Bachelor Matt James Vows to 'Get to the Bottom' of Bullying in the House as 5 New Women Arrive

The Bachelor: 5 New Women Arrive in Sneak Peek — and One Is Accused of Being an 'Escort'

"People have gone out of their way to find me and tell me, 'Oh my God, watch out for this girl,'" one contestant claims in the clip

This post contains spoilers from Monday's episode of The Bachelor.

This week's episode of The Bachelor picked up with Matt James reflecting on Sarah's departure.

"It's hard, because I really felt something with Sarah in the time that we spent together," he said. "We talked about a lot of stuff that I hadn't shared with anybody. And what if there are going to be more women that don't want to be a part of my journey? That's a really scary feeling."

MJ and Victoria felt relieved that Sarah left, though. "The trash took itself out," Victoria snarked.

Katie asked Victoria to stop ragging on Sarah, who left in part to be with her father, who suffers from ALS. "No, I won't stop, Katie," Victoria responded. "I'll do whatever the f--- I want."

RELATED: The Bachelor's Sarah Trott Encourages 'Women Supporting Women' After Tense Exit from Show

While the remaining ladies went on a group date with Matt, Victoria confronted Katie about their earlier conversation and asked the bank marketing manager for an apology. "You told me to stop when I wasn't done expressing myself," Victoria told Katie.

Craig Sjodin via Getty (2) Katie; Victoria

Katie informed Victoria she wasn't going to receive an apology. "Expressing yourself and name-calling are two different things," Katie pointed out.

"Well, I can do whatever I want, and I can express myself with name-calling when I choose to," Victoria retorted.

Katie called Victoria "toxic and rude," and Victoria implied that because Katie brought her dildo on the show, she wasn't ready for an engagement. "If you tried to shut me down again, I probably wouldn't," Victoria threatened.

FIRST GROUP DATE

Despite feeling down about Sarah's early exit, Matt embarked on a group date with Abigail, Chelsea, Jessenia, Mari, MJ and Pieper.

MJ pulled him aside first and checked in on how he was feeling with everything going on, then Chelsea showed him photos from her childhood with her mom. The picture of young Chelsea featured her with straight hair, which prompted the model to discuss her relationship with the look.

Craig Sjodin/ABC

"I think people don't realize how emotional hair can be, especially for Black women," Chelsea told Matt. "Because I literally have been chemically straightening my hair since I was 2 years old. All my friends are white, my school was white and I didn't even feel comfortable leaving my house without my hair being straight. There were times I had so much anxiety and stress about what people would think. It's definitely a unique experience Black women have with their hair."

At the end of the group date, Matt said he appreciated MJ's openness and Abigail discussing what she wants in a partner, but Chelsea ultimately received the rose.

ROSE CEREMONY

Next up, it was time for a cocktail party and rose ceremony. While Matt spoke with Victoria about her concerns with the process ("I'm used to knowing if a guy's interested in me, so it's like, scary," she said), host Chris Harrison interrupted to tell the Bachelor that five more women would be arriving to meet him.

"We had a record response from women who wanted to be on this show," Chris explained before the new batch of ladies stepped out of the limo.

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Craig Sjodin/ABC Matt meets Brittany.

First up: Brittany, a 23-year-old model who decided to "make up for lost time" by making out with Matt the minute they came face-to-face.

Then Matt met Michelle, a 27-year-old teacher from Minnesota, followed by dancer Ryan, 26, from New York City. ICU nurse Kim, 27, showed up next and former Miss Puerto Rico Catalina, 29, rounded out the new arrivals.

Not surprisingly, the original group of contestants did not take kindly to the twist. Victoria called the women "random a-- hoes" and swiped Catalina's crown off her head. "I think I should have that crown, actually," she said, placing it on her own head.

RELATED: The Bachelor's Victoria Larson Was Arrested for Shoplifting in 2012

Craig Sjodin/ABC Matt meets Catalina.

Matt took a deep breath before stepping inside, knowing there would be issues ahead. "There is a 100 percent chance there will be hostility," he said in an on-camera interview. "There is a 100 percent chance there's going to be drama and I'm in trouble."

Once inside, Matt continued talking to his suitors and getting to know the newcomers.

Then, at the rose ceremony, the former Wake Forest football player gave roses to: MJ, Pieper, Bri, Magi, Michelle, Mari, Ryan, Kit, Serena C., Abigail, Katie, Victoria, Lauren, Brittany, Jessenia, Anna and Catalina. That meant Khaylah, Kim and Kaili went home — and four of the five new girls received roses.

SECOND GROUP DATE

Mari, Bri, Abigail, Brittany, Ryan, Catalina, Magi, Anna and Victoria joined Matt on the next group date of the week, which former Bachelor Ben Higgins helped plan. Matt gave Ben an update on the arrival of five new women. "It's like I'm back to square one," Matt said of his growing dating pool. "I'm happy they're here, but it's scary, because what if the relationship there is stronger than the ones I've already formed?"

For the date, the women competed in the "Fall in Love Fest," which included kayaking and digging for an acorn dressed as a squirrel. Mari won the competitions and received an acorn trophy. "These nuts are yours," Chris said upon handing Mari the golden prize.

Craig Sjodin/ABC Matt James and Ben Higgins

During the group date afterparty, Brittany interrupted Anna's time with Matt — which Anna did not take well. Turns out, Anna recognized Brittany from back home in Chicago and revealed she supposedly had received warnings about Brittany coming on the show from mutual acquaintances.

"She is entertaining men for money," Anna told Victoria of Brittany.

Anna elaborated further in an on-camera interview, "There is a rumor that because she knows all the rich men in Chicago, Brittany may be an escort. She may be having a transactional relationship with wealthy men."

After Bri received the group date rose, Anna confronted Brittany about the rumor and Brittany denied it. "It's just so ridiculous to even say that," Brittany told Anna in front of the group. "I've had a boyfriend my entire life, like since I was 16. Making a conclusion about me before you even know me, that's s---y. I don't know, I just feel like everyone's against me right now."

"Then get out the house," Victoria responded.

ONE-ON-ONE

New girl Michelle received this week's one-on-one date, which the OGs did not appreciate. They felt increasingly jealous when they saw Matt and Michelle float above Nemacolin in a hot air balloon. Matt and Michelle kissed and then ate dinner surrounded by classic cars.

During the meal, Matt asked Michelle about her experience as a teacher. She shared the complications of discussing social justice issues with her students after George Floyd died last year at the hands of a police officer in Minnesota, where she teaches.

Craig Sjodin/ABC Matt James and Michelle

"Some people consider it a touchy topic, right, to talk about?" Michelle said. "But parents wanted to have that conversation. You know what I mean? That's a start somewhere, that they're realizing this is a conversation we actually need to sit down and have."

Michelle used a Maya Angelou quote during the evening that Matt recognized as one of his favorites, deepening their instant connection even more.

RELATED: Bachelor Matt James Sets the Record Straight on Dating Black Women — 'I've Dated Across the Board'

"The conversation with Michelle is flowing a lot smoother than some of the women who have been in the house for four weeks now," Matt admitted to the cameras. "We're able to have fun, go up in hot air balloons, have this great experience during the day and then we're able to really dig deep and talk about things that matter and things that are going to affect the future. And that's the type of depth that I'm looking for in a woman."

Of course, Matt gave Michelle a rose, telling her, "I don't want to scare you, but I wouldn't be here if I wasn't serious about finding a wife. And I know it's wild to think about something like that happening so quickly, but I felt so comfortable with you today and you embody all the qualities I'm looking for in a woman."

Michelle called her time with Matt "the best date anyone could ask for" in an on-camera interview, and Matt said he loved everything he had learned about Michelle so far.

"The thought that someone like Michelle could be someone that I call my wife is exciting," Matt said. "And what I've learned about her, her story, who she is as a woman and where she's going, I've seen all I need to see."

THIRD GROUP DATE

Katie, Pieper, Serena P., Rachael, Kit, Chelsea, Jessenia, Lauren, Serena C. and MJ went with Matt on the final group date of the week. Professional boxer Mia St. John helped the women prep for the day because they'd be getting in the ring to box one another, and Bachelorette alum Wells Adams joined Chris behind the announcers' desk to call the matches.

Craig Sjodin/ABC Mia St. John and Matt James

Katie beat out Jessenia, Serena C. bested Kit, Rachael faced off against Pieper, and Serena P. took a shot to the nose from Lauren, which earned Serena P. some extra one-on-one time with Matt.

At the afterparty, Rachael expressed to Matt the stress she felt when new women entered the house, but Matt reassured her with a kiss. He also smooched Pieper when they cuddled under a blanket by the fire pit.

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The bashing of the new women continued as the others waited for time with Matt. MJ called the original group the "varsity squad" and Chelsea snickered when Katie suggested making the newbies feel welcome in the house.

So Katie took matters into her own hands and confronted Matt about "the bullying that's kind of been happening in the house," likening the women's attitudes to a "mob mentality." "It's just a toxic environment," Katie told Matt. "And there's some pretty bad rumors that are starting about the new girls that literally could ruin their lives."

Katie asked Matt to address the issue at the upcoming cocktail party, and he agreed. "That's something that I'll never stand for and I'm going to address tomorrow," he said.

The North Carolina native also didn't want to end up with a mean girl who had wormed her way into his heart. "The fact that somebody in the house thinks that they're going to be able to bully their way to my heart — that's not how it works," Matt told the cameras. "It's not something that I want to be part of this journey, and I need to get to the bottom of it."

The Bachelor airs Mondays (8 p.m. ET) on ABC.