Matt James Talks Standout Women and Reveals His Relationship Deal Breakers (Exclusive)

Religious differences aren't a big deal to Matt -- so what is?

Matt James couldn't have been happier with the women of his season of The Bachelor. Thirty-two ladies met the 29-year-old commercial real estate broker on his season premiere of the ABC dating show on Monday night, with quite a few standouts. 

In an interview with ET's Lauren Zima, Matt opened up about the contestants that caught his eye -- whether it was for their honesty or their bold entrances. 

Starting with the bold, there was Kaili, a 26-year-old hostess from Chicago, Illinois, who arrived in lingerie. She asked Matt to pick out her dress for the evening, and he appreciated her confidence. 

"Oh man, you're seeing women come out of limos... when I see this drop dead gorgeous woman come up and I'm like, 'Wait!'" Matt said of his shocked reaction to Kaili's entrance. "I'm just dying laughing because these type of things that are happening just humanize it. Like, OK, this isn't normal!" 

Another entrance that had him in stitches was the arrival of Katie, a 29-year-old bank marketing manager from Renton, Washington. She actually walked in with a vibrator. 

"Man, I was just hoping it was clean, because she's waving it in my face and stuff," Matt told ET. "It's like, man, we've got to make sure, you know what I mean? It was a lot." 

"You can't please everybody, and I thought it was funny," he shared. "It's who she is, that's how she wanted to come and represent herself and I thought it was awesome. I was comfortable doing something like that and I'm not going to shame her for that. That was dope. It was a super... ice breaker."

Abigail, a 25-year-old client financial manager from Beaverton, Oregon, earned Matt's First Impression Rose for a different reason. Fans saw them connect as Matt remembered details from her introduction, like how she wears a cochlear implant, and that her sister is also deaf.

"Abigail, I don't even know where to start. There's not a bad thing to say about her," Matt reflected. "She's just incredible." 

Rachel, a 24-year-old graphic designer from Cumming, Georgia, also majorly impressed Matt. "I just love her honesty," he said. "She is someone who was clear cut about why she was there, Night One." 

Brie, a 24-year-old communications manager from San Francisco, California, was one of the first ladies to arrive. Later, she bonded with Matt about their biracial identities and earned the first rose at the rose ceremony. 

"Brie, the first thing she shared out of the limo was super heartfelt and I just loved that message," he remembered. 

As Matt's season progresses, the ABC Food Tours co-founder told ET he'll get to know the women on a deeper level through serious conversations about things like race and religion. Having different religious beliefs isn't a deal breaker for Matt -- but other things are big obstacles. 

"Honesty [is a must-have]," Matt revealed. "We gotta be able to trust each other, so if you're a liar then that's a non-starter." 

Matt's second deal breaker is... spicy food. "My stomach is jacked. If you're throwing a bunch of spices in there and we're eating crazy, it's probably going to be a non-starter for them, because I'm going to be all gassy," he said with a laugh. "So, the spicy food is going to be hard." 

"The last thing, a person has got to be able to laugh," he added. You have to be able to laugh at yourself because life is too short to take everything so serious. So, [I need] someone to have fun with. You gotta have a good time."

The Bachelor airs Mondays at 8 p.m. ET/PT on ABC. See more in the video below. 

RELATED CONTENT: 

Latest News