Everything We Know About Matt James' “After the Final Rose” (SPOILERS)

Spoiler Alert: This article contains spoilers for Season 25 of The Bachelor.

The 25th season of The Bachelor comes to a close with “After the Final Rose,” and based on ABC’s promos, the finale special will be nothing short of the drama we got to experience throughout Matt James’ topsy-turvy season. 

The COVID-19 pandemic made Matt James’ Bachelor season an unconventional one. Matt and the women were kept in a bubble in Pennsylvania, and Matt had never even been part of the Bachelor franchise before. It wouldn’t be the 25th season if “After the Final Rose” didn’t follow in its unconventionality. Typically, "ATFR" is aired live with an in-studio audience. Because of COVID-19, that of course will not be possible. So, when was Matt James’ “After the Final Rose” filmed?

According to Reality Steve, the top Bachelor franchise spoiler, who is right most of the time, “After the Final Rose” was taped on March 5. It’s likely this is mostly due to the pandemic, but there could be other factors at play. 

Apparently, it was supposed to be taped on March 1, but it got pushed back. Whether this is because of a possible COVID exposure or because of the hosting switch-up, we can’t be sure. Plus, there’s a major surprise that the producers have been teasing, so the pushed date may be due to securing that surprise.

After the controversy surrounding expected winner Rachael Kirkconnell, Chris Harrison was put on blast. He defended Rachael’s racist past in an interview with Rachel Lindsay, and didn’t give Rachel the chance to voice her opinion. Looking back on this, Chris realized he had a lot of learning to do when it comes to being anti-racist, and stepped down for the time being.

Taking over for Chris in “After the Final Rose” is former NFL player Emmanuel Acho. Emmanuel is especially popular right now for his extremely relevant show and book, both titled Uncomfortable Conversations with a Black Man. Emmanuel is the perfect person to step in and have the necessary conversations about race that need to be addressed for the Bachelor franchise to move forward.

In an Extra interview with Rachel Lindsay, Emmanuel revealed, “We had conversations [on “After the Final Rose”] that I don’t think have ever been seen or had on linear television … America will be gripping the edge of their seats as they watch this dialogue that they’ve likely never seen before.”

However, the next season of The Bachelorette will be co-hosted by former Bachelorettes Tayshia Adams and Kaitlyn Bristowe. They’ve rejected the idea that they are “replacing” Chris Harrison, but regardless, it’ll be fun to see a season full of girl power.

While there have been rumors for a while that Katie Thurston will be the next Bachelorette, the Bachelor franchise has another surprise in store for us, according to Reality Steve. Not only did Reality Steve confirm that Katie would be announced as the next Bachelorette on “After the Final Rose” after it was filmed, but she won’t be the only one.

Fans loved Katie for standing up to the bullies in the house and doing her best to shut down drama while being a sex-positive, fun personality. But many fans also wanted to see a woman of color as the leading lady after a season with the most diverse cast ever. It’s likely that the big surprise will be that Michelle Young, Matt James’ runner-up, will also receive her own Bachelorette season that will be filmed this summer.

While the producers are claiming that they wanted her all along but that she didn’t want to leave her classroom again to film, some believe that they brought her on board after the racial controversy facing the franchise.

Regardless, we’re all about having two Bachelorette seasons this year, and if their seasons are anything like Clare and Tayshia’s season, it’s going to be a good year for the Bachelor franchise.

You can catch the finale of The Bachelor at 8 p.m. ET on March 15, followed by "After the Final Rose" at 10.