Konrad From ‘The Bachelorette’ On Dating Abbie Chatfield & His Real Future Plans
A lot of hearts in Australia broke last night as we said goodbye to Konrad Bien-Stephens on The Bachelorette.
The carpenter won Bachy fans over during his time on the show, from the moment he made Brooke a love seat on the red carpet, to their very first date where they painted each other’s nails and emotionally opened up to each other.
Konrad was known for wearing his heart on his sleeve the whole time, and his family equally stole the show during hometowns with his dad getting emotional about his son being hurt in the past, leaving Brooke (and the rest of us) crying.
Konrad’s dad is an excellent example of how being allowed to express your emotions as a man, is learnt behaviour. His dad is so pure and I am loving Konrad and his family smashing gender stereotypes. #BacheloretteAU #TheBacheloretteAU
— Steph the sarcastic sequin (@Steph_Simmons89) November 18, 2021
Unfortunately, it wasn’t to be for Brooke and Konrad, with Brooke being concerned that his future plans seemed a bit too “airy-fairy” for her and her future goals.
Of course, we all know by now Konrad has moved on, recently spotted getting a sneaky kiss in with Bachy alum Abbie Chatfield in Byron Bay. So all’s well that ends well for the nation’s collective boyfriend.
We chatted to Konrad Bien-Stephens about his time on The Bachelorette and yes, he is the Gemini that Abbie Chatfield was referencing in her Instagram stories!
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On being Australia’s #1 boyfriend:
“It feels good to have been authentic and to have just put myself out there and have that resonate with the public. That was probably my major anxiety I guess, going in, to how people would perceive me and how they’d take me. And to see everyone vibe with me was cool, it was weird, but it definitely made me feel good.”
On reading the love and comments from fans:
“I’ve looked at Twitter, I’ve looked at all the Punkee stuff — I loved it all. We’ve got to collaborate, we’ve got to get an album going. Machine Gun Kelly is one of my favourites as well!”
On what really happened with his carpentry job and future plans:
“Look, with the show so much is filmed and they have to condense it down. Brooke and I did have chats about future stuff and how I could always fall back on carpentry as I transition into something else.
I got made redundant due to COVID [before the show] and I had my payout, and I had my long-service leave, so I was cruising at the time. But they have to show for the storyline what Brooke’s concerns are. Once I’d lost my job, it was like a door opened for me to have this transition period.
I’m moving up to the Gold Coast at the end of the year, I’ve got some business plans, I’m super passionate about some causes I want to raise money for. I feel like at the moment I have the opportunity to try something different and something that is more fulfilling. Brooke had her doubts, it was a genuine concern she had, she wanted security and she was concerned I didn’t have a solid plan and that’s fair enough.”
This moment, my heart #BacheloretteAU pic.twitter.com/myrxJARv8i
— PUNKEE (@itspunkee) November 18, 2021
On meeting, and now dating, Abbie Chatfield:
“What an amazing girl. I think I can say we’re dating, for sure. Production was filmed a while ago, and I’m super grateful I got to meet Brooke, she’s doing such amazing things for both First Nations people and LGBTQIA+ communities. But, look, Abbie and I randomly met through mutual friends, we hit it off straight away, and I’m excited to see what the future holds for us both.
We met through a mutual friend, I had taken a friend out for lunch to thank her because she had helped me find a place to stay in Byron Bay. A few cocktails in, Abbie had messaged her saying she was in Byron and she was out at the pub. So my friend was like ‘do you want to go meet my friend?’ turns out it was Abbie, and the rest is history. It was very random, it wasn’t planned, and we just got along straight away.”
On whether he got in trouble for the leaked pics of him and Abbie hooking up:
“I’m still waiting to hear about [the pap pics] and I’ll obviously have to deal with the consequences of that. It was probably a bit silly but I can’t change what’s happened now and I’ll just have to deal with whatever comes my way. I’m glad I met Abbie, she’s really cool.”
On being shocked to leave at hometowns:
“I was shocked to leave after hometowns, I really thought it was a really special day for me. But watching it last night, I could see Brooke was doing the right thing by me. I don’t know if I could have handled it going further. If I was taken to the finale, I think I’d still be nursing a broken heart right now.
It’s about Brooke and Brooke finding the right person for her, and I hope Brooke and I can maintain a friendship going forward. I was caught off-guard it happened after hometowns, but looking back it made perfect sense.”
On whether he’s chatted to Brooke since filming wrapped:
“Brooke sent a lovely message to me last night wanting to send my family some flowers. That’s just a true testament to her character, it shows what kind of person she is.”
On his family and his dad winning over Australia:
“My dad actually called me last night apologising, he thought I’d be super embarrassed, he thought he’d stuffed it up for me, but I was just screenshotting all the tweets and comments like ‘Dad, the nation loves you! Don’t worry about it’. It was a really special moment for me. Like how lucky am I to see my dad — and my mum and my brother — have them talk about you that way and get emotional, you know?
I’m super blessed, I’m so lucky to have the family I have, you can see where I get my personality from! I’m so lucky, I love them so much.”
On being The Bachelor:
“If I was single at the time of being approached, I would 100% do it. Everyone in production, everyone at Channel 10, they’re super invested in the Bachelor/Bachelorette finding love. It’d be silly not to do it if you were given the opportunity.”
On who he thinks will win Brooke’s heart:
“It’s hard to say, they’re all beautiful people, they all bring different things to the table. She’s got a tough choice, it’s a hard gig, at the end of the day I hope whoever she picks it works out for her, she deserves the world and more, so I hope it ends in a fairytale for her.”
On what’s next for the two Geminis: Konrad and Abbie
“We’re going to keep hanging out, it’s been great so far, we’ll take it as it comes and see what the future holds. And yes, we did kiss to Savage Garden!”