January 18, 2021 • bachelor insider
Mike Johnson Recalls Advice He Gave Bachelor Matt James That Made Him Gain 15 Lbs. Before Filming
Matt James stopped by “Talking It Out,” where he opened up to co-hosts Mike Johnson and Bryan Abasolo about his experience leading Season 25 of “The Bachelor.”
While chatting with Matt, Mike couldn’t help but recall the advice he gave the New York City-based real estate broker before his search for love began at Farmington, Pennsylvania’s Nemacolin Woodlands Resort in the fall of 2020.
“Matt, what did I tell you? I gave you two pieces of advice. One of those pieces of advice was what?” Mike asked, to which Matt responded, “Mike, I swear to God. When you told me that, I gained 15 pounds.”
The Bachelor elaborated, “Mike said I had a skinny neck and I needed to start working out more. I was looking at myself and I was like, ‘Dang, I thought I was in good shape!’ I promise you, Mike, after you left my apartment, my workout routine changed, and I gained 15 pounds.”
Matt went on to say that he “started lifting heavy” in preparation for his historic stint as the first Black male star of the Bachelor franchise.
“Because I was only doing bodyweight stuff,” he said, remembering more of the conversation he had with Mike while spending time together in the Big Apple. “Mike’s like, ‘Matt, friend to friend, you need to get right.’ He was just looking at me and he wasn’t even trying to turn up on me. He was like, ‘You just need to put some weight on, start lifting some weights.’ I was like, ‘Say less! I’m on it, I’m on it.’”
According to Matt, he was happy to show off the fruits of his Mike-inspired workouts while filming countless shirtless scenes for “The Bachelor.” Already, the hunky North Carolina native has flaunted his chiseled physique for Bachelor Nation while showering, chopping wood, running, and skateboarding on camera.
“I got creative with it. I was like, we can do some running with the shirt off or we could do some skateboarding with the shirt off because I felt like the shower could get a little repetitive,” he said. “So, I’m like, we can mix it up. I didn’t do too many [shower scenes], but I did enough. There will be plenty of shower scenes.”
Listen to Matt’s entire “Talking It Out with Mike & Bryan” interview below.
“The Bachelor” airs Mondays on ABC at 8 p.m. ET.
