Here's Everything To Remember About Chelsea From Matt's Bachelor Season

There’s a limited number of hours in a day, and — unfortunately for Bachelor franchise fans who wish they could watch the drama 24/7 — a limited number of hours in an episode of The Bachelor. That means some contestants simply don’t get as much airtime as others. But, luckily for them, there’s Bachelor in Paradise, where fan-favorites get to make their grand returns to Bachelor Nation. Chelsea Vaughn from Matt James’ Bachelor season is one of those contestants who joined Paradise this season to give fans more time with her.

Chelsea first joined Bachelor Nation in Season 25 in the hopes of finding love with Matt. Although she laid pretty low for most of the season, she did make it all the way to Week 6, which is certainly a feat. The 28-year-old also had a one-on-one date with Matt, during which she opened up in a memorable conversation about her relationship with her hair as a Black woman. But there’s a whole lot more to Chelsea than what fans saw on The Bachelor. Now that viewers are getting more of her on Paradise for Season 7, here’s everything fans need to know:

Chelsea Vaughn’s Real Job

Throughout Chelsea’s time on The Bachelor, she rocked a bunch of fabulous outfits (I still think about her faux fur jacket regularly). It makes sense that all those gorgeous clothes are a part of Chelsea’s wardrobe since fashion is literally her job. According to her LinkedIn, Chelsea graduated from the University of Georgia with a degree in fashion merchandising and then worked for several big brands like Coach, Michael Kors, and Aeropostale.

Then in 2019, Chelsea left her corporate job and signed with the New York modeling agency MMG. As a full-time runway model, Chelsea says her “dreams have literally come true, more than once.”

Chelsea Vaughn’s Social Media

Since she’s a professional model, Chelsea’s Instagram grid is filled with beautiful photos that could be straight out of a magazine shoot. Chelsea is based in Brooklyn, so her Instagram also features a ton of pics of her exploring New York City.

Not only has Chelsea mastered Instagram, but she’s also a pro at TikTok. Her TikTok account is the place to go for behind-the-scenes looks at her Bachelor franchise experience, including posts with some of her fellow Bachelor alum besties like Abigail Heringer. TikTok is also where Chelsea shows her sense of humor with posts highlighting the very weird nature of dating publicly.

Facts About Chelsea Vaughn

Chelsea may not have found love with Matt during his season of The Bachelor, but she did use her time on the show to start a very important conversation about race and hair. During a date with Matt, she talked about how she had a complicated relationship with her own hair and how she had an “emotionally freeing” experience of shaving her head. Later, Chelsea spoke about the value of that conversation on the Bachelor Happy Hour podcast, saying:

I watched the show since I was younger and there haven’t been that many Black contestants or there hasn’t been a Black Bachelor lead. Nobody’s going on there talking about their hair journey. And I think that some people might have — hopefully, they don’t anymore — but might see it as trivial because it’s like, ‘Oh, it’s just hair.’ And, like, even for a while, I felt like that. Like, I felt like it wasn’t important enough for me to bring up to people or it wasn’t a big enough of an insecurity to be valid. And then it wasn’t until I decided to shave it off that I realized how important it was and how much of an effect it had on me.

According to her ABC bio, Chelsea is looking for someone who can share just as openly as she does. She “really appreciates it when someone can be vulnerable and an open communicator.” Hopefully, she’ll find that person this time around on Bachelor in Paradise — or at least get some more screentime.

Bachelor in Paradise Season 7 airs Mondays and Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.