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A new season of The Bachelor began on Jan. 4, 2021, with Matt James as the new lead. The 28-year-old real estate broker met 32 single ladies on night one. Later in the season premiere, James sent home eight contestants; however, The Bachelor plans to bring him five new ladies. One of the new single women might be an ex-girlfriend of James.

'The Bachelor' Season 25 lead Matt James
‘The Bachelor’ Season 25 lead Matt James | Craig Sjodin via Getty Images

‘The Bachelor’ franchise has a history of bringing exes on the show

While it was odd to see one of James’ ex-girlfriends on the list of contestants for the season, it is nothing new for The Bachelor franchise. The producers have a long history of bringing exes onto the show to create more drama. 

On season 24 of The Bachelor with Peter Weber, the first two episodes revolved around his ex-girlfriend, Hannah Brown. Later on, in the season, the producers sent Weber and Victoria Fuller on an awkward date to watch her ex-boyfriend, Chase Rice, perform. 

During season 22, Becca Kufrin’s ex-boyfriend, Ross, shows up with hopes of winning her back and possibly proposing. She gets rid of him very quickly, like her friend, Rachel Lindsay, when the producers blindsided her with an ex’s appearance in season 13. During season 20, JoJo Fletcher’s ex-boyfriend left her flowers and a long letter during hometowns. The list goes on, unfortunately, so James’ ex may show up on his season.

Who is ‘The Bachelor’ lead Matt James’ ex-girlfriend?

Madison Nelson dated James for a few months during the summer of 2019. The pair attended a New York fashion show together, around the same time that Tyler Cameron dated model Gigi Head. Former Bachelorette contestant, Cameron, is best friends with James. 

According to her LinkedIn profile, Madison works in the New York City Metropolitan area for IBM but is originally from Granger, Indiana. She is an Executive Communications Lead and has volunteer experience working as a mentor for students and children. The 27-year-old could have met James through his non-profit organization, ABC Food Tours. The organization he started helps kids from underprivileged communities by providing them with unique opportunities throughout the city. They do have a common interest in volunteering to help children in need.

Reality Steve Carbone revealed that the relationship between the two was “somewhat serious.” However, it’s unknown whether he broke things off with her or if she ended the relationship.

Does Matt James’ ex-girlfriend join ‘The Bachelor’?

According to Reality Steve, five more women join the competition for James’ heart after the second rose ceremony. They were part of the original list of 43 women that was released. However, the franchise probably has them join late to shake things up.

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Initially, Carbone thought that Nelson was one of the five who joined the season late. However, he recently corrected his prediction, adding that the producers chose not to cast Nelson because she dated James. 

If we know The Bachelor franchise history at all, one thing is certain; they love to bring exes on the show for added drama. We will likely see her on the show at some point, considering she was in the original list, and adding an ex to the mix would certainly shake things up. Since Nelson signed up to be a contestant on the show, it sounds like she might still be interested in having a relationship with James. But if the producers have it their way, she’ll bring the drama as well.

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