January 19, 2021 • bachelor insider
Katie Stops by 'Bachelor Happy Hour' to Chat About Competing for Matt James' Heart as an 'Older' Contestant
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“Bachelor” Season 25 star Katie Thurston stopped by “Bachelor Happy Hour” to chat with co-hosts Rachel Lindsay and Becca Kufrin about her experience competing for Matt James’ heart as an “older” contestant.
The bank marketing manager and TikTok creator, 30 — who was 29 when filming began in the fall of 2020 at Pennsylvania’s Nemacolin Woodlands Resort — joked that she is the “Target version” of a “Bachelor” participant.
“There are so many beautiful women — supermodels — who are on this show. And in ‘Bachelor’ land, I am considered ‘older,’” she said. “So, when I was cast, I was actually pretty shocked. I was kind of in denial, even getting ready for it.”
Though she never expected to receive a spot on the show, Katie surmised why she was selected as one of Matt’s suitresses.
“I was just my 100 percent self, and I guess they found that pretty refreshing. I had no filter,” the Washington native said of how she carried herself throughout the casting process. “I didn’t hide anything. I was like, ‘OK, they must think I’m a good match for Matt and let’s go with it.’”
Katie — who host Chris Harrison calls this season’s “resident superfan” — added that the COVID-19 pandemic inspired her to finally submit an application to appear on “The Bachelor.” (She first fell in love with the franchise after watching Ashley Hebert’s Season 7 of “The Bachelorette” in 2011.)
“This was a perfect opportunity to date somebody. I had been locked up and online dating sucks,” she explained. “It was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to meet someone like Matt, so I went with it.”
Listen to Katie’s entire “Bachelor Happy Hour” interview below.
“The Bachelor” airs Mondays on ABC at 8 p.m. ET.