Farewell to Matt and Adam, 2 ‘Bachelorette’ contestants who never stood a chance with Rachel

Monday’s episode of The Bachelorette bid adieu to two more contestants — Matt Munson and Adam Gottschalk. Who? Exactly.

Fans of the ABC reality series can point out the frontrunners after just a few weeks in. For Rachel Lindsay’s season, it’s Bryan Abasolo, Peter Kraus and Dean Unglert. The three men had the chance to go on multiple one-on-one dates with the 32-year-old Texas lawyer, and more importantly, got screen time. It could end up being any one of them with the final rose, but of course, other cast members have to stumble along for the ride. This season it was Matt and Adam who had the honor of tagging along to witness Rachel fall in love with other men.

Let’s be honest here, nobody expected Matt and Adam to get this far — probably not even Rachel. The final six should have included pro-wrestler and single dad Kenny Layne, who ultimately ended up quitting in week six, and good-guy Will Gaskins, who was also eliminated the previous week after failing to move beyond a friendship with Rachel. Did Kenny and Will have a real shot with Rachel? Probably not. They didn’t have a “winner’s edit,” but they were still given ample screen time. They were two good men, gone too soon. And that’s how we ended up with Matt and Adam rounding out our top six.

Their elimination at the end of week seven wasn’t a surprise. The big shocker was that both men — who received virtually no screen time or one-on-one time with Rachel — actually seemed confident that they had a chance of taking Rachel home to meet their parents. As each date card arrived, Matt and Adam would perk up at the thought of finally getting their chance to dazzle Rachel in Switzerland. But the cards only brought disappointment for them as Bryan, Dean and Peter each joined Rachel for yet another one-on-one date.

The group date ended up being Matt, Adam and Eric Bigger, and poor Matt was the first to get cut. Rachel burst into tears as she explained to Matt that he reminded her a lot of herself. If the situation was different, then maybe they would have had a shot, she told him. Matt took it like a champ — and refused to leave without his champagne.

“I’m taking this with me,” he told her as he walked toward the car, glass in hand. It was a perfect, memorable goodbye for someone who had been unmemorable all season.

With Matt gone, Rachel was left with Adam and Eric. Who would be returning home with Rachel on their arm? Adam made one hell of a last plea, confidently telling the cameras that he knew he would be introducing Rachel to his family. But Adam didn’t get that final rose — Eric did.

“What just happened?” Adam asked the cameras after Rachel walked him out. “If she met my family this could have all gone different. She made a huge mistake, a massive mistake.”

What does that even mean, Adam? Unfortunately we’ll never get a chance to find out. But hey, cheer up Matt and Adam. At least you got a free vacation to Switzerland out of this.

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