July 11, 2024 • bachelor insider
Matt James & Rachael Kirkconnell Reveal Their True First Impressions of Each Other for the First Time
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Spilling the tea.
Bachelor Nation couple Matt James and Rachael Kirkconnell found love on Season 25 of “The Bachelor.”
Since their time on the show, the couple has been keeping fans updated with their lives on social media.
This week, the two took to Matt’s YouTube page to answer questions about their relationship and their time on the show.
The couple kicked off the video by sharing their real first impressions of each other during Night 1 of “The Bachelor” that they haven’t shared before.
Rachael started off by saying, “It’s so weird to think about coming out of the limo was the first time I ever saw and met you. Off the bat, I thought you were the most handsome man ever. Tall, dark, and handsome and in a suit, I couldn’t believe that I didn’t throw up on him. And then, I feel like our first conversation surprisingly went well. When I get so nervous, my mind just goes blank, so that couldn’t have been a worse first scenario for me. There are 50 people around the set and cameras and lights everywhere.”
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She went on, “To this day, I don’t know how I did that. But when I grabbed your hands, you were kind of shaky too and that was sweet. I knew you were nervous too, and at the end of the day you were just a normal guy too. When you think about the lead, you think they are this perfect person who has it all together, but when I felt your hands shaking, I knew you were just a normal guy. First impression was just that you are the most handsome man in the world and I liked your laugh.”
Then Matt shared his first impression of his girlfriend, saying, “My first impression was relief. I was so skeptical about going on a show and worried that I wouldn’t be attracted to anybody and after meeting you and having that conversation, I was just, like, relieved.”
Rachael asked Matt if he truly thought he’d meet someone on the show and he shared why Tyler Cameron’s experience gave him the hope he needed.
Matt said, “I was hopeful solely because of how Tyler changed after his experience on the show. He ended up being the runner-up, but he changed as a person when he came back and that gave me confidence going into it that this experience might change me and I could find someone like he did.”
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Matt and Rachael shared where they see their relationship in the next five years and revealed that they hope to have kids soon and are excited for that next chapter.
They also shared the hardest part of their relationship, though Rachael said it’s gotten better over time.
She said, “The hardest part is that there are a lot of outside eyes on our relationship. Trying to protect the relationship and keep the peace just within one another and not let that outside noise of people giving their opinion and trying to tell us how to live. That’s easier now than ever, but that was a big challenge at the beginning. I would let the outside noise really get to me, but now, I don’t think it really bothers me at all.”
We love hearing from Matt and Rachael and can’t wait for all that the future holds for these two!