Bachelor spoilers: Who did 'The Bachelor' star Matt James pick as his winner? Did Matt get engaged to 'The Bachelor' bachelorette he ended up with in the 2021 finale? (SPOILERS)

Bachelor spoilers continue to emerge revealing how Matt James' The Bachelor season unfolds and who he ultimately picked as his winner -- including Matt's spoilers about Final 5 bachelorettes, The Bachelor star's runner-up, and if Matt got engaged to the bachelorette he picked and ended up with.

[Bachelor Spoilers Warning: This report includes spoilers that reveal Matt James' Final 4 bachelorettes and who The Bachelor star picked as his winner, as well as spoilers revealing if The Bachelor couple got engaged.]

Matt's The Bachelor season has reached its halfway point, with Episode 6 airing on Monday, February 8 at 8PM ET/PT.

There are still 15 women in the running for Matt's heart, and based on a preview for the next episode, another bachelorette -- a face familiar to The Bachelor viewers -- will be arriving looking for a chance to date Matt!

RELATED LINK: 'THE BACHELOR' SEASON 25 BACHELORETTES: MEET ALL OF MATT JAMES' LADIES! (PHOTOS)

In the next episode, Matt will continue getting to know Brittany Galvin, a 23-year-old model from Chicago, IL; Ryan Claytor, a 26-year-old dancer and choreographer from Brooklyn, NY; Katie Thurston, a 29-year-old bank marketing manager from Lynnwood, WA; and Serena Pitt, a 22-year-old publicist from Markham, ON.


Magi Tareke, a 32-year-old pharmacist from Adwa, Ethiopia, and Abigail Heringer, a 25-year-old client financial from Salem, OR, will also be hoping to receive roses at the upcoming Rose Ceremony.

Will MJ Snyder, a 23-year-old hairstylist from Hudson, OH, or Jessenia Cruz, a 27-year-old social media marketer from San Antonio, TX, advance after their confrontation and two-on-one meeting with Matt? Or maybe both of them will stuck around.

The other women include Chelsea Vaughn, a 29-year-old runway model from Marietta, GA; Serena Chew, a 24-year-old flight attendant from San Bruno, CA; Bri Springs, a 24-year-old communications manager from Owatonna, MN; Michelle Young, a 27-year-old teacher from Edina, MN; and Pieper James, a 24-year-old graduate student from Happy Valley, OR.

And who can forget about Rachael Kirkconnell, a 24-year-old graphic designer from Cumming, GA, and Kit Keenan, a 21-year-old fashion entrepreneur from New York, NY, who just enjoyed one-on-one dates with Matt?

Matt seemed smitten with both Kit and Rachael, but Matt noticeably told Rachael that he was "falling in love" with her -- a bold statement for any The Bachelor star to make.


"Week after week, she continues to impress me," Matt gushed of Rachael.

"She's never been the first one to run to me and she's not the loudest woman in the room, but she's very confident and assure of herself, and that shines louder than anything else."

After Rachael told Matt that she was falling for him and wanted to leave The Bachelor process with him, Matt opened up like never before on the show.

RELATED LINK: 'THE BACHELORETTE' COUPLES NOW: WHOM DID 'THE BACHELORETTE' STARS AND THEIR BACHELOR PICKS ULTIMATELY END UP WITH?! (PHOTOS)  

"You're not crazy because I feel the same way... Rachael, I'm falling in love with you too, and it is scary to say, but when I'm with you, it just feels right," Matt shared.


Matt revealed in a confessional that he could actually envision himself getting down on one knee and proposing marriage to Rachael at the end of his journey to find love on the show.

So did Matt fall in love with anybody else or did his heart belong to Rachael the entire time? What happened to Matt's obvious connections with Bri, Michelle, and Abigail?

To find out whether Matt found true love and got engaged, keep reading for The Bachelor spoilers!

Spoilers for Episode 6 of The Bachelor

The episode is expected to begin with Jessenia and MJ's confrontation in which MJ was trying to defend herself against Jessenia's accusations that she had been a leader of the bullies and "mean girls" at The Bachelor resort.

The women also really begin to stress about not receiving enough time with Matt given multiple women have yet to receive one-on-one dates.


"Time is running out for the remaining women to strengthen their connection with the Bachelor," ABC teased of the next episode in press-release materials.

"Emotions run high as rivals come face-to-face, cocktail parties are called off, and a group date gets unexpectedly competitive."

Pieper, however, catches a break when Matt invites her on an exciting one-on-one date.

The pair will enjoy a romantic carnival and subsequent performance by Temecula Road.

And Matt will receive a visit from his best friend and The Bachelorette alum Tyler Cameron, who shows up at The Bachelor resort to give advice and be a shoulder to lean on for Matt.


But just as Matt believed he had cut drama out of his journey to find love by eliminating Victoria and Anna, The Bachelor alum Heather Martin suddenly shows up, looking for a chance to date the Bachelor!

Heather previously competed on Season 23 of The Bachelor starring Colton Underwood.

Heather's unexpected arrival proves "that the twists and turns just don't stop coming."

In addition, Reality Steve spoiler blogger Steve Carbone has revealed Katie will also be eliminated on a one-on-one date.

So what else happens on Matt's The Bachelor edition? Read on to find out!

The Bachelor season "changed" Matt James 

After filming wrapped, Chris told Us that The Bachelor process had really changed Matt and "opened [his] eyes."


Chris said Matt was now "a different man than when he came to us."

"He got really a crash course because he didn't get the few steps of being on the show. He really just ripped the Band-Aid off and sometimes that hurts a little bit," Chris shared.

"So, I think he had a bit of a rude awakening of the man he is, the way he loves [and] what love means to him."

Chris teased that viewers would take a really "amazing journey" with Matt, "not just as the Bachelor but also as this man who realizes, 'Wow, okay, this is love and this is what it means and I'm really here to find this.'"

Chris also admitted that production had a thing or two to learn given their leading man hadn't appeared on a previous The Bachelorette season, which is when cast members learn the ropes of filming.

RELATED LINK: 'THE BACHELOR' FRANCHISE COUPLES NOW: WHO IS STILL TOGETHER?? (PHOTOS)

Matt James' exe wasn't on The Bachelor despite Carbone's initial claim

Carbone had initially reported that Matt's ex-girlfriend, Madison Nelson, a 27-year-old from Granger, IN, was one of the five bachelorettes that joined Matt's cast before the season's third Rose Ceremony.

"Some tea for you already: Apparently Madison Nelson was dating Matt last summer when Tyler was seeing [Gigi Hadid]," Carbone tweeted in early December.

"Went to one of the fashion shows with him. Here they are together. Heard they were together for at least a couple months."

However, Carbone clarified in a January 4 blog post that he was incorrect about Madison's appearance on the show.

RELATED LINK: 'THE BACHELORETTE' COUPLES NOW: WHOM DID 'THE BACHELORETTE' STARS AND THEIR BACHELOR PICKS ULTIMATELY END UP WITH?! (PHOTOS)  

"I originally thought that Madison Nelson was one of the five, but was told she is not," Carbone wrote.


"Was actually told once they found out she HAD dated Matt last summer, they decided against bringing her on."

According to Carbone, Madison and Matt dated in 2019 and she was hoping to win him back on The Bachelor.

Heather Martin tries to join The Bachelor season

As ABC's The Bachelor previews have shown, former The Bachelor bachelorette Heather Martin attempts to join Matt's group of suitors midway through the season.

Heather, a close friend of former The Bachelorette star Hannah Brown, originally appeared on Colton Underwood's season of The Bachelor along with Hannah in 2019.

Heather's The Bachelor return had been previously announced by Carbone.

"We know Heather Martin shows up," Carbone tweeted late last year.


Carbone had also clarified on his blog that Heather joined the show after the five other women that joined prior to the season's third Rose Ceremony.

"[This means] all in all, Matt meets 38 women (original 32, the 5 that come after Rose Ceremony #2, then whenever Heather shows up) at some point this season, which is more than any previous 'Bachelor' did in history," Carbone wrote in a blog post.

RELATED LINK: 'THE BACHELOR' COUPLES NOW: WHO DID 'THE BACHELOR' STARS AND THEIR BACHELORETTE PICKS ACTUALLY END UP MARRYING? (PHOTOS)

Carbone believes Hannah put Heather up to appearing on The Bachelor since the women are such great friends and Hannah became close to Matt while she was quarantining with him and Tyler in Florida earlier this year.

"Clearly Hannah told [Heather] this would be a good idea since she's friends with Matt (you know, Quarantine Crew and all), and I guess convinced Heather she thought the two of them would get along," Carbone explained.

However Matt sends Heather home quickly

While Carbone had been unsure exactly when Heather made her appearance, he had reported that her stint on The Bachelor's 25th season didn't last long.


In fact, Carbone revealed in a December blog post Heather only stuck around for a few hours!

"Here's what I know: [Heather] doesn't show up the first night, it's somewhere after filming is already started, and she's literally there only a few hours as Matt sends her home the same day she arrives," Carbone wrote.

Carbone doesn't know why Matt chose to give Heather the boot so early.

"I don't know Matt's reasoning for sending Heather home so quick... But Heather showing up on Matt's season and getting eliminated the same day, well, kinda embarrassing," Carbone wrote.

Heather was a 23-year-old from Carlsbad, CA, when she appeared on Colton's The Bachelor edition.

RELATED LINK: 'THE BACHELOR' FRANCHISE COUPLES NOW: WHO IS STILL TOGETHER?? (PHOTOS)


ABC labeled her occupation as "never been kissed" at the start of The Bachelor's season, but Heather did in fact kiss Colton during the show.

Heather quit The Bachelor process before hometown dates because she said she wasn't ready to take the step of introducing Colton to her parents and family.

Carbone doesn't know who else Matt eliminates during the next few episodes

Although Carbone hasn't been able to pinpoint when each woman goes home, he did release a list of twelve bachelorettes who didn't last very long on Matt's The Bachelor season the day the season premiered on ABC.

According to Carbone's January 4 blog post, all the bachelorettes on his list went home before the third Rose Ceremony or so.

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"There's obviously more that would go home during that time, but these women I know aren't major players at all this season," Carbone wrote, before rattling off his list of rejected bachelorettes.


Seven of the twelve bachelorettes on Carbone's list were among the eight women Matt sent home at the season's first Rose Ceremony.

Four more bachelorettes on Carbone's list were among the five women Matt eliminated at The Bachelor season's second rose ceremony, and the last bachelorette on the list (Khaylah Epps, a 28-year-old from Bronx, NY) was eliminated at the season's third Rose Ceremony.

Carbone has not released any additional information about which bachelorettes are eliminated during the next several Rose Ceremonies.

Carbone has acknowledged his spoiler information is much spottier than prior season given Matt's The Bachelor season followed the same format as last year's The Bachelorette season and was filmed at a single resort.

"So kinda like last season, I have information about things, but not necessarily full details," Carbone wrote in his blog.

RELATED LINK: 'THE BACHELOR' COUPLES NOW: WHO DID 'THE BACHELOR' STARS AND THEIR BACHELORETTE PICKS ACTUALLY END UP MARRYING? (PHOTOS)


"Same deal this season as I have things I was told, but without details behind it, you just never know."

Matt's dad also appears on Matt's The Bachelor season

According to Carbone, Matt also receives a surprise visit from his seemingly-estranged father, whom Matt has told multiple women about in conversations so far this season.

Matt revealed his father wasn't around much when he was growing up and his mother raised his brother and himself. Matt also gravitated towards friends with big families to fill that void and said his parents didn't set a good example of what a marriage should be.

"Just like last season where I reported [producers] were trying to get [Kelsey Weier]'s dad to show up for her hometown date, I guess they succeeded with Matt's," Carbone wrote in a January 26 blog post.

"I don't know the outcome. If it was contentious, if Matt got closure, if it's a touching moment, etc. Not sure."

In a preview The Bachelor has aired multiple times, Matt is shown sitting down outside on a curb as host Chris Harrison asks if he's okay. Matt replies, "No, I'm not."


Carbone now believes this scene had to do with the appearance of Matt's father.

"Either he'd just met him or was just told his dad is there to speak with him," Carbone reasoned.

"I know immediately people will think this is a low blow by the show because clearly they didn't consult Matt beforehand. Which is why I think that this meeting between Matt and his dad probably ends cordially at least."

Carbone doesn't think Matt's conversation with his father ended badly or else the show would look bad for not asking for Matt's consent first.

Regardless of the outcome, Matt's chat with his dad was likely a tough one and probably very emotional.

"But when it's over, Matt probably feels better," Carbone predicted. "I can't imagine for the life of me that Matt calls it a disaster/walks off set/f-bombs production for bringing him on, etc."


Carbone, however, clarified how he does not know the end result of Matt and his father's conversation.

Michelle Young, Rachael Kirkconnell, Bri Springs and Serena Pitt are Matt's Final 4 bachelorettes

In his January 4 spoilers blog post, Carbone claimed he only knew three of Matt's Final 4 bachelorettes for certain.

Carbone reported Serena Pitt, a 22-year-old from Markham, ON; Rachael Kirkconnell, a 24-year-old from Cumming, GA; and Michelle Young -- one of the five bachelorettes who joined the show later in the season -- made it to Matt's Final 4.

"I do not know who the 4th girl is," Carbone admitted, but added he had heard Bri Springs, a 24-year-old from Owatonna, MN, may have been the fourth member of Matt's Final 4 women.

"I haven't gotten the confirmation I needed... If/When I get solid confirmation, I'll let you know if Bri is in fact the 4th girl," Carbone wrote in his blog.

Carbone also clarified that he wasn't sure that would have meant Bri was eliminated from Matt's The Bachelor season in fourth place.


"I'm just trying to give you the 4 girls that got hometown dates. Serena P., Rachael, and Michelle definitely did," Carbone reported.

However, in a subsequent blog post on January 21, Carbone announced he had now confirmed Bri, Michelle, Rachael, and Serena were in fact Matt's Final 4 bachelorettes.

In addition, Carbone also revealed he had learned Abigail Heringer finished Matt's The Bachelor season in fifth place.

Matt's Final 3 bachelorettes are Michelle Young, Bri Springs and Rachael Kirkconnell

Given the pandemic, Matt's The Bachelor season reportedly used the same format as The Bachelorette's 2020 season and held its "hometown dates" at the Pennsylvania resort in which the rest of the season was also filmed.

"Their families came to Nemacolin just like on Tayshia's season where their families traveled to the location of filming due to COVID," Carbone wrote.

In his January 21 post, Carbone also revealed he had discovered Serena Pitt was eliminated after the hometown dates and finished in fourth place.


Serena's ouster therefore left Bri, Michelle and Rachael as Matt's Final 3 bachelorettes.

Matt's Final 2 bachelorettes are Rachael Kirkconnell and Michelle Young 

According to Carbone, Michelle Young and Rachael Kirkconnell finished as Matt's Final 2 bachelorettes.

"I was told 'Michelle and Rachael were final 2,'" Carbone wrote in his January 4 blog, explaining he was still unsure who had been Matt's third-place finisher.

But in his subsequent January 21 blog, Carbone revealed he had now learned Bri was eliminated after Matt's overnight dates with his Final 3 bachelorettes.

"Bri gets eliminated after overnights," he wrote.

Matt's BFF Tyler visited The Bachelor star on-location while the season was filming and revealed in an early December video log that Matt seemed "extremely happy."


"He loves his girls... He spoke so highly of them," Tyler shared. "He's really pushing himself to be vulnerable and put himself out there, and I think you're got to get a great season and a great Matt."

Tyler predicted, "I'm excited to see how all of this ends here, because Matt seems genuinely happy. I think we're going to get the ending we all want and have been missing for a while."

So who did Matt James end up with and pick as his The Bachelor winner?

In his January 4 blog, Carbone had insisted he was "positive" Serena Pitt and Michelle Young did not ultimately win Matt's heart.

Carbone reported in his January 4 blog post that he believed Rachael received Matt's final rose of the season.

"I was told, 'Michelle and Rachael were final 2, and Rachael wins,'" Carbone revealed.

RELATED LINK: 'THE BACHELOR' SEASON 25 BACHELORETTES: MEET ALL OF MATT JAMES' LADIES! (PHOTOS)


The spoiler blogger, however, wasn't totally confident in the knowledge he had about the winner.

"If you believe everything coming out of the small town of Cumming, GA, then it's Rachael Kirkconnell [who won]," Carbone explained.

"Because for the last month, all I keep being told out of Cumming is that Rachael won, and all her friends and family know and they're telling everyone."

But Carbone noted he heard similar information about Madison Prewett during Peter Weber's The Bachelor season -- and that information ultimately turned out to be incorrect.

(Peter got engaged to Hannah Ann Sluss at the Final Rose Ceremony after Madison quit the show in second place. After Peter and Hannah Ann split, Peter briefly reunited with Madison but the pair never really got their relationship off the ground and broke up within a few days).

"I never ran with it because I was never convinced it was that easy. And it ended up being wrong anyway," Carbone explained.


"Maybe Rachael did win. All I'm saying is that if she did, she, her family, and her friends are doing an awful job of keeping it secret."
 
Carbone therefore questioned if Rachael's alleged victory was another situation in which someone started a false rumor about her winning and it then spread like wildfire.

"I'm not 100 percent sold on it yet, but, I'm just telling you that's the one I've heard most," Carbone wrote.

The spoiler blogger said he expected to hear more details as Matt's season unfolded on TV, "but that's what I got for you right now." 

However, in his January 21 blog Carbone announced he had now gotten full confirmation that Rachael had in fact received Matt's final rose.

"Tuesday night into yesterday, I got the confirmation I needed about this seasons spoiler: Matt chose Rachael and is still with her," he wrote.

"I know it's been out there, but I don't base my spoilers on what anyone else reports. Never have, and never will. Been hearing it was her for a while but never felt fully secure saying with certainty he chose her."

Matt opted to send Michelle Young home before the final Rose Ceremony

In his January 26 blog post, Carbone reported he had also now learned that Matt did not follow The Bachelor's usual format and dump Michelle at the Final Rose Ceremony before choosing Rachael.

Instead, according to Carbone, Matt decided to send Michelle home early instead of embarrassing her and breaking her heart at the Final Rose Ceremony.

"Matt actually lets Michelle go before the final rose ceremony," Carbone wrote in his blog post.

It's rare viewers have seen The Bachelor star let a bachelorette go prior to the Final Rose Ceremony-dumping.

In Season, 23 The Bachelor star Colton Underwood had a similar outcome in which he decided to dump Tayshia Adams and Hannah Godwin during the overnight Fantasy Suite dates in order to pursue a relationship with only Cassie Randolph.

"Well, apparently it happens again and Matt eliminates Michelle before the final rose ceremony," Carbone wrote.

Rachael Kirkconnell and Matt James didn't get engaged

While Carbone stated Matt and Rachael are still together as a couple in his January 21 blog post, he clarified he wasn't sure they got engaged at The Bachelor season's final Rose Ceremony or if the couple may have gotten engaged since.

"I do not know if they're engaged or not," he wrote.

However on February 2, Carbone reported he had now confirmed Matt and Rachael did not get engaged at The Bachelor season's final Rose Ceremony.

"Matt did not propose to Rachael. They are still together today though," he wrote in a blog post.

"Everyone will basically say this relationship has zero chance because it doesn't have that 'label' of engagement, even though that's never mattered in the past since so many don't make it any way," he added.

"But I can already tell you him not proposing will immediately have people giving the hot take that these two won't make it. I mean, I don't think they will either, but not because he didn't propose."


"I don't think they'll make it because I don't think for a second Matt is ready for a serious relationship, and never was." 

RELATED LINK: 'THE BACHELOR' FRANCHISE COUPLES NOW: WHO IS STILL TOGETHER?? (PHOTOS)

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About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski