Warning! Spoilers for Matt James' season of The Bachelor below!
Fans of The Bachelor should start getting excited, as Matt James will be getting an After The Final Rose ceremony this year. Unlike Tayshia Adams' season of The Bachelorette, production will be able to give the viewers an ATFR show. However, it won't be shot in front of a live studio audience like it has been before.
This will be the first ATFR in over the year since the latest season of The Bachelorette was unable to film one. Due to COVID-19 restrictions production was unable to film one in time and with the proper safety precautions. Fans were deprived of getting an update on Tayshia and her new fiancé Zac Clark's relationship, as well as what the other finalists have been up to since the show ended. Thankfully, Bachelor Nation will be able to get the updates they need from Matt and the women who have made it the furthest.
According to popular Bachelor blogger Reality Steve, the 2021 ATFR special for Matt James' season will be happening in 2021. However, it won't be a live episode like it's been in the past. The special is set to be taped around the end of February, giving the crew just enough time to quarantine before filming the new season of The Bachelorette in Alberta. Steve believes crew and production plan on heading up to Canada a week or so earlier than the cast, just like they did for Matt's season. This will take place between the end of February and the beginning of March, allowing everyone to be able to quarantine and get tested for two weeks. Filming will then take place the week Matt's season will air, meaning they will probably start filming around mid-March. Normally, The Bachelorette would take place once ATFR has already filmed, but due to the mandatory two-week quarantine filming, it has to start as soon as possible in order for the show to air over the summer.
Usually, during The Bachelor finale, the new Bachelorette is announced and gets to meet a handful of the men from that subsequent season. This year, the lead and the cast of men will already be quarantining at their hotels by the time Matt's finale airs. The men will first need to isolate themselves at the Los Angeles hotels before they can set out to Canada and begin another quarantine there. Production is taking every safety precaution they can in order to give the fans a proper ATFR finale and a proper Bachelorette season as well. As for Matt's Women Tell All special, Reality Steve reported that they plan on filming the show sometime next week in LA and will have around 10 to 12 contestants. The women should already be in LA so that they can complete the quarantine process and test negative in time for filming.
Matt's ATFR ceremony is set to air either March 15 or 16, depending on whether they will air a two-day finale like they've done in the past. This year's ATFR may not be like the rest, but at least fans will get the finale they missed from Tayshia's season.
The Bachelor airs Mondays at 8 pm EST on ABC.
Sources: Reality Steve