Leading man Matt James chose Rachael Kirkconnell on his season of The Bachelor, but did he really ever love her? As the season progressed, their connection seemed to grow stronger and it became clear she was the frontrunner. Matt and Rachael left Nemacolin Woodlands Resort together as a couple, but they were not engaged yet. Shortly after the season ended, the couple split after some racism controversy came to light on social media.
Pictures of Rachael at an antebellum-themed party spread through the media as viewers watched her fight for Matt’s heart. When the couple entered the real world again, they were faced with a lot of obstacles to work through. Matt was very hurt when he saw the pictures and ended his relationship with Rachael. Despite how strong their connection seemed to be, it was not strong enough to endure the challenges.
As their love story started to unravel, fans began to question if Matt ever truly loved Rachael. When After The Final Rose premiered, it was announced that the couple split after the racism controversy surrounding Rachael. Matt called off the relationship and was clearly unsettled by this situation. He was very hesitant to look at or speak to his ex when filming the special. Rachael spoke so highly of the genuine love that they shared and about how she believed this love was true and strong. Matt did not reciprocate the emotion, and despite the pain of the breakup he was very unwilling to forgive Rachael’s past, which left people questioning if there was any feeling of love at all.
As the show was airing, viewers saw Matt share with Rachael that he was in fact falling in love with her. From what viewers see, Rachael is the only contestant that he shares this emotion with. Matt claims to be in love with Rachael, but fans are skeptical because the show does not air what actually convinced him to know he was in love. There are many deep and emotional conversations with other contestants, but not with Rachael. This leads fans to believe that a conversation like that may not have happened, so nobody knows what made Matt know he was really in love with Rachael.
Matt and Rachael were recently spotted together in New York City, but it was not the reunion anyone could have expected after their breakup. The couple spoke every day since After The Final Rose was filmed, and things seemed to be heading in the right direction for a while. During their reunion, Matt was also caught speaking to another woman and making plans to see her as soon as Rachael left. This not only broke Rachael’s trust but had fans questioning even further if his feelings for her were genuine.
While the cameras made it seem that Matt was in love with Rachael, there was no denying that she was falling more in love than he was. She was confident in her feelings for The Bachelor star, but he simply did not respond with the same intensity. Matt said he was in love with Rachael, but his actions led fans to think otherwise. After everything that has happened, it's quite possible Matt James ever really loved Rachael Kirkconnell at all.