‘The Bachelor’ spotlight: Is Amber James’ third time the charm, this time with Ben Higgins?
Amber James is someone who “Bachelor” fans are probably very familiar with at this point. She was on last year’s show with Chris Soules, only to then return for “Bachelor in Paradise” over the summer. She’s not a Chris Bukowski level of overexposure yet with the franchise, but this is a lot of TV time over the course of one year … especially for someone who feels like a normal person and isn’t really a huge character.
The question that we have to wonder going into this spotlight article is mostly why Amber felt that she needed to come back for Ben Higgins’ season, and then also what the show wanted from her in making this decision.
Age – 30
Occupation -Bartender.
Hometown – Chicago, Illinois. It’s a relative hotbed of contestants for this franchise. Nick Viall, Whitney Bischoff, and Ed Swiderski are just three notable names with ties to the city.
Things to know – A former winner of “Chicago’s Hottest Server,” Amber’s past appearances have been marked with a little bit of drama, but mostly just an inability to make any sort of relationship stick. She’s social, but we feel like she has struggled to stand out and show that vulnerable side.
Strengths – There is experience that comes with being on this franchise, and it helps to get some of the initial nerves out of the way. She probably won’t be as shy on-camera, and will know what to say and when to say it. Her job in itself helps her to be a little bit more of a “people person.”
Problem areas – After Nick almost won Kaitlyn Bristowe’s season, we imagine that the target will be even more on a returning contestant this season than ever before. With Becca Tilley also coming back, either she or Amber will probably be cut early, if not both. Also, the concern with being on three editions of this franchise in a year (as compared to Becca’s two) is that you really love being on TV.
Prediction – We think that Amber seems nice enough, but she just hasn’t been able to find the right chemistry on these shows. She’s never been a frontrunner, and that will probably be the same here. Maybe she doesn’t leave first night, but we have her in that category of people gone before the end of episode 3.
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