‘The Bachelor’: Pieper James Opens Up About Matt James and Heather Martin

Many Bachelor Nation fans felt a deep connection to Pieper James the moment Heather Martin unexpectedly showed up on Matt James’ season. The contestant was speaking with Matt when Heather made her shocking appearance. Then recently, Pieper opened up about her reaction on the show, including the insecurities she felt at the time of filming.

Who is Pieper James from ‘The Bachelor’ Season 25 with Matt James?

In case you need a refresher, Pieper is the 23-year-old marketing graduate student from Happy Valley, Oregon. The Bachelor contestant hasn’t received much screen time. But many fans quickly fell head over heels for Pieper when she went on a one-on-one date with Matt in week 6.

During the day portion of the date, Matt and Pieper went on a fun carnival date. Then in the evening, Pieper started opening up. The contestant admitted she has a difficult time communicating her feelings. She typically shows her love through actions versus words of affirmation. But even so, Pieper revealed that she was falling in love with Matt.

“I don’t want to be afraid of how I feel anymore,” Pieper said. “Matt, I’m falling in love with you. And that is the scariest thing in the world to say because I have always seen that as giving up a part of myself. But, while it makes me super fearful, it also makes me super excited.

Meanwhile, Matt encouraged Pieper to trust her feelings and her heart. He also promised to do the same. Then Matt gave Pieper a rose. 

“I wanna be that person, continuing to show you that this can work with us,” Matt said. “I’m looking forward to spending more time with you.”

Pieper James shares how she felt when Heather Martin appeared on Matt James’ season

At the rose ceremony cocktail party in The Bachelor Season 25 Episode 6, Pieper and Matt continued where they left off. But then Heather interrupted their conversation. The moment was incredibly awkward, as everyone involved appeared confused. Matt laughed and apologized to Pieper, noting that he needed a few minutes with Heather. Meanwhile, Pieper was understandably frustrated by the situation.

Of course, Bachelor Nation fans must wait and see what happens to Heather and Matt in the Feb. 15 episode. But in an interview with Rachel Lindsay and Becca Kufrin on the Bachelor Happy Hour podcast, Pieper explained her response when Heather interrupted her conversation with Matt.

At first, Pieper admitted that she had no idea who Heather was, as the season 25 contestant has only seen one season of The Bachelor. Pieper also shared that she was starting to have real conversations with Matt after their one-on-one date. So when he dismissed her for a stranger, Pieper felt invisible. 

“I was emotional because it was coming off my one-on-one,” Pieper said. “At that point, I was trying to have a fun, lighthearted conversation, but still get into our feelings and talk about what life would be together in New York. That was kind of the context of what was going on.”

She continued, “Then to have her interrupt, it wasn’t in the way that all of the other women would typically ask the other women. Like, ‘Hey, can I steal him?’ That was kind of the repertoire we came up with. She asked Matt, specifically, and I was just kind of like… I didn’t know who she was and he started laughing. I was kind of like, ‘Why is this funny?’ I just felt like I was really invisible in that moment.”

Later, Pieper delved deeper into why she felt so invisible. “The embodiment of Heather — a beautiful white, blonde woman — is a lot of the insecurity that I know that I have,” she said. “So that was just a projection of those insecurities.”

She added, “Growing up in Oregon definitely doesn’t help. It’s a very white state. So dating has been, like, ‘Does he like even Black women? Does he like women with curly hair?’ I never do anything to my hair. … So I think that coming into this season, that was an insecurity that I had.”

Pieper pointed out that she was able to develop a relationship with Matt on The Bachelor Season 25. She also noted that she didn’t feel “threatened” or “place that insecurity” on the other women in the house. However, things were different with Heather.

“Seeing Heather as this new person, I don’t know who she is,” Pieper said. “I was feeling very insecure in that moment because she embodied basically the opposite of me as a woman. I was like… I don’t know how to deal with this. I haven’t gotten to the point — I will fully admit — to deal with those insecurities.”

Meanwhile, Lindsay and Kufrin asked the contestant whether she was able to open up about her insecurities with Matt on The Bachelor. But Pieper admitted they weren’t able to address it.

“We kind of touched on an apology. But I don’t think I ever expressed to him that specific insecurity,” Pieper said. “I think it was only in reflection that I was really able to be like, ‘Why did I act like that?’”

Then Lindsay reassured the contestant. “You cared,” she said. “There’s nothing wrong with that.”