Antebellum-themed frat party controversy reaches Milledgeville

Images obtained by TMZ

If you're not a fan of The Bachelor, or not a fan of celebrity gossip in general, you most likely have no idea who Rachael Kirkconnell is.

Nevertheless, the 2019 Georgia College graduate and winner of The Bachelor's 25th season has become part of a larger conversation during 2021. Kirkconnell's season of The Bachelor debuted in January, and the following month several photos began making the rounds online of her attending an "Old South Party" thrown by Georgia College's Kappa Alpha fraternity chapter back in 2018. Needless to say, controversy ensued.

KA Old South Parties have faced increasing scrutiny in recent years. Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee was forced to apologize and say that he "regretted" attending KA Old South Parties during his time in college at Auburn. That same year, the University of Alabama took steps to curb "culturally insensitive" greek parties on campus.

The season finale of The Bachelor was in June, and Kirkconnell was announced as the winner. At that time, however, Bachelor fans found out that Matt James, the first Black bachelor in the show's history, had ended his relationship with Kirkconnell after the photos surfaced. The couple has since gotten back together, however, and James is currently a contestant on another ABC show – Dancing With the Stars –which makes Kirkconnell one proud girlfriend, according to People magazine.

Kirkconnell is from Cumming in Forsyth County and attended GC between 2015 and 2019. Her Bachelor bio lists her as "a graphic artist from Atlanta.