The Bachelor Nation is no stranger to Dancing with the Stars, which might give Matt James an advantage.
Three Bachelor stars have won on DWTS, with Melissa Rycroft winning the all-stars 15th season, Hannah Brown winning the 28th season, and Kaitlyn Bristowe winning Season 30.
With six other Bachelor stars appearing on the reality competition series, Matt James will be number 10 and hopes to be the third to bring home the Mirrorball trophy.
He also has a former Bachelor star giving him advice.
Hannah Brown getting Matt James ready for DWTS
Before Matt James starred on The Bachelor, he showed up as a friend of Tyler Cameron, who was a contestant on Hannah Brown’s season of Bachelorette (Season 15) in 2019.
Matt James was going to join the show the next season for Clare Crawley’s season, but he backed out and ended up as the lead for Season 25 of The Bachelor, the first Black lead in franchise history.
During the coronavirus pandemic, there was a period where Tyler, Hannah, and Matt spent a lot of time together in quarantine. The friendship has lasted.
James spoke to ET Online about appearing on Dancing with the Stars as the lastest Bachelor contestant on the show. He said that he has gotten a lot of help from Hannah Brown, who won the entire competition.
“Hannah Brown, Breezy, my girl, she gave me the lowdown on what I need to do,” James said. “[She’s] making sure I have all of my ducks in line.”
Brown wouldn’t give any of her tips, saying, “I can’t give away my secret sauce.”
James also said he plans on reaching out to Kaitlyn Bristowe when he gets a chance, but he did say her fiance Jason Tartick gave him some pointers.
Matt James on Dancing with the Stars
Matt James is coming to Dancing with the Stars and he is clean-shaven for the first time since his season of The Bachelor ended.
“There wasn’t an emotional connection to the beard. It was time to go. It’s a new chapter,” Matt explained. “Growing the beard was to get away from looking like the Bachelor because that was something I did. It’s not who I am.”
This is good news for fans who couldn’t stand the beard.
The question now is how he looks on the dance floor and whether he can match up to his bestie Hannah Brown when the competition starts.
Dancing With the Stars Season 30 premieres Monday, September 20, at 8/7c on ABC.