This year the Bachelorette has been all about love, no pun intended. Georgia Love has weekly, with grace, sifted through a group of eligible bachelors hand picked by Channel Ten producers. And as the heard is thinning Glam Adelaide got to sit down and have a talk with the very smitten Bachelorette.
The show is well and truly in its last act, and while viewers are stressing out about our favourite getting the boot (fingers crossed for dark horse Matty J), Love is probably sprawled across her couch with her new beau. However, she will be the first to admit it is ‘odd’ watching the show back. “Watching my love story play out with the guy I gave the final rose to is an amazing thing to recollect and seeing him in those moments, it’s a beautiful thing most couples can’t do,” she says. However, there is a downside to this love-struck nostalgia, as you could imagine watching back the dates and moments with guys she genuinely had feelings for but failed to receive a rose, would be really hard and heart breaking.
At times on reality shows it feels like contestants have cause for complaint about their portrayal, but Love has been quite happy so far; her perspective isn’t different or changed, a testament is how authentic she is irrespective of circumstance. “On reality TV contestants go that’s not actually what I said and that was out of context, but I’m really not seeing that at all. I don’t know if that’s just my series compared to theirs, or people are coming off the back foot when they get out, it’s obviously a cut down version but I don’t feel it’s being portrayed differently.”
Despite feeling comfortable with her own portrayal, Sam and Rhys infamous rivalry has been interesting for Love to see play out. Despite being somewhat aware on set of what was playing out, the sardonic behaviour is far more obvious to see back. The ‘World Games’ date, as an example, when Miami based model Sam parted his hair like Rhys, was noticed at the time but Love didn’t quite realise the extent of the mocking. “I didn’t quite realise it was as bitchy as I have now seen it was, I thought it was meant to be a funny, light-hearted thing,” she explains. And it’s clear after last week’s episode that this is not behaviour Georgia would stand for.
However, as we all saw last week those two were sent home by a matter-of-fact Georgia, and thank god because Sam’s bitchy comments were getting old. For Love, it was clear if you were not there for the right reasons so it was ‘see ya later and don’t call me later’. “I didn’t want to be wasting my time and taking time away from me forming relationships and connections with people that were there for me.” The way she handled their idiocies proved to the audience that she was truly there for romance, and her journey to love is the focus not the characters that come with it.
While the Bachelor and Bachelorette essentially follow the same process, critically thinking viewers have noted the clear differences between with some derision. When the first episode aired after we were introduced to the bachelors, one thing that subtly stood out was Georgia had substantially less romantic prospects than Bachie Richie. It is easy to question if the producers feel Australia would be uncomfortable with a woman taking control of her love life. Georgia doesn’t know if this is was the intention behind it or if it was because of the show’s popularity. “The question has been asked, whether it’s because people don’t like seeing a girl dating a number of guys opposed to a guy dating numerous girls,” she admits, ” and I don’t know if that’s the reason.” No closure, it seems.
Another feature this season that is exclusive to the Bachelorette, and wouldn’t exist on the Bachelor, was the first impression rose. The lucky receiver of the gesture, ultimately won by Courtney, was given control of a whole episode minus the cocktail party. While seeming like the purpose of the show was therefore defeated by handing over such control, Georgia doesn’t feel like it was unfair because it was ultimately something she wanted; it was in her power she chose to give Courtney this advantage. “I wanted to do that first impression rose because I love having the control over the dates and deciding who I go on the dates with, but at the same time I am an old romantic as well and I like to be wined, dined and seeing what a guy will organise for me,” explains Georgia.
Georgia may be an old romantic but it doesn’t mean she is immune to anxieties about the relationship translating into the real world once the show is complete. A heads up, don’t expect a proposal at the end of this season (but wouldn’t it make just great TV!?). Love this experience was less about being in a relationship but rather getting into one, because it’s important to see if a relationship can survive the normal stuff. “More often than not you are going to be sitting on the couch with a glass of red and a cold pizza than you are in a helicopter,” she smiles.
It’s unfortunate The Bachelorette is given more pressure to discuss bigger questions on the show after watching, Bachie struggling to work out some of his suitorettes. However, Georgia was prepared going into the show for serious questions to be asked. “If I can be someone who is standing up and showing girls and women that they can have the power in who they choose to be with, that they can open the car door for a guy and take him for a drive, I am happy to do that,” she says. “I think that’s an important part of the Bachelorette, it shows girls and woman that they can have control, and they don’t need to be fighting for somebody, maybe someone should be fighting for them.”
Whoever the winner will be revealed as the way Georgia’s face clearly lights up when she talks about “her guy” is obvious to even coldest of hearts that she has walked away very much in love. Although they can’t see each other until the show ends they talk every day, something that is as luxury after having to wait days at a time to talk on the show. Love is confident that the Aussie public will be happy with the last man standing and before she faces potential scrutiny she is very happy laying low so it can be “just us for quite a while.”
Also in case you were wondering, Georgia did in fact keep Rhys’s Shakespeare rivalling poetry…every single one.
The Bachelorette continues on Channel 10 tonight from 7.30pm. To catch up on past episodes, or if you miss tonight’s show, you can also watch The Bachelorette on TenPlay.
More News
