ABC’s first Black ‘Bachelor’ is a Raleigh native and ex-Wake Forest football player
ABC has named its first Black “Bachelor” — a Raleigh native, Sanderson High School graduate and former Wake Forest University football player.
The naming of Matt James comes earlier than usual, since the show usually names the new “Bachelor” leading man at the end of the preceding “Bachelorette” season (and vice versa). Fans are due a new “Bachelorette” season, but filming has been delayed because of the coronavirus pandemic.
But ABC says James has been on their radar for a while.
In a Friday release, Karey Burke, president of ABC Entertainment, said producers had met with James to be part of the current “Bachelorette” season, and with filming delayed, they got to know him more and agreed he’d be right for “The Bachelor.”
And frankly, it’s time for a Black “Bachelor.”
Before the previous “Bachelor” season (the Peter Weber season), many fans begged the show to pick Mike Johnson, aka “Big Mike,” a favorite from the Hannah Brown season of “The Bachelorette.” (Mike instead went on “Bachelor in Paradise,” another “Bachelor” franchise spinoff.)
The show has previously had a Black “Bachelorette,” Rachel Lindsay.
“We know we have a responsibility to make sure the love stories we’re seeing onscreen are representative of the world we live in, and we are proudly in service to our audience,” Burke said in the release. “This is just the beginning, and we will continue to take action with regard to diversity issues on this franchise. We feel so privileged to have Matt as our first Black Bachelor and we cannot wait to embark on this journey with him.”
ABC calls James “the total package,” noting strong family values, a good career and a record of giving back to the community. Local ABC affiliate, ABC11, wrote about James last year, profiling his ABC Food Tours initiative, which helps inner-city kids in New York City have the experience of eating in nice restaurants.
”You take for granted the dining experience and that it’s a luxury and not a right,” James said in the article. “When we bring our kids out, and they’re asking us if they can bring out the glassware and use the napkins — having that conversation with them is unreal.”
James said in the article that the majority of the kids his organization helps are homeless or living in single-parent homes.
According to ABC, James majored in economics and played wide receiver at Wake Forest. And if the “Bachelor”-Wake Forest football connection seems familiar, it’s because Tyler Cameron, from the Hannah Brown “Bachelorette” season, also played at WFU. James and Cameron are close friends.
James also has a connection to the Carolina Panthers, but how strongly he’s connected to that team is still unclear at the moment. Most news outlets report that he played briefly there as a wide receiver before going to the New Orleans Saints. We have reached out to the Panthers organization for details.
As for when we actually get to see James being the new “Bachelor,” ABC gives us a firm 2021.
Other NC ‘Bachelor’ connections
We’ve had our decent share of North Carolina contestants on “The Bachelor” and its spinoffs.
▪ Graham Bunn of Raleigh was on Season 4 of “The Bachelorette” (the Deanna Pappas season) in 2008, and then went on to participate on “Bachelor” spinoffs “Bachelor Pad” and “Bachelor in Paradise.” Bunn played basketball at Appalachian State and then played professionally in Europe.
▪ Emily Maynard of Charlotte was on “The Bachelor” in 2010. Maynard, 24 at the time, was known in part for being a single mom whose daughter’s father was late NASCAR driver Ricky Hendrick. She was engaged to Hendrick at the time of his death in 2004. Maynard was picked that season, and got engaged to Brad Womack, but it didn’t last.
The following year, Maynard was cast as the lead for “The Bachelorette,” which filmed in Charlotte so that Maynard could stay close to her daughter. She got engaged at the end of that season, but that relationship also did not last. She has since married (to someone outside the “Bachelor” universe) and published a book.
▪ Jenna Cooper of Raleigh was a fan favorite on Season 22 (The Arie Season) of “The Bachelor.” She was eliminated during the season’s sixth episode, which took place in Paris. That summer, Cooper appeared in the “Bachelor” spinoff show, “Bachelor in Paradise,” which places former “Bachelor” cast members at a beach resort for another chance to find love. Cooper found love back home in Raleigh, and the couple recently welcomed a baby daughter.
▪ Caelynn Miller-Keyes is a former Miss North Carolina USA (and a Miss USA runner-up) who was on Season 23 of “The Bachelor” (aka The Colton Season). Miller-Keyes was known for her clashes with former Miss Alabama USA Hannah Brown, who went on to become “The Bachelorette” the next season. Miller-Keyes appeared on “Bachelor in Paradise,” and is still dating Dean Unglert, whom she met on the show.
▪ Nina Bartula of Raleigh appeared on the same season as Miller-Keyes. According to ABC, Nina was born in Croatia and moved to the United States with her mom when she was 9 years old, “fleeing the conflict there amidst bullets and bombs.” Nina told ABC that she has watched “The Bachelor” with her mother and grandmother for years. At the time of the show, she was a sales account manager for Cisco. She is a 2011 graduate of Meredith College.
▪ Tyler Cameron, a former backup quarterback at Wake Forest University, was on the Hannah Brown season of “The Bachelorette.” He was in the “Top 2” at the end of Hannah’s season but was not her pick. After that season, he went on to date Gigi Hadid.
This story was originally published June 12, 2020 at 10:34 AM.
