The Feb. 15 episode of The Bachelor picked up after Heather Martin’s surprise arrival. Heather explained to Matt James that she came to the show to meet him after Hannah Brown told her they would be a good match. Matt was understandably caught off guard, but didn’t want to write off the possibility of a relationship with Heather. “She’s been so bold in how she’s pursuing me,” he said. “Up until the point where I’m engaged, I don’t want to leave this with any doubts.”
As Matt considered whether or not to keep Heather around, Heather confronted the remaining ten women who were also trying to find love with Matt. Naturally, they weren’t happy at the potential of Heather potentially adding to the competition, and they let Heather know it. One of the women accused her of “Bachelor hopping,” since she had already been on the show during season 23, and another flat-out told her, “I’m not convinced you’re ready for an engagement.”
After being attacked by the other women, Heather was in tears. “I did not expect them to come at me so hard and just treat me like I’m not worthy,” she admitted. She eventually left the room to avoid being called out even more. Meanwhile, Chris Harrison approached Matt to see how he was dealing with the situation.
“I have ten women here that have invested everything and sacrificed so much to be here and I’ve built relationships with them,” Matt explained. “But when someone I respect, like Hannah, who knows me and dated my best friend and knows what I’m looking for, puts her stamp of approval on somebody…that carries a lot of weight with me. Everything Hannah shared with me regarding Heather, it sounds like she checks a lot of those boxes.”