6 Bachelor Storylines That’ll Live Rent-Free In My Mind Now That The Show’s Axed

It’s official: The Bachelor Australia has been axed after a decade on air. Sure, it was painful to watch as the show scrambled to remain relevant over the last couple of years, but there was a time when this franchise was an iconic staple on our TV screens. 

I know the show got a lot wrong — budgets were crap, the villains were predictable and overall it seriously lacked diversity — but there are also a lot of things I’m looking back on fondly.

Below, I’ve compiled the most unforgettable storylines — including the best final rose ceremonies, drama, dates and insults —  throughout the franchise’s 10-year stretch. Not a bad run, eh?

1. *That* Blake Garvey love triangle

Ahead of The Bachelor Season Two finale airing in 2014, Channel 10 had reportedly cancelled all media interviews with Blake Garvey and his final rose recipient. It sent Australia into meltdown, wondering what the heck happened for this new couple to avoid press altogether. 

Upon watching The Bachelor finale, we discovered that Blake said goodbye to Lisa Hyde and proposed (!!!) to Sam Frost. Amazing! Beautiful! We love love! So what went wrong?

The Project revealed that Blake had called off the engagement to Sam just weeks later, before announcing he was now in a relationship with second runner-up, Louise Pillidge. SCANDAL. The pair stayed together for 18 months before announcing their breakup with a photoshoot (as you do).

2. The most wholesome date we ever saw…

Sam Frost’s misfortune saw her become Australia’s first-ever Bachelorette, a phenomenal debut that included one very iconic date with Richie Strahan.

Richie and Sam went to Double Bay Bowling Club to play bingo, using prosthetic makeup and vintage clothes fit for senior cardholders. They played amongst the other club members to celebrate their fake 50th wedding anniversary, cracking dirty jokes and sharing their first kiss.

It was a welcome change from helicopters, wineries and painting dates that dominated other seasons. If you don’t believe me, tell me why Angie Kent replicated it during her 2019 season. That’s what I thought.

It was also that moment that Richie went from being the dude who said “cool bananas” to a legitimate frontrunner — ultimately breaking our hearts when Sam sent him home ahead of her final rose ceremony.

3. …And the weirdest 

Richie and Alex Nation ruined my life when they had a chocolate bath together during Season 4 of The Bachelor (I couldn’t get a kiss wearing a new top, yet these two fell in a toilet and still sealed the deal). 

The Bachelor was the most meme-d thing on the internet after that chocolate date and started a trend of questionable bath dates throughout the series. But Australia’s laughs turned into grunts when Richie chose his chocolate queen at the final rose ceremony over fan favourite Nikki Gogan.

It was coined as Australia’s worst robbery since Guy Sebastian took out the Australian Idol gong over Shannon Noll. How dare Richie choose who he wanted to choose!!

4. That time the Honey Badger didn’t pick anyone

Nick Cummin’s season itself was fine (mostly because it introduced us to a less-than-impressed Vanessa Sunshine), but the real takeaway was when Nick reached the finale and gave his final rose to… no one. 

When Brittany Hockley found out that her fellow runner-up, Sophie Tieman, wasn’t aware that Nick chose no one, she asked to go and see her. “I didn’t want you to think that it was me, but it was neither,” Brittany explained to Sophie. 

Australia collectively lost its shit over our first Bachie not choosing anyone, but would we have preferred him to choose someone only to break up with them weeks later? The jury’s still out, but, that being said, Nick was promoting a book at the time, leading people to question if the whole shebang was just a publicity stunt. 

Either way, it was a new era of The Bachelor where the people on the show called the shots instead of succumbing to Australia’s expectations.

5. Matt Agnew getting called a dog c**t

I could compare The Bachelor Australia to The Bachelor US until I’m 83 years old (why don’t we have overnight dates like them??? Huh????), however, would a Bachelor get called a “dog c**t” anywhere other than Australia? I think not. 

Where else in the world would you hear “she said you were a dog c*nt and a disrespectful pig” except on an Australian dating show? #TheBachelorAU

— hopzilla (@trinnybopper) August 14, 2019

Back in 2019, Abbie Chatfield revealed to her Bachelor, Matt Agnew, that fellow contestant Monique Morely had been talking shit about him behind his back. 

“Monique in particular was saying things about you,” Abbie told Matt. “Okay there was a phrase that was said that I wanted to tell you but I don’t want to upset you.”

“She said that you were a ‘dog c**t’ and a ‘disrespectful pig’.” 

You can’t make this shit up.

This prompted Matt to confront Monique back at The Bachelor mansion, even talking to the other women in the show to get to the bottom of the “dog c**t” matter.

Matt ultimately sent Monique home for calling him a dog c**t in the most Australian thing to ever happen on television. 

6. Damien

The Bachelors 2023 was a mess from the get-go. But I’m not going to pretend that I don’t think about Jess Navin and Damien’s polyamorous relationship at least once a week. 

Although Jess was vying for Felix Van Hofe’s rose every week, her boyfriend Damien kept rocking up to have “conscious conversations” during the season. It was actually so interesting (OK, hilarious) to watch Felix try and comprehend that he wasn’t calling all the shots on this thing.   

Felix eventually gave Jess an ultimatum, asking her to choose between himself and Damien. She chose Felix, and then Felix chose her in the final rose ceremony, but thanks to  the chaos that Damien brought to this dynamic, we had this iconic line from Felix to Jess: 

“Kiss me like you’re single.”

Yep, Felix actually said that, on national television. 

Jess and Felix are now broken up and Damien, along with this haunting one-liner from Felix, lives forever in my heart. 

While The Bachelor may have been chaotic gold, there’s no denying it helped even the biggest cynics (hello) believe in that love stuff.

Laugh all you want but the proof is in the petals, with so many bachie couples still going strong and popping out babies to this day. With all of their wrongs, Channel 10 was definitely doing something right — once upon a time, at least.

Alright, who’s up to petition for one final Bachelor In Paradise?

Chantelle Schmidt is a freelance writer. You can follow her on Instagram. 

Image credit: Network 10 + Punkee