The Bachelor host Chris Harrison anticipates Matt James is going to be "an amazing" Bachelor and his cast of women will be very lucky to date him because he's a "diamond in the rough."
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Late last month, Matt took to his Instagram Stories and tagged his location as Nemacolin Woodlands Resort in Farmington, PA, where The Bachelor is set to film its 2021 season instead of at the famed Bachelor mansion in Agoura Hills, CA.
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"We have not started production yet," Harrison told Access in a video interview. "We're all getting into the bubble and quarantining again."
On September 29, Reality Steve spoiler blogger Steve Carbone tweeted Matt's season is going to start filming on October 10. The cast therefore probably began quarantining at the Pennsylvania resort last week.
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As long as Matt's season begins production on schedule, ABC should be able to roll out the premiere of Season 25 in January 2021.
"Matt James is going to be an amazing Bachelor," Harrison gushed. "There's a reason we named him early and there's a reason he's been on our radar to begin with."
Matt came into the limelight last year as The Bachelorette alum Tyler Cameron's best friend given Tyler frequently posted photos with him on Instagram.
Matt was initially selected to compete for Clare Crawley's heart on The Bachelorette's sixteenth season, but ABC chose to promote him and announce him as the Bachelor prematurely instead.
Matt's The Bachelor casting announcement was made in mid-June on Good Morning America.
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Harrison called Matt "an amazing man," adding that the 28-year-old real estate broker is "smart" and "obviously easy to look at."
"He has the Tyler C. abs he's bringing to the table," Harrison joked. "[Matt] is a sweet, philanthropic guy and a family guy who loves his mama."
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Due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, it's assumed Matt's The Bachelor season will be filmed at the Nemacolin Woodlands Resort all season long given it would be risky -- and in some cases, not possible -- to travel around the U.S. and internationally.
The look of Matt's season will therefore resemble Season 16 of The Bachelorette starring Clare and Tayshia Adams, which appeared to wrap filming on the West Coast at La Quinta Resort & Club in Palm Springs, CA, in late August.
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"I think these women are going to be lucky to have a guy like this to fall in love with, and we're lucky to have him as our Bachelor," Harrison noted of Matt.
"He's the kind of guy that The Bachelor was built on -- that diamond in the rough, that guy that everybody is lucky to have around. I think we are going to really have a blast shooting with him."
Harrison joked he's not looking forward to his gym sessions with Matt but he's definitely "looking forward to him being the Bachelor."
Matt will be the first black The Bachelor star ever. ABC has cast only one black lead, Season 13 The Bachelorette star Rachel Lindsay, in 40 seasons and 18 years of The Bachelor and The Bachelorette prior to Matt.
Having Matt as the new Bachelor is "another step in the right direction," according to Harrison.
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"I think the first step we took was important and that was, you know, years ago and admitting there's an issue. We need to do better, and that allows you to get to the next step -- which is just as important -- and that is, 'What can we do? How do we make change?' And we slowly started to make those changes," Harrison told Access.
"You saw it on [Peter Weber's The Bachelor] season. Peter's season was easily the most diverse we've ever had. Clare's season, you've met the guys -- quite a lot [of diversity]. And obviously Matt James has been introduced [as the new Bachelor]."
Harrison said The Bachelor franchise "will continue to do better."
"And that's all we can do. We haven't fixed this; it's not perfect. We will continue to take strides," Harrison said.
Harrison explained some of the changes being implemented are "behind the scenes" in the show's "hiring practices" for the crew and production.
"A lot of changes have been made behind the scenes that I'm really proud of, and again, it's all just change that needs to have taken place," Harrison noted.
"And I hope we can be a part of the good... When you see the bad, you have to try to change it. That's all you can do."
Harrison admitted the change won't happen fast enough to please everyone -- and it never will -- but he and the show's producers are doing the best they can.
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"You can't go through life trying to please everybody all the time, because you just won't, it's impossible," Harrison reasoned.
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In addition to being the first male lead of color for the franchise, Matt will also be the first The Bachelor star who did not appear on The Bachelorette before landing The Bachelor role since Matt Grant starred on Season 12 in 2008.
Beginning with Jason Mesnick in 2009, every The Bachelor star has been someone who had previously competed as a suitor on The Bachelorette, with the exception of the show's 2011 season which featured Brad Womack getting a second chance at love after initially starring as the Bachelor in 2007.
ABC acknowledged in June that ABC has "a responsibility" to implement diversity in The Bachelor franchise.
"We know we have a responsibility to make sure the love stories we're seeing onscreen are representative of the world we live in, and we are proudly in service to our audience," ABC Entertainment president Karey Burke said in a statement at the time.
"This is just the beginning, and we will continue to take action with regard to diversity issues on this franchise. We feel so privileged to have Matt as our first Black Bachelor and we cannot wait to embark on this journey with him."
"Matt has been on our radar since February, when producers first approached him to join Bachelor Nation, as part of Clare's season. When filming couldn't move forward as planned, we were given the benefit of time to get to know Matt and all agreed he would make a perfect Bachelor."
ABC reality chief Robert Mills told Ryan Seacrest during a late June appearance on On Air with Ryan Seacrest that The Bachelor had already seen a "record-setting pace" of 6,500 applicants for Matt's season by that point, which he called "fantastic."
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