‘The Bachelor’: Chelsea Vaughn Reveals What Matt James Really Said in the Last Episode
When Chelsea Vaughn opened up about her hair on Matt James’ season of The Bachelor, many fans were excited to watch a meaningful conversation unfold. Then recently, Chelsea revealed there was more to the discussion than viewers saw onscreen, particularly in regards to James’ response. So, here’s what the season 25 cast member said.
Who is Chelsea Vaughn on ‘The Bachelor’ Season 25 with Matt James?
In case you need a refresher, Chelsea is the 28-year-old runway model from New York City. The Bachelor contestant stunned everyone with her dress on night one. But, she hasn’t received much screen time aside from her conversation with James in episode 4.
Before The Bachelor Season 25 Episode 4 aired on Jan. 19, ABC teased James’ discussion with Chelsea. The network revealed the contestant would “get real with Matt about her journey to self-love.” Then when the time came, Chelsea opened up about her relationship with her hair.
During the group date, Chelsea showed James photos of herself with long hair. James gushed over his contestant, saying that she looked great both ways. Then Chelsea explained how shaving her head was an “emotionally freeing experience,” particularly for a Black woman.
“I don’t think people realize how emotional hair can be, especially for Black women,” Chelsea said. “I had been chemically straightening my hair since I was two-years-old. All my friends are white, my school was white, and I didn’t even feel comfortable leaving my house without my hair being straight. There were times where I had so much stress and anxiety about what people were gonna think.”
She continued, “It’s definitely a unique experience that Black women have with their hair. So, when I finally decided to shave it, it was such an emotionally freeing experience.”
Meanwhile, James thanked Chelsea for sharing her experience. He also gave the contestant the group date rose at the end of the night.
“I can’t imagine,” James said. “Thank you for sharing with me. You do look amazing. The first time I saw you when you got out of the limo, I was just like, ‘Damn.’ You had the bam-bam dress on for me. … Every time you come in the room is a ‘wow’ moment.”
Chelsea Vaughn opens up about her conversation with Matt James on ‘The Bachelor’ Season 25 Episode 4
After The Bachelor Season 25 Episode 4, Chelsea stopped by the Bachelor Happy Hour podcast and explained why it was important for her to share her experience on the ABC reality series.
“I just think that as women, and especially as Black women, so much of our self-worth is tied to our hair,” Chelsea said. “I don’t know if a lot of people realize that or understand that, especially as far as Black women go. It was just a really big deal to me. So, it was something that I wanted to share with somebody that I am potentially going to end up with.”
She continued, “I watched this show when I was younger, and there hasn’t been that many Black contestants. There hasn’t been a Black bachelor lead. Nobody’s going on there talking about their hair journey.”
Meanwhile, Chelsea revealed that The Bachelor team cut James’ response from the show. She also shared what James told her that evening.
“I’m from a little suburb in Georgia, and he’s from somewhere similar in North Carolina,” Chelsea said. “We both grew up in places that were predominately white. It was just nice to know that he could relate. He also said that he used to have an afro and he shaved it off and that people said he was more approachable afterwards. Even Black men have the same issues when it comes to hair.”
In all honesty, it’s disappointing The Bachelor franchise chose to cut James’ response from the episode. Immediately after the lead’s conversation with Chelsea, the show jumped to a drama-filled scene between “Queen” Victoria Larson and Katie Thurston. So, the show definitely could’ve used the screentime to highlight what James had to say. Now, we can only hope the reality series will choose to prioritize meaningful conversations over drama moving forward. But, we’ll see.
The Bachelor Season 25 with Matt James airs Monday nights on ABC.
