Why Fans Think Bachelor Producers Made Matt James Look Boring
Matt James' season of "The Bachelor" ended in March, but he isn't ready to resign from the world of reality TV. The Season 25 lead of the popular franchise switched genres from romance to a fast-paced dance competition. Partnered with pro dancer Lindsay Arnold, Matt was cast in Season 30 of "Dancing With The Stars, per E! News.
Fans of "The Bachelor" were convinced he would be great on "DWTS," citing his on-beat TikTok dances as evidence (via Twitter). But his prowess at woah-ing didn't translate to his on-stage presence. Matt consistently earned average scores, leading him to be eliminated along with Brian Austin Green and Sharna Burgess on October 12, per E! News.
Nevertheless, fans loved the former "Bachelor" lead's dance performances, scoring him higher on humor and personality. "Matt James showed more personality in a 1 min DWTS intro package than we saw in 11 episodes of the Bachelor," blogger Reality Steve tweeted. And many fans agreed with him.
Was Matt James over-edited on The Bachelor?
"The Bachelor" has a history of creating perfectly edited leads to sell the fantasy of an "ideal" partner. One Reddit user pointed out that the leads "seemed really wonderful in their contestant-seasons (and are often fan favorites because they have big personalities)," only to become unlikable and boring when they're leads.
Matt James, while likable on Twitter, was another "Bachelor" lead who didn't seem super interesting to the audience (via Reddit). His season's narratives depended on the drama between the women and their relationships as opposed to his. He also repeated similar phrases such as "I like that," or "I feel that," making him seem disingenuous toward the women on his season, per The Wall Street Journal.
However, audiences loved Matt on "Dancing With The Stars," where his playful side didn't get edited out. One Twitter user said, "Every moment of Matt James' personality on @DancingABC further highlights how @BachelorABC did him dirty with that boring-guy edit." Another noted that "he's so fun to watch and I'm furious at the bachelor producers for making him seem so dreary and boring on his season." While fans won't see Matt on "DWTS" anymore, we're grateful we got to see him dance as Frozone — a full-circle moment from when fans believed he was the animated character's doppelgänger (via Bustle).