The Bachelor's Heather Martin: What You Don't Know About Her

If The Bachelor is synonymous with anything, it's unexpected drama. From mid-season cast additions to ex-girlfriends showing up to eliminated contestants trying to win back the lead's heart, there's really no telling what exactly is going to happen, and Matt James' time on the show has been no exception. Featuring the first Black Bachelor in the franchise's history, Matt's season was hyped about before it even began. And given how much drama and controversy the season and its contestants have been a part of, it's no wonder that more unexpected twists and turns are in the mix.

Which leads us to Heather Martin, the golden girl of Colton Underwood's season of The Bachelor, who shocked everyone by pulling up to where Matt's season is taking place. She just had to meet him, despite his season already being halfway done. Who's to say just how well (or terrible) Heather's shocking return will go, but until her fate is revealed, we want to know just about everything there is to know about her. 

Who is Heather Martin? What's her life like outside of Bachelor Nation? We dug deep so you don't have to. Here's what you don't know about The Bachelor's Heather Martin.

It's always a bit of a shock when contestants on The Bachelor opt to go home on their own accord. After all, the coveted roses given out during each episode are treated like gold, and it never really seems to occur to us or viewers in general that contestants would choose to leave rather than stick out the process. But Heather Martin was one such individual who couldn't see her relationship with then-Bachelor Colton Underwood going the distance. 

In the seventh week of competition during a group date, Heather told Colton that she couldn't see their relationship working out and didn't want to introduce him to her family because of that. He seemed to respect where she was coming from, and the two went their separate ways, as reported by Vulture. At the time, she took to Instagram with a sweet message to Colton. "I wish you all the best always, and my warm and heartfelt memories of this experience will last a lifetime," she wrote. 

Of course, she seemed to save herself from some uncomfortable experiences because Colton's ex-girlfriend from the show Cassie Randolph later accused him of stalking her, according to the Los Angeles Times.

One of the side effects of The Bachelor is the close bond that some of the contestants form with each other. Heather Martin, while on Colton Underwood's season, met the iconic Hannah Brown and the two have been close ever since. Hannah B., of course, went on to be the Bachelorette and formed a very deep connection (and now friendship) with  contestant Tyler Cameron. 

Here's where the connections come together — Tyler's best friend is Matt James, and the three of them (Tyler, Matt, and Hannah) spent a large portion of the coronavirus quarantine together, as noted by Vulture. They even posted videos of their antics together on social media, becoming known as the #QuarantineCrew.

In her first appearance on Matt's season of The Bachelor, Heather told host Chris Harrison that it was Hannah B. who encouraged her to try her luck with Matt. "She just spent some time with Matt in quarantine. The first thing she said when she landed was, 'This guy is the perfect match for you,'" Heather said to Chris Harrison. "Hannah is one of my very best girlfriends. She knows Matt and loves Matt so much. Her telling me that — that meant something."

One of the highlights of The Bachelor is the limo arrivals. Some ladies exit their limos cool and collected. Others bring gifts, some come in costumes, and a few skip the limos completely and come up with elaborate ways to pull up to the mansion (just think of Queen Victoria showing up to Matt James' season on a literal throne). Unfortunately for Heather Martin, she could not roll up to the mansion in style, and she instead drove a white soccer-mom minivan. 

The footage of Heather driving such a vehicle in her stunning dress was a little cringey, but she used Instagram to clear up exactly why she rolled up in the wheels that she did. "So I just have to say, I legitimately pulled up to the rental car place and I don't know if they didn't have any other cars, but they're just like, 'So, is a minivan OK?'" she said in an Instagram Story, as noted by People. "And of course I didn't think twice and I was like, 'Yeah, I'd love a minivan.' I didn't realize until later that was a weird thing!"

A lot of former contestants on The Bachelor get a spike in social media followers both during and after their time on the show. As such, many of them land promotional gigs (think Sugar Bear Hair) and use their platforms to sell products and make a little bit of cash. Heather Martin definitely got a boost after her time on Colton Underwood's season. 

As of this publication, she has 255,000 followers on Instagram and uses her page to share snaps of her life and her work with paid partnerships. But here's where she differs from other former Bachelor contestants — Heather has capitalized on her platform by starting her own clothing line with her sisters called Tilted Three. The line is still in the development process, but she has been sharing updates about the venture on her social media. 

"Been working on something really fun for a while now with the sissies and it's coming SOON! Any guesses??" she posted on Jan. 27, 2021, along with a photo of her and her sisters in custom Tilted Thread beanies and t-shirts. With the Tilted Three Instagram account is made up of all promotional photos, it looks like the line will get moving quickly.

Just from her appearance alone, viewers could guess that Heather Martin is a Southern California native. She's just got that California-kissed look with her straight blonde hair, blue eyes, and perfectly tanned skin. She's also got that bubbly personality that is straight from SoCal, and from the look of her Instagram, she basically calls the beach her second home. 

As noted by ScreenRant, Heather was raised in San Diego, Calif. Born on Sept. 27, 1995, she grew up in the southern most tip of the Golden State and enjoyed the outdoor hobbies that came with it. According to her official Bachelor bio from her first run on the show, Heather is a fan of bungee jumping, river rafting, and skydiving — all very adventurous things, if you ask us. 

Since her first time on screen, Heather has taken to social media to post a variety of beach and bikini pics, calling Carlsbad Cliffs beach (just north of San Diego) home in a post of her sitting on the cliffs overlooking the ocean. Hopefully Heather will invite us on a beach trip soon!

You know it's bad when the producers of The Bachelor don't want something to happen. They're like the wizard behind the curtain, curating what we see week after week on television's most dramatic dating show. And according to host Chris Harrison, the producers of The Bachelor did not want Heather Martin on Matt James' season. 

"To be honest, I found out later that she had reached out to producers and Hannah [Brown] was involved in this," Harrison told Extra. "She thought Heather would be a good match for Matt... When they reached out, we said no." Harrison went on, saying that Heather and Hannah B. "kept fighting" to get her on the show, and it sounds like things got a little dicey. 

"We told her, 'Do not show up on our doorstep.' She did," Harrison said. "We said, 'Fine you want to come in? You want to do this?'... Matt had a very interesting dilemma and that's what you are going to see play out." Sounds like it was pretty bold of Heather to go up against the producers. Time will tell just how successful Heather's efforts to fall in love with Matt are.

Bachelor Matt James shocked viewers when he led his contestants in a prayer on night one. But perhaps it was something that caught Heather Martin's eye, because faith is a big part of her life too. She often takes to social media to recommend verses and lessons to her followers that resonate with her. 

"This morning I was reading 1 Peter 4:10 ... It talks about using the gifts we have been given to serve others," she posted on Instagram on Jan. 28, 2021. "It made me really stop and think about what actually brings me joy and how much better it is to give than to receive." 

Back in December 2020, Heather took to social media to share her thoughts on how scary life can get, and she noted the ways in which she overcomes uncertainty. Along with a lengthy post about being more bold in her life, Heather shared Bible verses that accompanied the sentiment. "I've come to realize that every single time I've stepped out in faith, putting my trust in the Lord, I left the situation feeling stronger, more empowered, and more confident," she wrote. Something for her and Matt to bond over, for sure.

The Bachelor franchise has a number of spin-offs, some more successful than others. Think Bachelor in Paradise, one of the best shows to come out of the franchise. But there have been others: Bachelor Winter Games, Bachelor Pad, and The Bachelor: Listen to Your Heart. And to top off a franchise that just keeps on giving, The Bachelor Live on Stage was born, and Heather Martin signed her sister up for it. 

As noted by Bustle, The Bachelor Live on Stage was announced during Hannah Brown's Men Tell All episode. Chris Harrison shared that the live stage tour, where contestants would have a Bachelor experience in front of an audience, was in the works. The live show was to be hosted by former Bachelor Ben Higgins and was aimed at finding love for one bachelor per show. 

Heather signed up her sister Shannon for one of the live shows and posted about the experience on Instagram. "She signed me up for @bachelorabc so I returned the favor and signed her up for @bachelorliveonstage," Heather wrote. But due to the coronavirus pandemic, The Bachelor: Live on Stage is on hold as of this writing.

Heather Martin got quite the platform after her first stint on The Bachelor and, as such, was featured in singer-songwriter Lawson Bates' music video for his song "Song for a Girl." Bates was formerly known for his part in Bringing up Bates, a reality show on UPtv that featured his family (Bates was one of 19 children). He turned his attention to music, and Heather landed the music video gig. 

"We wanted that carefree, summertime feel to be highlighted well in the official music video, and Heather definitely matched the vibe perfectly," Bates told People about the song and his choice of leading lady. And from the looks of it, Heather had a great time with the country singer. She told People that she had "always joked" about wanting to be in a country music video and was so surprised when her bucket list goal became a reality. 

"When Lawson reached out with this opportunity I was so excited," she said. "Lawson was amazing to work with and made the entire shoot so much fun — he had us laughing the entire time." Cute.

The Bachelor often focuses on the drama and tension between the female contestants. Even on Matt James' season, some of the ladies said that they weren't there to meet friends, but rather to compete for Matt's heart. Luckily for Heather Martin, no matter how her stint on Matt's season goes, she has her real-life sisters in her corner. Heather has often taken to social media to highlight her close relationship with her sisters, Shannon and Colie, and the three of them really are so sweet together. 

"These are two of the most humble, inclusive, wise, hilarious, and beautiful girls in the world," Heather wrote on Instagram on Feb. 7, 2021. "I will take any excuse to celebrate them!" Not only are they incredibly close, but the three of them look exactly alike, especially Heather and Colie. In a birthday post, Heather called her sister "the epitome of a bold, hilarious, thoughtful, and confident" and a lot of people took to the comments to ask if the two of them were twins. 

Life can be hard sometimes. Sisters make it better.

Contestants on The Bachelor are often accompanied on screen by their name, age, hometown, and occupation. Take Chelsea on Matt James' season: Chelsea, 28, runway model, Brooklyn, New York. That's typically how it goes. But Heather Martin was not granted such an on-screen introduction when she was first on The Bachelor because under her name was the occupation "Never Been Kissed." So, this left a lot of us are wondering what Heather actually does for a living. 

According to her LinkedIn, Heather works as an assistant program manager at Aethercomm, an electronic manufacturing company in Carlsbad, Calif. She has been in the position for over three years, having previously worked there as an assistant to the COO. A closer look on Heather's profile shows that she got her degree in marketing from Biola University's Crowell School of Business, and she previously worked in marketing consultant positions. 

So no, Heather doesn't just promote multi-vitamins, razors, and low-calorie candy on Instagram. She's a working lady with a Bachelor's degree, a good job, and a lot of love to give. 

Looking back on it, Colton Underwood's season of The Bachelor was a mess. He had some amazing contestants: Cassie Randolph, Caelynn Miller-Keyes, Hannah Brown, Tayshia Adams, and Heather Martin. Cassie and Colton got together after he dramatically jumped a fence for her, only to break up in a really messy way. Caelynn fell in love with The Bachelorette's Dean Unglert, both Hannah and Tayshia went on to become the Bachelorette, and we think that Heather got cheated. 

Heather was introduced as the contestant on Colton's season who had never been kissed, and it got a lot of traction on the show (especially considering that Colton was the self-proclaimed virgin who had to remind us of that fact every five minutes). The two really did seem like a cute pair, and Heather finally had her shining moment during their one-on-one date in Thailand. 

Under a sky of fireworks, Heather had her first kiss, and the moment was really cute. And in her first on-screen interview after that, Heather's "occupation" line was been changed from "Never Been Kissed" to "Has Been Kissed." The Bachelor producers really don't miss a thing.

When Heather Martin rolled up on The Bachelor, it seemed like she had never met Matt James before. Going off of what her bestie, Hannah Brown, told her about him, Heather trusted that despite no former introduction, she and Matt would hit it off. When she interrupted Matt during a cocktail party conversation, he looked stunned and said, "Heather?" like she was the last person in the world he expected to see. The two embraced, and she said, "It's nice to meet you!" 

But here's where things get sticky. Matt went on an episode of the Here for the Right Reasons podcast (that dropped on Feb. 2, 2021) and revealed that he had actually met Heather before she came on his season. "I have met Heather before [but] I had no relationship with her," he said (via Us Weekly)."I was just as shocked to see her as everyone else was when she arrives and I think it makes for a very interesting conversation." 

So we wonder what the truth is, and we can't wait to see what happens between Heather and Matt (and the rest of the ruthless ladies in the house).

Leave it to Reality Steve to report on all things Bachelor. He took to his website to shed light on Heather Martin's time on Matt James' season, and according to his reporting, Heather doesn't stay long. 

"She's literally there only a few hours as Matt sends her home the same day she arrives," he wrote. Reality Steve continued, saying that, at the time, he didn't know exactly why Matt sent Heather home so quickly, but he guess that it had something to do with the timing of her entrance. When Heather turned up, Matt's season was inching toward the coveted hometown dates, meaning things are getting serious between him and the ladies that are left. 

Reality Steve wrote that he's sure that Matt sent her home because it was just too late in the game. He noted, "I gotta believe that's at least part of Matt's reasoning, because it's pretty cold to send someone home right away who is a friend of your friend and who flew across the country and quarantined for a week before meeting you."