January 19, 2021 • bachelor insider
Katie Stops by 'Bachelor Happy Hour' to Chat About Competing for Matt James' Heart as an 'Older' Contestant
“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.
