Matt James stopped by “Talking It Out” to chat with co-hosts Mike Johnson and Bryan Abasolo about what his life was like before he was asked to lead Season 25 of “The Bachelor.”

The handsome North Carolina native opened up about moving to New York City after college and living in a tiny apartment with his best friend and fellow Bachelor Nation star Tyler Cameron.

“We actually went to college together. He played quarterback, I played receiver, so we spent a decent amount of time together on the bench because neither one of us played a lot,” he said of his and Tyler’s former college football careers at North Carolina’s Wake Forest University. “We formed a great relationship.”

Matt added, “And when [Tyler] moved to New York, he came to live with me in my — it’s probably 6 feet wide by 10 feet long — that’s how big my room was. We had bunkbeds in there! We had a massive beanbag. We had the craziest setup. Like, two grown men. Tyler’s 6'4", I’m 6'5", just barreling around this shoebox, and we made it work.”

Matt, who began working in real estate shortly after landing in the Big Apple, went on to detail his former daily routine.

“We’d be up super early. I’d [bike] down to work. I’d take the West Side Highway all the way down to work. I’d hit the gym before work. I worked in commercial real estate,” he continued. “So, I’m constantly on my feet, canvassing, trying to get business for my broker. And then at the end of the day, [Tyler and I] would wait out as long as we could before going back home because our apartment was so weak. We would just find places to hang out until it’s like, ‘It’s 11:30. All right, Tyler, let’s go home.’”

Despite having a packed schedule — and “no money” at one point, Matt joked — the Bachelor immediately felt at home upon stepping foot in the concrete jungle.

“[We were] just constantly on the go, trying to surround ourselves with people, because I’m a people person and there’s so much to do in New York,” said Matt, who still lives in the city. “I felt like I was missing out on life before I moved there, so I’m trying to soak everything up.”

Listen to Matt’s entire “Talking It Out with Mike & Bryan” episode below.