While contestants go on The Bachelor claiming to be looking for love, viewers know it’s also for those Instagram followers. The women on Matt James’s season are no different.
Bri Springs even was accused of hacking Twitter to get herself verified.
Nowadays, members of Bachelor Nation are considered celebrities in their own right after becoming reality TV stars, with some becoming influencers on Instagram.
Bachelor Data Analyst took account of how many followers the top 4 women from Matt James’s season of The Bachelor gained from the start of the season to the finale.
Rachael Kirkconnell gained the most Instagram followers
“A look a the final 4 Instagram growth compared to the last 2 seasons. Final chart merges the 3 seasons.”
Despite the controversy, or possibly because of it, Rachael Kirkconnell still managed to gain the most followers during her time on The Bachelor.
It is typical for the winner to gain the most followers out of all the other contestants, but her number of followers grew significantly after Episode 5.
In fact, her number of followers peaked around the time news broke of her posting pictures from a photo shoot at a plantation, bringing in almost 500k new followers in total.
Many may have suspected that runner-up Michelle Young would’ve gained the next highest number of followers, but that isn’t the case.
Bri Springs, the third to last contestant who was sent home after the overnight dates, came in second when it comes to followers.
However, it was neck and neck between the two. Michelle brought in just under 200k followers while Bri brought in just over 200k followers.
Michelle actually started with the lowest number of followers. However, this isn’t that surprising since Michelle was a late arrival.
Michelle entered the show with a group of new arrivals during Episode 3. Her viewership soared following Episode 4, and she surpassed Serena P with the third-most followers gained.
Serena P gained the least followers out of the four. This tracks as she went home earlier than the rest of the women.
How many followers Matt James’ women gained compared to other seasons’
While Rachael may have gained the most followers during Matt’s season, this doesn’t compare to the number of followers that the winners from Colton and Peter’s seasons gained.
Even though Madison P didn’t win The Bachelor, she did end up being Peter’s final pick and left the season with over 1 million followers.
Technical winner Hannah Ann Sluss also gained around 750k followers.
Additionally, Cassie Randolph who won Colton’s season of The Bachelor, gained over 800k followers.
The followers gained from Peter and Colton’s seasons blows those from Matt’s season out of the water.
The three finalists from Peter’s season all surpass Rachael who gained the most followers during Matt’s season.
It’s hard to say whether this is a statement on Matt’s season, the current state of the franchise or the race issue at hand.
The Bachelor is currently on hiatus on ABC.