Bachelor’s Rachael Kirkconnell: 5 Things to Know About Matt James’ Controversial Contestant

Credit: Courtesy Rachael Kirkconnell/Instagram; ABC/Billy Kidd

Bachelor’s Rachael Kirkconnell: 5 Things to Know About Matt James’ Controversial Contestant

Time will tell if Rachael Kirkconnell is The One for Bachelor Matt James, but the season 25 contestant has at least one thing in common with the lead — both had never been in love before arriving at Nemacolin Resort in Pennsylvania. “Though Rachael says she is a hopeless romantic to her core, she has never been in love and believes that Matt may just be the guy to change that,” the 24-year-old Georgia native’s ABC bio reads. “Rachael is hoping that her love story will be something huge and life-altering. She wants to look back on her life when she’s old and feel like she has made the absolute most out of every single day.” Matt, for his part, has been open on the show and in interviews about the fact that he doesn’t have much experience with love. "Love to me looked different before I got to Nemacolin because of what I experienced up to that point,” he told Entertainment Tonight earlier this month. "And yes, I guess I'd say I haven't experienced love until I got out there." Chris Harrison also shed light on Matt’s candid revelation about the L-word during an exclusive interview with Us Weekly in November 2020. “It’s not that he hasn’t said ‘I love you’ before. I think the problem with him is he realized being the Bachelor, he had never fully understood what it means. He didn’t understand the weight of it,” he said. “And now I think this has really opened [his] eyes and one thing about the Bachelor or Bachelorette — you can ask any of them — it changes you.” Harrison added that Matt’s personal journey wasn’t smooth sailing during filming. “I think he had a bit of a rude awakening of the man he is, the way he loves [and] what love means to him. It really is an amazing journey you’re going to take with Matt, not just as the Bachelor but also as this man who realizes, ‘Wow, OK, this is love and this is what it means and I’m really here to find this,’” he said. [jwplayer AMtgRoRS-l3ahXupL] One month later, the host teased Rachael’s role on the series as he introduced the contestants via a YouTube video. "Rachael is just a down-to-earth southern girl, really personable and just as sweet as cotton candy, but also really competitive,” Harrison said. After the January 4 premiere, Rachael came under fire when a TikTok user accused her of being racist in high school. She was also accused of "liking" offensive Instagram images. “I have not spoken to anybody since the show ended, but I would say that you have to be really careful about what you are doing on social media,” Matt told Entertainment Tonight on February 2 when asked about Rachael’s social media activity. “Rumors are dark and nasty and can ruin people’s lives. So, I would give people the benefit of the doubt, and hopefully she will have her time to speak on that.” Why did Colton Underwood have to stay 100 yards away from Cassie Randolph? Hear the alleged crazy texts he sent her that earned him a restraining order. In under 2 minutes! The same month, however, pictures surfaced online of Rachael and her sorority sisters at the Georgia College & State University enjoying an “Old South" bash on a plantation in 2018. While Matt and Rachael have yet to address the photos, Harrison was accused of downplaying the controversy during an interview with former Bachelorette Rachel Lindsay on February 9. He later apologized for “wrongly speaking in a manner that perpetuates racism.” Rachael broke her silence on the scandal on February 11. “While there have been rumors circulating, there have also been truths that have come to light that I need to address. I hear you, and I’m here to say I was wrong,” she wrote via Instagram. “At one point, I didn’t recognize how offensive and racist my actions were, but that doesn’t excuse them. My age or when it happened does not excuse anything. They are not acceptable or okay in any sense. I was ignorant, but my ignorance was racist.” The contestant continued: “Racial progress and unity are impossible without (white) accountability, and I deserve to be held accountable for my actions. I will never grow unless I recognize what I have done is wrong. I don’t think one apology means that I deserve your forgiveness, but rather I hope I can earn your forgiveness through my future actions.” The Bachelor airs on ABC Mondays at 8 p.m. ET. Scroll through for five things to know about Rachael:

Credit: ABC/Craig Sjodin

1. She’s Younger Than Matt

Most of Matt’s contestants are younger than the 29-year-old former football player. Rachael, for her part, is five years his junior.

Credit: ABC; Shutterstock; Courtesy Hannah Ann Sluss/Instagram; Courtesy Hannah Brown/Instagram

2. She Reminds Chris Harrison of Hannah B. and Hannah Ann

The host compared Rachael to former Bachelorette Hannah Brown, who is from Alabama, and Bachelor season 24 winner Hannah Ann Sluss, who hails from Tennessee. "Don't let that southern side fool ya! Again, I go back to [Hannah B.] and [Hannah Ann] and all of our Hannahs. She has that sweet southern charm, but trust me, they can take care of their own,” he said in December.

Credit: Courtesy Rachael Kirkconnell/Instagram

3. She’s a Graphic Designer

Rachael stayed close to home for college, graduating from Georgia College & State University in 2019. She has since landed a job as a graphic designer.

Credit: ABC/Craig Sjodin

4. She Was Moved to Tears by Matt’s Night 1 Speech

Rachael got emotional after Matt said a prayer during the January 4 premiere.

"I had a feeling that I was going to be infatuated with [Matt], but the fact that he opened up with a prayer, like, struck a nerve for me. I didn't expect to feel like this so soon," she gushed on the episode. "He's pretty much everything I expected him to be and more."

During an interview on Us’ “Here for the Right Reasons” podcast on February 2, Matt confirmed he had his eye on Rachael since the first night.

“Night one, what she chose to use her time with me to speak about was very intentional. And it wasn’t something that wasn’t going to progress our relationship,” he gushed to Us. “And then when I saw on the first group date, and I’m referring to all these instances that aren’t one-on-ones because that was how our relationship was lived out, you know, I hadn’t had that one-on-one time with her yet. And when I had that day to spend with her and really get to know her better, it just affirmed everything I had already felt.”

Credit: Courtesy Rachael Kirkconnell/Instagram

5. She’s Made Headlines for the Wrong Reasons

While Reddit screenshots allege Rachael’s "liked" controversial posts, including an image of two women posing in front of a Confederate flag, she has yet to comment on the controversy.

After the photos of Rachael at the “Old South” bash surfaced, Harrison asked for Bachelor Nation to have “a little grace, a little understanding, a little compassion,” noting that the Kirkconnell family has been receiving backlash.

“I have seen some stuff online — this judge, jury, executioner thing where people are just tearing this girl’s life apart and diving into, like, her parents, her parents’ voting record,” Harrison told Rachel. “I haven’t heard Rachael speak on this yet. Until I actually hear this woman have a chance to speak, who am I to say any of this? I saw a picture of her at a sorority party five years ago and that’s it. … My guess? These girls got dressed up and went to a party and had a great time, they were 18 years old. Now, does that make it OK? I don’t know Rachel, you tell me. Were we all looking through [that lens] in 2018?”

Harrison’s post-interview apology noted that he doesn't speak for Rachael: "I took a stance on topics about which I should have been better informed. While I do not speak for Rachael Kirkconnell, my intentions were simply to ask for grace in offering her an opportunity to speak on her own behalf. ... I also apologize to my friend Rachel Lindsay for not listening to her better on a topic she has first hand understanding of, and humbly thank the members of Bachelor Nation who have reached out to me to hold me accountable. I promise to do better.”