Okay, What Actually Happened Between Matt & Rudi On Bachelor: Listen to Your Heart?

Things are already off to a dramatic start on The Bachelor Presents: Listen to Your Heart. Matt Ranaudo and Rudi, just Rudi, vibed early on in the premiere, but things changed when he invited Mel Taevin on a date instead of Rudi. The biggest issue wasn't just that Matt didn't take her, but that Rudi claimed that Matt told her the date was hers — only for him to change his mind at the last minute without warning. If you weren't taking meticulous notes throughout the first hour of Listen To Your Heart, you may have missed a few important details. Watching the initial scene back, it's entirely possible that the whole thing was a big misunderstanding due to Matt's total obliviousness and an all-around lack of good communication.

After getting the date card, Matt first grabbed Mel for a quick chat. Then he talked to Rudi. "Obviously we shared a connection," he told Rudi. According to the edit we see on Listen To Your Heart, she interrupted to say, "I would love to go on a date with you." Matt asked what kind of stuff she liked to do, and she answered that her ideal date would be making pasta and watching a scary movie. "That sounds fantastic," he said. The two of them then hugged and went their separate ways. That's when Rudi began saying she had the date in the bag. "I think it could be the start of something really great," she said. This is all, again, according to the edit.

But alas, when Matt publicly asked Mel out instead, Rudi took it like a slap in the face. "I'm like honestly pissed because I actually genuinely like Matt and, like, I'm so stupid," she lamented. It's entirely possible be that some of their conversation got edited out, and that somewhere in that lost footage, Matt may have promised Rudi the date, but it seems a lot more like a case of miscommunication. Matt talking to Mel first was a sign that he was probably going to invite her, especially after Rudi and Matt's chemistry stalled a bit the night before.

If you recall, Matt wanted to kiss Rudi in the hot tub, but she wanted to wait — justifiably so, as they had just met. But Matt left the encounter "confused," so it makes sense that this fast-moving guy hellbent on getting a rose would line up another connection with Mel to better his chances of staying on the show.

But if you're hoping for a smoking gun here, unfortunately Matt never outright promised the date to Rudi in the footage that we saw. He made polite conversation with her and talked about a potential date they could have, which was misleading to Rudi, however unintentional. Rudi also made an assumption, but it makes sense that she made that mental leap that he was going to ask her. It's pretty strange to talk about a date plan and then take someone else, so it seems clear that Matt could learn a thing or two about communication.

And it's probably a good thing this all blew up in episode 1: Rudi and Matt don't seem like the best match. In his ABC bio, Matt said he was looking for "a down-to-earth girl to share his life and dreams with, on and off the tour bus." Indie rocker Mel better fits that description, whereas Rudi is a big personality with big expectations. In her ABC bio, Rudi said she has "a crazy side" and that she wants "a man that can handle it and throw it right back at her."

These two were probably always going to burn out fast. It's just a bummer that it had to happen so dramatically.