The Bachelor 2020: Locky On What Love In Lockdown Was Really Like
We’re just a day away from the premiere of the 2020 season of The Bachelor, but for some time there, it appeared as though this year may not have gone ahead.
With the world going into lockdown not long after production started up for Locky Gilbert’s season, plans had to be halted and changed, with the show shutting down filming and moving into a virtual world.
At some stage during the season, the show will focus on the episodes when it covered ‘Love in Lockdown’ – as the girls competing for Locky’s heart went on Zoom dates with him, in both single and group date settings.
As restrictions eased, The Bachelor was able to go into a filming bubble to finish off the season. In the dramatic teaser for the season ahead, we see an emotional Locky admit to falling in love with two girls, leading him to make a heartbreaking decision.
We chatted to Locky ahead of the premiere of The Bachelor 2020:
On finding love in lockdown:
“Well, it was pretty much exactly how it was in the promo. We finished up for the night, and I was walking off, and Osher came up to me and was like, ‘hey we’re going to have to shut down, the world’s going into a pandemic’ and I was like, ‘what the hell?!’ It was heartbreaking. We went home, and spent a lot of time away from each other. But I was able to talk to the girls just normally, as you would in a normal situation. Well, yes, a normal situation isn’t talking to multiple girls, but there wasn’t the pressure of the show, the pressure of having no time… I really got to know the girls on a personal level and just talk about normal things. As much as it sucked, it was actually a good thing.”
“It helped my feelings grow massively. When you’re in the show, you get a little time with the girls, but outside in lockdown I was able to talk to all of them for hours a day. It was stressful, yes, because I was talking to so many girls, but I learned so much about them and I’m super glad about that.”
On the long-distance debacle:
“Long distance isn’t fun, it’s super hard, and I’m a physical guy, I like to be with people and adventure together and kiss and cuddle and stuff. That was hard, I just kept positive, and we were lucky enough to come back and go into our own little bubble. It was so weird, everything was wearing masks, and shields, and gowns, and we were able to get back to where we were!”
On the Zoom dates:
“I can tell ya, going into Zoom dates we didn’t know what to expect, but man it was funny. There was me naked in a bath, in a onesie, it’s really funny. The way they shot it doesn’t seem like Zoom, it just seems like what everyone went through in quarantine.”
On whether he knew much about the Bachy franchise before going in:
“I went in pretty blind. I think I saw three episodes of Matty J’s season? I knew the premise, but I’ve always lived my life by taking every opportunity and running with it.”
On the difference between Bachy and Survivor:
“With Survivor, no one really cares about your personal life or what you’re doing. And then last night I was looking things up and people are googling ‘Locky’s wealth, Locky’s job, Locky’s this’ and I was like far out! You just gotta take it on the chin, I’m happy with what I’ve done and where I am in life so what people say is what people say.”
“Being the Bachelor is tougher than Survivor! Being that one guy is quite stressful. In Survivor you can kinda push people out in front, but on The Bachelor you are the one and only!”
On ex-Survivor castmate, Brooke Jowett:
“Brooke and I were never on bad times, we’ve always been friends, we’ve never dated. She’s happy in a relationship and I wish her all the best.”
On falling in love… twice:
“I’ve got a big heart and I do fall in love easy. You’re put in these situations where all you’re doing is talking about building a life with these girls, and you’re with them 24/7 so, it is a crazy experience. I knew it was going to work, but man did it work really well!”
“I am so happy, I wake up every day with the biggest smile on my face. I truly have never felt this way. It’s an incredible feeling, I’m so, so happy.”
On what being The Bachelor has taught him:
“The Bachelor has taught me I can cry. If you get your feelings out, and you let people know, it’s a lot easier to deal with. I think that even goes into, hopefully, a lot of guys see this and realise if you express your feelings and let people know how you feel it makes you a lot better as a person.”
–