The Bach flashback: Matthew Hickl

The Bachelorette, Season 2 
I loved this season! Even took the day off work to be an audience member for After the Final Rose... so much fun.

On Feb. 25, 2004 when I was 23 and skinny, Meredith Phillips shocked Bach fans by choosing “vagabond” Ian McKee over my boy Matthew Hickl, the pharmaceutical rep southern gentleman. I was rooting for Matthew from the beginning, especially after Ian chose not to introduce Meredith to his parents during his hometown date and told his brother there was no way he would ever propose on TV. (He ended up eating his words and getting down on one knee during the finale.)

Despite the helmet head, Matthew won me over even more after he was rejected by Meredith and proceeded to tell her he was a better man for having known her. Later that year, he was featured as one of People Magazine’s most eligible bachelors where he said The Bachelorette made him a “better communicator,” and then pretty much fell off the Hollywood radar.

One year later in 2005, Meredith broke the Bachelorette lucky streak set by Trista and called off her engagement to Ian. But Matthew ended up finding his own happily ever and married a fellow Texan and model/dance teacher, Ellen McMillan, on March 24, 2007. 

Their wedding was featured in Weddings in Houston Magazine.

Side note - it's pretty funny searching for video and even photos from the early seasons of The Bach.  Thank you France for the little video of this season that can be found on YouTube!