‘The Bachelor’: This Is What Matt James Is Looking for in a Partner
Another season of The Bachelor is upon us. Last night, Matt James met what was arguably the most diverse cast of women in Bachelor history. But just because there were more types of women available than usual, doesn’t mean that any of them were necessarily James’ type. So, what is the newest Bachelor looking for in a partner?
Matt James is worried about upsetting people on ‘The Bachelor’
Last night, before meeting the women who would be vying for his heart, James pulled host Chris Harrison aside to get some advice. He expressed concern about being biracial and not wanting to upset the white community or the Black community.
In a recent interview with Refinery29, he further discussed the pressure he felt to please everyone with his choice.
“It’s a real thing,” he said. “I would be lying if [I said] it was something I wasn’t super nervous about. Because, again, being a people pleaser, I’m trying to make everybody happy.
“The more comfortable I got with not worrying about pleasing everybody, the easier my time was enjoying the company of these women and focusing on things that I’m actually looking for in a person,” he said. “For me, that was represented through all the women who were there. What I’m looking for isn’t specific in a certain race. It could be anybody.”
What is Matt James looking for in a partner?
So, race doesn’t play a factor in James’ search, but compatibility does.
“Someone that I can live and spend life with,” he told HollywoodLife. “Someone who I can trust. Someone who respected me. Someone that I could empower to be the best version of themselves because that’s what I’m looking for, and this group of women didn’t disappoint.”
Over the course of Bachelor and Bachelorette seasons, audiences have seen religion be a deal-breaker for some leads. In last night’s episode, James opened the cocktail party with a prayer, which led people to wonder if James’ future wife would need to be Christian. But for James, religion doesn’t play a huge factor in his partner choice.
“It wasn’t difficult,” he told R29 of sharing his faith with the women on the show. “Because that’s something that’s extremely important to me. But, I’ll say this: My brother and I have very different religious views — and I would die for him. There’s nothing I wouldn’t do for my brother. That goes to say, just because I don’t share the same religious view as somebody doesn’t mean I see them as any less of a person I could be compatible with. But I think it’s important that they know where my peace comes from and where my decision making is rooted in. “
Though religion is not a dealbreaker for James, he realizes that it could be for some of the women.
“We’re both trying to figure each other out. If that’s a dealbreaker for them, then I’d rather them know that about me so that I’m not wasting their time.”
In fact, James doesn’t have any dealbreakers.
“Nothing was a dealbreaker,” he told the outlet. “It’s just important that you know where each other stands so that we can talk about it. If there’s no conversation then there’s no resolution. You can’t expect someone to understand something they’ve never been educated on or talked about.”
