Feb. 16--After two seasons of "The Bachelor" and one season of its spin-off "Bachelor in Paradise," Chicago bartender Amber James seems to be giving up on finding love on reality television.
"I don't think I am really good at this game," James, 30, told the Tribune in a phone interview last week.
James, who lives in Lincoln Park, didn't get a rose from Ben Higgins in the Jan. 25 episode of "The Bachelor." She was cut early by Chris Soules last season on the show and failed to meet a match in the summer series "Bachelor in Paradise."
And though James' name has been floated as a potential pick for "The Bachelorette" amid talk by ABC execs they are looking for a non-white lead, James said, "that's the last thing on my mind."
James' stint on "The Bachelor" this season looked doomed from the start. She and California chiropractic assistant Becca Tilley, who also competed for Soules' heart, were the last women introduced to Higgins in last month's Season 20 premiere, and Higgins looked more confused than excited to see the returning contestants.
James, who works at Hopsmith Tavern in the Near North Side neighborhood, also struggled to connect with Higgins while other contestants had no problem interrupting their fellow castmates to score time with him.
"I'm not as outgoing," James said.
An incident in the Jan. 18 episode likely sealed her fate. Florida veteran Jubilee Sharpe, who said she has a fear of heights, asked the women if they wanted to go on her one-on-one helicopter date with Higgins instead. The question irked her competitiors, who remarked that it seemed Sharpe was not grateful for her time with Higgins.
James later tried to confront Sharpe over her comment. The resulting interaction sparked some fans to call James a bully and at least one other to wish her dead.
Higgins wrote in his People magazine blog that he and James did not address the confrontation before the rose ceremony, where James was sent home empty-handed.
