A Durham woman is on the cast list for Raleigh native’s season of ‘The Bachelor’
When Raleigh native Matt James makes his debut next month as ABC’s latest “Bachelor,” one of the women he’ll meet and potentially date will be a neighbor, of sorts.
Khaylah Epps, who the show describes as a health care advocate from Durham, is on the newly released cast list for the season.
On the ABC website, Khaylah is described as “driven and passionate.” Her profile says: “While she loves that her work means a lot to the people of Durham, it means so much more to her because life is all about giving back.”
Khaylah’s LinkedIn profile shows that she works for Blue Cross NC.
ABC says that Khaylah has been “overly committed to her job,” but is now focusing on herself. She describes herself as a “hopeless romantic” and she says she wants a man with “emotional intelligence and a desire to give back.”
That sounds a lot like Matt James, the Sanderson High graduate and former Wake Forest University football player who is also the first black “Bachelor” in franchise history. (The show has had Black “Bachelorettes” in the past.)
When Matt was announced in June, ABC called him “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.
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 reportedly has a connection to the Carolina Panthers, but the nature of his ties to the team is unclear.
The new season of “The Bachelor” premieres Monday, Jan. 4, on ABC.
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.
