The Bachelor Presents: Listen To Your Heart is all about forming connections, but for some contestants, there’s a connection with more than one person in the house! Sheridan Reed is ALL in on Julia Rae, and while she’s definitely interested in him, she’s also been pursuing Brandon Mills. Brandon gave his rose to Savannah McKinley during the April 20 episode, but afterward, he told Julia that he’s still interested in seeing where things go between him and her. This four-way love-square is about to get messy during the April 27 episode, and someone’s bound to get hurt. As we wait to see what goes down, here’s more to know about Julia, who’s at the center of it all:
1. She’s a pageant queen. Former pageant beauties have come out of the woodworks BIG time during the last two seasons of The Bachelor, and Julia is bringing the trend to Listen To Your Heart. Julia was named Miss Pennsylvania Teen in 2008, and went on to compete at the Miss America Teen, where she was the first runner-up and Miss Congeniality/Spirit of America. In 2015, Julia was named Miss Philadelphia, as well.
2. She has cystic fibrosis. Julia was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis at birth. The disease can be life-threatening, but with help from recent breakthroughs in medicine to treat the disease, Julia has been able to stabilize her health. This has helped her put her focus on her music career and finding love.
3. She’s a college graduate. Julia graduated from Fordham University, and since then, has split her time between Philadelphia, New York City and Los Angeles as she pursues her dreams of being an entertainer.
4. She runs her own non-profit. When she was just 16 years old, Julia founded Singing at the Top of My Lungs. The company is a non-profit organization, which raises money to fund music therapy programs and empower children who’ve faced challenges while pursuing careers in music. Of course, Julia was inspired by her own battle with cystic fibrosis in starting this organization.
5. She’s been singing since she was six years old. Julia began her music career in musical theater when she was just a child. Now, she mostly sings pop music, although she’s been known to mix in other genres, as well.