Since winning our hearts as the loveable Gemini on The Bachelor 2019, Abbie Chatfield has conquered pretty much every market there is to conquer.
From launching a successful influencer career to her radio show Hot Nights with Abbie Chatfield and the It’s A Lot podcast, plus winning I’m A Celeb and starting her own show Abbie Chats. Not to mention her size-inclusive fashion label Verbose. She’s pretty much done it all!
And now she’s returned to reality telly in the new season of The Masked Singer, but not as a contestant this time. She’s graduated, luv!
Here, we chat to Abbie about everything from the evolution of reality TV to the shit she will never do.
The Masked Singer has such a killer line-up this year! How does it feel to be on the other side of the desk now, so to speak?
It’s pretty cool! Going from being a contestant on my first show ever with Osher [Günsberg] and it’s come full circle to being his peer or colleague is a bit of a pinch-me moment. Every time I see him at work I’m just like, ‘Oh cool, he’s just my work friend now!’
He’s so good at what he does.
I’m gonna be messy for a second here: who’s your favourite co-star?
Obviously working with Mel B is fantastic and I love Hughesy but my favourite person is Chrissie Swan. I’m OBSESSED with Chrissie Swan. She’s literally an angel sent from above, she’s the best. No one has anything remotely bad to say about her. In fact, everyone has a nice Chrissie Swan story.
Apparently one time in like 2005 on a game show or something they did a take that didn’t end up airing and she called everyone involved and apologised for wasting their time. Just things like that, she’s so nice!
She is a national treasure, for sure.
And what’s it like working with Mel B? You seemed like you became fast friends at the Logies, I saw that video where she jumped on your back.
We had just met in the car on the way to the Logies! She is just amazing. She also has ADHD like I do so we spoke a lot about that and I started medication while on the show so she was a great confidant. She’s so lovely and encouraging and fun.
She brings a light to set. Same with Hughesy and Chrissy. We genuinely had a great time on and off set.
Amazing! Look, I’m sure you’ve signed your life away with NDAs and can’t tell me a thing about the singers, but what’s the general vibe like this year?
I actually cried at one of the mask reveals. I was so embarrassed. To be fair we had to film two episodes that day so I was a little bit tired, but I cried. And I had a producer in my ear being like, “Lean into the emotion!” And I was like, “Fuck you.” And I was crying more.
A lot of the times you watch this show and at least two or three times you’ll be like, “Who’s that?” because it’s an older person and your mum will be like, “That’s bloody so and so!”
But this year, I knew every single person immediately and I got excited about all of them, so I think it’s the best casting so far!
Fabulous, that’s so good to hear! Can’t wait to watch.
The reality TV landscape has changed so much since you first started. Would you agree?
Oh yeah! I think people want a different kind of reality TV now. I think the pivotal moment was shows like The Circle that came during the lockdowns. COVID problems created so much creativity. People want shows that fit a certain structure but are outside the box.
We obviously know The Bachelor ratings aren’t doing very well and I think it’s because people are sick of the same things over and over and shows like The Circle bring a whole new element.
And honestly, I’m not doing the PR thing, but with The Masked Singer, there’s no villain, there’s no storyline, it’s just fun and silly and easy to watch. And I think things like that are so important post-COVID.
You’re so right! So many reality shows have become formulaic and too predictable so people have low-key gotten bored of them. This is just good wholesome fun and people love that.
I know you’re gonna love this because you’re a Real Housewives fan like me, but I feel like you’re Australia’s Bethenny Frankel. You started on a reality show and used your platform to build your personal brand and multiple businesses to the point where people probably forget you’re that girl who once said “I’m a Gemini.”
Oh my God, it’s great! Oh also, I saw The Bachelor Instagram posted the Gemini video the other day and I’m like, “Guys, you know you edited that to shit. What are you doing?” They’re holding onto that for dear life! We love The Bachelor and we love Channel Ten, but I commented like: “Why the fuck are you uploading this?” [laughs]
But no, it is really nice. It’s so crazy that suddenly I’m doing a live tour and selling out the Opera House. It’s amazing. It’s been an absolute whirlwind.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CgiNYAOAAsq/
You must get offered to star on so many reality shows, what are some examples you’ve said no to?
I’m pretty sure I’ve been offered every celebrity contestant show you can imagine. I’ll do anything if it fits into my schedule, the issue is that I have the radio show, my podcast and The Masked Singer.
I was never offered this, but I feel like I could never do Ninja Warrior. You know how Jack Vidgen did it? And he was so good because he’s so headstrong and athletic but no one thinks that of him because of the homophobia.
I’m not gonna say which shows I’ve been offered that I’d never do because… shady. [laughs]
Speaking of shady, one of my favourite things about you is that you call it like you see it on social media. But are you ever concerned about impacting potential brand endorsement deals by being so vocal?
Sometimes I do think that for a moment, and brands have expressed that they don’t want to be aligned with me because of certain things. For example I can’t get a car [endorsement deal] to save my life. Car brands, for some reason, won’t go near me. But they’ll give it to a Bachelor contestant with 50,000 followers because they’re non-controversial.
If anyone doesn’t want to work with me, the radio money will keep me going! [laughs]
The other day you did a fascinating Q&A about influencer marketing. What’s something about the influencer world that bothers you?
The amount of PR shit that you get sent. Today I opened one up and I got so angry, I was like: “I’m sending this back!”
It was a random brand, it’s not an apparel brand, but it was a random brand that sent me a hoodie with their logo on it. Why would I want a random brand’s logo that’s like a food brand on my chest? The amount of wastage in this industry really pisses me off!
Oh totally, that’s messed up. You’ve pretty much done it all at this point, is there anything still on your to-do list?
I know I host Love Island After Party, but I would love to host a nice shiny primetimeish show. Something like Would I Lie To You? Something where I’m on it from the start, not coming into something.
I can totally see that happening! And finally, what’s the biggest misconception about Abbie Chatfield?
Oh my God, that I’m a party girl! I’ll meet people out and because I’m loud and have a personality, I don’t know if you can include this, but they go: “I’m just like you! Just so you know, I have like 17 pingas tonight!”
And I’m like, “I’m sober and I’m driving and I’m in my pyjamas in a club for 10 minutes just to see my friends!”
Everyone has this idea that I’m some party animal. I’ve never had an all-nighter in my life. My friends beg me to stay up past midnight. I love a drink and I’d love to be that bitch, but I’m not. So it’s probably that. That I’m a party girl.
It must suck to go out when you’re a public person because you’d get bombarded by people and you won’t know who to trust. Like, will your photo end up on a goss Insta?
It is [hard to trust people]. And it’s a lot of pressure to be your nicest self, even if you’re having a dinner with a friend who’s just had a breakup or your grandma has just died and then you see a fan and have to be on.
I have a rule when I go out with friends: if there’s more than five photos taken of me, then I leave. It’s just too much for me.
For a year I would go home and cry after going out because it was so emotionally exhausting and I’d just refuse to go out for six months.
The rule with my friends is not to invite me to clubs anymore, but my friend made the rule for me that if there’s five people [asking for photos], then we can go home.
Because sometimes there’s no one, but sometimes it’s the whole club. A line of people. So now I go out in my tracksuit and my hair in a bun.
Someone DM’d me once and I said “I thought I saw you out in Universal but I didn’t think someone like you would wear a tracksuit out.” I didn’t reply.
You are the opposite of this Deuxmoi story I read the other day where a Bachelor U.S. star was allegedly overheard saying to his mate, “Let’s go to a different club, no one recognises me here.”
[gasps] Oh, it’s my nightmare!
Well I love that you’re the opposite of that, anyway.
The Masked Singer Australia kicks off on Ten this Sunday at 7:30pm.
Stay tuned for our spicy Unlocked video with Abbie where we browse through her phone.
