Matt James says he’s still ready to be one of Clare Crawley’s suitors on The Bachelorette .
The 28-year-old real estate agent, who shot to social media fame as part of Bachelor Nation hunk Tyler Cameron’s “Quarantine Crew,” revealed that he had been patiently waiting to meet Clare amid the show’s temporary production shut down last month.
James, who was one of the original 32 suitors announced for Clare’s season in early March, made it seem as though he still plans to date the 39-year-old Sacramento hairdresser on the show despite talk that Clare’s lineup of bachelors will be recast to include older guys.
“I’ve been very patient up to this point, and there is a young woman who’s in Sacramento right now that I’m looking forward to meeting once all this stuff settles down,” James told Us Weekly this week.
“So I’m hoping that I can be patient a little bit longer and ride this thing out and everyone’s safe and then we can get back to our daily lives and moving forward.”
When the topic of potential recasting for Clare’s Bachelorett e season was brought up, James reportedly changed the subject.
The “Quarantine Crew” member made a similar statement to Hollywood Life as he revealed that he still hopes to win Clare’s heart once production on the rose-filled reality show resumes. James made it clear he’s waiting to date Clare and doesn’t have his eye on anyone else right now.
“I have my eyes set on somebody right now and she’s in Sacramento and hopefully when all this stuff settles down, I’ll be able to meet her,” James told the outlet.
While James still has his heart set on meeting Clare, it’s unclear if The Bachelorette feels the same way about him. When production of The Bachelorette was suddenly shut down due to the coronavirus pandemic just days before Clare was supposed to meet her guys, host Chris Harrison joked to People that he wondered if Clare was spending her quarantine time looking up the male suitors that were cast to be on her season.
“I’m sure the first thing I would’ve done, if I got my phone back, was check out the contestants,” Harrison said.
Clare was originally supposed to meet 32 suitors ranging in age from 23 to 42, with an age average of 29, but they were released from their contracts when production shut down.
Future Bachelorette star Clare soon went on record as saying that since filming for the show is on an unexpected hiatus, perhaps new guys could apply for her season.
Clare’s close friend and fellow Bachelor in Paradise veteran Michelle Money also went online to ask fans to come up with suitable suitors for Clare, who will be the oldest Bachelorette star in history. Michelle emphasized that eligible guys in their 30 and 40s, and definitely no one younger than 29, should apply to date Clare.
Since James is only 28, he may not make the cut when it comes to Clare’s criteria. But he already has a built-in fan base thanks to TikTok clips and other videos he has appeared in with Tyler, Hannah Brown, and the rest of their crew.
