She’s a blast from the past.
“Bachelor” fans were surprised to see former franchise contestant Heather Martin show up to shoot her photo with current protagonist Matt James.
The 25-year-old – who originally appeared on Colton Underwood’s season of “The Bachelor” – caused a furore on last week’s episode when she appeared out of the blue and asked to join this season. The episode was cut short as she approached James.
On season 23 of “The Bachelor,” which aired in 2019, Martin made headlines for never being kissed. On the show, she got her first kiss from Underwood.
Although they had never met, James recognized Martin immediately.
If this sounds complicated, that’s because it is: While he was vying for Underwood’s heart, Martin befriended fellow contestant Hannah Brown, who later became ‘The Bachelorette’. Although Brown did not end up with contestant Tyler Cameron, she remained close friends with him. Cameron is best friends with James, which is how he ended up as this season’s leader. James and Brown are also very close.
Martin claimed to be hosting Chris Harrison that it was Brown who gave her the idea of getting on “The Bachelor” to meet James before he was engaged, because Brown thought the two would be a good couple.
Like many former ‘Bachelor’ participants, Martin works as an influencer (she has 256,000 Instagram followers). She is based in Carlsbad, California, a beach town on the south side of the state.
Last September she starred in a music video called “Song for a Girl” by country artist Lawson Bates.
Martin has a strong Christian faith and regularly posts Bible verses on her Instagram stories. Her Instagram bio calls out Mark 10:45, which says, “For even the Son of Man came, not to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
She has two similar sisters, Colie and Shannon. The trio will soon be starting a merchandise line together called Tilted Three. They teased the project on Instagram.
She is also known for her cheerful disposition.