What Matt James' Body Language Was Really Saying During The Bachelor Finale

Right up till the middle of The Bachelor's season finale, it seemed to be an even toss-up as to who was going to get Matt James' final rose. Would it be Michelle Young, who was part of the second string of women brought to the show, or Rachael Kirkconnell, who seemed to get Matt's attention from the start? Though we'll never know exactly what was going through James' mind at that moment, his face and gestures revealed more than perhaps even he realized. The List exclusively spoke to life coach and relationship expert Nicole Moore, who helps women find partners through her Love Works Method. She decoded the clues that indicated who Matt's final choice would be.

During the finalists' meeting with James' mother and brother, Moore says the Bachelor felt a genuine connection to both women. With Michelle, "Matt had his hand on [her] knee and their hands were intertwined at the start of Michelle meeting his family," she says. "His body language ... indicated comfort with her and a high level of closeness." During Rachael's visit, Moore notes, Matt sat more closely to her on the couch as they spoke to his mother, with their shoulders touching intimately. "It's clear ... that he felt more bonded and united with Rachael," says Moore. That sense of partnership may be what prompted Matt to break it off with Michelle on their final date, rather than stringing her along till the last minute.

Once Matt made his final choice, it was just a matter of whether he would make it official with a proposal. When Matt opened with his declaration that she was the one he'd been searching for, "Rachael looked up at him with bright, unblinking expectant eyes," says Moore. "And she started shaking her head yes many times — a body language indicator that she was in agreement and becoming more hopeful." Then the Bachelor's tone changed, and Rachael took a very deep breath, as if bracing herself to hear the worst. "She went on the emotional roller-coaster and was hanging on every single one of his words," says Moore.

Moore notes that Matt held direct eye contact with Rachael, indicating that "he was there for her, solid and unwavering." Yet, she adds, "he still held back at the end of the day" by not proposing. Matt sucked in his lips at two significant times during the encounter: first before admitting that he wasn't ready to propose; and the second time after they agreed to keep exploring their relationship. This indicates Matt may have been reluctant to disappoint Rachael by not offering a ring. Afterward, "he was literally trying to hold himself back from smiling as much as he wanted," says Moore. "In truth, Matt was ecstatic but perhaps, he still didn't feel comfortable in that moment sharing how excited he was to be committing to Rachael."

Sadly, as fans know now, that closeness and excitement was nowhere to be seen on After the Final Rose.