February 16, 2021 • bachelor insider
'Bachelor Happy Hour': Jessenia Explains Why She Told Matt James She Was 'Falling in Love' with Him
Jessenia Cruz stopped by “Bachelor Happy Hour” to chat with co-hosts Rachel Lindsay and Becca Kufrin about her experience competing for Matt James’ heart on “The Bachelor” Season 25.
During her interview, the standout contestant explained why she told Matt she was “falling in love” with him during a one-on-one date on Monday night’s episode.
“For me, it was more about leaving it all out on the table,” Jessenia said of her candid conversation with Matt, which took place over a romantic dinner following an action-packed day of drift-racing.
“I did not want to walk away from there regretting not telling him something, especially that. Unfortunately, you guys didn’t get to see a lot of our communication because that’s how you see how that comes about,” the stunning Texas native continued. “Like, what made [me] fall for him? It was how he talked to me. It was how he validated me, treated me, and all the things that we would connect on. That was what initially made me fall for him.”
Ultimately, Matt told Jessenia that the feelings weren’t mutual and sent her home. Asked by Rachel if her admission was a “last-ditch effort” to make it to next week’s Hometown Dates, the social media marketer clarified, “It wasn’t so much that I was like, ‘Yeah, I’m in love. This is end game.’ But I was falling for him, for sure.”
Elsewhere, Jessenia admitted that she had a feeling her love story with Matt would be cut short: “Definitely, I’m not gonna lie, I felt it in my gut that I wasn’t going [to Hometowns].”
Listen to Jessenia’s entire “Bachelor Happy Hour” interview below.
“The Bachelor” airs Mondays on ABC at 8 p.m. ET.
