Shutting it down. Matt James confronts “Queen” Victoria Larson about her behavior toward the other women in the house in a sneak peek of the Monday, February 1, episode of The Bachelor.
In a Good Morning America preview of the ABC dating show, Matt, 29, pulls Victoria, 27, aside after addressing all of the contestants about concerns raised by Katie Thurston in the previous episode. Viewers saw the original crop of hopeful women hurl insults as five new competitors were introduced during the January 25 episode — and the season’s leading man is finally putting his foot down.
“It was brought to my attention that there’s this toxicity in the house. People’s words are so powerful and when you said that Ryan’s a [ho] for being a dancer, I don’t think you know how — ” Matt says before being interrupted by the California native.
“That was completely taken out of context,” Victoria interjects as the real estate broker native pushes back by asking “what context” would make using that language appropriate.
Before sitting down with Victoria one-on-one, Matt made it clear that he wouldn’t stand for that type of behavior from any of the remaining women. “If you’re having to belittle someone else [in order] for you to shine, then those aren’t the qualities I’m looking for in my wife,” he told the group.
Since The Bachelor premiered in January, Victoria has stolen the spotlight — and not always in a positive way. The self-proclaimed “queen” has targeted several of the other women in the house, including Marylynn Sienna and Sarah Trott, who self-eliminated early on in the season. When the new women were introduced, Victoria snatched a crown from Catalina Morales Gómez‘s head. Before watching her actions play out on national TV, Victoria didn’t think that she would be seen as a villain.
“I anticipated being well-received, so to get, like, the bullying messages and the hate mail and the death threats, [I] wasn’t really prepared for that at all,” she said during an appearance on Good Morning America last month. “100 percent, it was shocking. … I don’t think my kindness really got to show through and I really do have a good heart. I actually became friends with one of the new girls.”
The reality star later addressed her controversial behavior and apologized to the other season 25 stars in a lengthy post on her Instagram Story.
“I think in my effort to make my opinions heard it may have been perceived as bullying by some, and I feel bad if my words or actions offended anyone. I take time each day to reflect and learn the lessons,” she wrote as she continued to face backlash. “I think it’s important to learn from the past, live in the present, and to always move forward with a positive attitude. We learn more each day about social media and how it impacts us. I just want to encourage us all to be more positive and supportive. … Name calling is never OK, but I hold myself accountable and can just do better next time.”
The Bachelor airs on ABC Mondays at 8 p.m. ET.
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