Rachael Kirkconnell fell hard for Matt James on “The Bachelor” Monday.
The controversial contestant, one of the last four women vying to win James’ heart, had a rough skydiving landing on a date with him. She yells “Oof” as she tumbles to the ground face-first with her instructor in the tandem parachute.
James, who had already landed safely, rushed to Kirkconnell as she lay on the ground. “Rachael literally slammed into the earth, hard,” he said.
Kirkconnell said her back was hurting and she appeared bruised, but she continued with the daylong date. She later said James’ nurturing impressed her. The Bachelor disclosed that seeing her in distress made him realize he was feeling love for her.
But many fans on Twitter weren’t feeling so sympathetic after allegations of Kirkconnell’s racist past emerged, including photos of her attending a slavery-era plantation-themed party and liking photos containing Confederate flags on social media. (She later apologized for her “offensive and racist” actions.)
James, who is Black, called the antebellum ball photos “incredibly disappointing” in an Instagram post Monday and said he was reevaluating his role on the show, which was taped before the revelations.
Support HuffPost
Already contributed? Log in to hide these messages.