San Diego podcast hosts seeking love on 'The Bachelor'

SAN DIEGO (CNS) - A former television reporter and anchor turned podcast host from San Diego is among the record field of 32 bachelorettes vying for the affection of the first Black Bachelor, Matt James, on Monday, Jan. 4's two-hour 25th season premiere of ``The Bachelor'' beginning at 8 p.m. on ABC.

Sarah Trott describes herself as a hopeless romantic hoping to find a man who prioritizes fitness and a healthy lifestyle just as much as she does and wants someone who will turn every day into an adventure better than the last.

Trott also said it is very important to her to find a man whose commitment to faith is as strong as hers. Trott said after she is married she hopes that when she and her husband are not spending time with their children, they will be doing work for the community and giving back to children in need.

The field of bachelorettes will be reduced to 24 by the end of the episode.

James was initially cast to be a bachelor on the 16th season of ``The Bachelorette.'' When production was delayed because of the coronavirus pandemic, was switched to be the lead for the latest season of ``The Bachelor.''

James was a receiver for Wake Forest from 2011-14; is a New York City-based associate with CBRE Group, Inc. the world's largest commercial real estate services and investment firm, providing brokerage and transaction management services to a wide range of companies; and founded ABC Food Tours, a nonprofit organization takes groups of children from underserved elementary schools to restaurants in their local communities.

ABC has long drawn criticism for the lack of diversity on ``The Bachelor'' franchise.

``We know we have a responsibility to make sure the love stories we're seeing onscreen are representative of the world we live in and we are proudly in service to our audience,'' said ABC Entertainment President Karey Burke. ``This is just the beginning, and we will continue to take action with regard to diversity issues on this franchise. We feel so privileged to have Matt as our first Black Bachelor and we cannot wait to embark on this journey with him.''