Rachael Kirkconnell, one of many women competing for Matt James' heart on this season of The Bachelor, has yet again found herself in a compromising position after new photos emerged of the Georgia native allegedly attending an "Old South" Ball in an antebellum plantation dress.
So far, Matt James' season of The Bachelor has had just as much drama on-screen as off it. Rachael, who had a romantic shopping date with Matt James on this week's episode of The Bachelor, has been embroiled in controversy since before the season began. The first allegation came from TikTok, where user @maddybierster posted a video claiming that she went to high school with Rachael, and claimed she used to bully girls for liking Black guys. Weeks later, photos emerged of Racheal wearing a stereotypical Native American costume for Halloween a few years ago. Fans began a deep dive of her social media and found that she'd liked some of her friend's more controversial photos, like women wearing MAGA hats and posing in front of the Confederate flag. Given the recent spoilers about Rachael's run on The Bachelor, the allegations are especially relevant to members of Bachelor Nation.
Now, new photos raise even more questions. One savvy Reddit user found photos from 2018 of what the user claims is Rachael Kirkconnell attending an Old South Ball, which celebrates Southern plantation life. The ball was thrown by the fraternity Kappa Alpha, which is a historically racist fraternity, according to The New York Times. The frat has historical ties to the KKK and claims Robert E. Lee as its "spiritual founder." Many chapters hold an Old South Week each year, during which they dress in Confederate uniforms and parade around their college campus. Old South Week ends with the Old South Ball, which is an invite-only event. Rachael Kirkconnell snagged herself an invite during her senior year of college in 2018, and there are photos that allege she was there. One photo is a selfie in a pink antebellum dress with two friends, and the other is a group shot of all the women invitees in their ruffled, hoop-skirted dresses, sitting in the grass.
Matt James recently seemed to come to Rachael's defense, saying that she deserves "the benefit of the doubt." However, his statement predates these newest photos. Reality Steve seemed to want to set the record straight too, asking his Twitter followers if they'd like him to interview Racheal's friends or family to clear up the rumors. Now that these photos have emerged, he may have to walk back that idea, or risk facing backlash from fans, who are already expressing even more disappointment in Rachael.
If Rachael was hoping to not have to speak on all of the negative information discovered about her, she may not be able to avoid it now if these photos are indeed of her.
Source: Reddit