finger at the end of the season.
But Matt James' time as the Bachelor has been anything but lighthearted.
