It’s been 10 years since the Bachelor made its premiere and were hooked on the love stories that have produced three marriages, two engagements and six babies.
From Tim Robards falling in love with now wife Anna Heinrich in season 1 who also have a daughter, to Sam Wood and Snezana Markoski’s (season 3) marriage and three daughters (and Snezana’s daughter from a previous relationship), to Matty J and Laura Byrne (season 5)’s recent wedding after having two daughters. There are also the two engagements- Locky Gilbert and Irena Srbinovska (season 8) and Jimmy Nicholson and Holly Kingston (season 9). Five successes out of nine seasons really isn’t bad.
As you may have guessed from the additional letter in the show’s title, this season brings a massive shakeup to the popular series. The Sydney mansion that has been the setting of seasons 1 to 9 is gone, replaced by the sunny Gold Coast. In fact, the only original feature carried through is host Osher Gunsberg and his stunning hair. Everything else? Well, it’s like the old rulebook was thrown out of the penthouse Bachelor pad window and a brand new rulebook was brought in.
Starting with a shakeup reminiscent of The Bachelorette season 6- the first ever multi Bachelor Australia. Three new guys to woo the ladies- basketballer Felix Von Hofe, Restaurant Manager Thomas Mallucedi and musician Jed McIntosh. Three men searching for ‘the one’, sharing the journey together and the highs, lows and downright crazy plot twists the show always creates as a new era of the beloved show begins.
Going in I thought I knew what to expect. We all rock up to the mansion on night one and the fun begins in the usual way, right? Wrong. The producers break the traditional format, flipping the show on its head in the most surprising way which allows the women to have more power and the trio of men to be honest about their feelings. The shakeup allows the show to hit the ground running and the first episode is a rollercoaster of emotions as the men and audience adjust to the new format. .
There will be some heartbreak, some surprises and a whole lot of love within the show’s opening instalment. Casting wise, each Bachelor is very different from the others, allowing for three very different love stories to blossom. Based on first impressions, the men are engaging and keep the pace rolling in its almost 2-hour premiere.
If you have given up on the format, give the Bachelors a shot. You will be hooked. It’s a new era that will hopefully surprise and entertain.
4 stars
Monday, 9 January 7:30 on 10
