Tonight is the final episode of The Bachelor Australia 2019, and we’re down to two pretty damn fantastic women – Abbie and Chelsie.
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In my opinion, both Abbie and Chelsie have strengths and flaws (like all human beings, der) but there are plenty of fans out there who want nothing to do with an end result that sees Matt Agnew pick Abbie Chatfield to be his girlfriend. Including, judging by the previews for tonight’s episode, Matt’s bestie Kate.
If you ask an Abbie-hater why they don’t like the woman, they’ll likely tell you it’s because they either think she’s fake, using her sexuality to wrangle Matt’s attentions, or both.
I’ve been in two minds about Abbie throughout this entire series. When she threw Monique under the bus, I was off her. It seemed unnecessary to tell Matt about that whole situation. But when Sogand and Elly threw ABBIE under the bus on what seemed to just be hunches over her intentions, I was back on the Abbie train.
Now we’re down to the final two with Abbie actually in the running to win this bitch, I have some thoughts. And you know what? I back her. Here’s why.
1. She’s Not Afraid Of Her Sexuality
I personally found the dry humping fiesta from last night’s episode way too much in terms of what was edited into the show, and had some thoughts on whether Abbie is focusing too much on her sexual chemistry with Matt.
My take isn’t that she’s being too “slutty”, it’s that she seems to be leaning on their physical chemistry, maybe because she’s insecure about whether they have enough personality chemistry.
More on that in a sec, what I really wanted to say here was that none of my criticism is about Abbie being open about sex. I think it’s SO GREAT we’ve got a woman who isn’t afraid of being sexually confident on reality TV. Something I’ve always disliked with the Bachelor franchise is there’s always women who perpetuate the bullshit that being chaste is the only way to land a man (see: Tenille). Like sorry, most of us are out here having sex with people we date, it shouldn’t be so controversial that Abbie is sexually frustrated by the fact her and Matt, someone she’s been “dating” for months now.
2. She Actually Has An Incredible Connection With Matt
Forget about the sexual chemistry and how often Abbie talks about it – it’s a lot, and my take is that she might be insecure in their relationship (natural, given there’s been multiple other women who also have an interest in the guy) and has been fixating on their strongest connection, something she has over the other women.
But the thing is, if you watch their non-sexy interactions, Abbie and Matt have an amazing connection with each other on a personality level, too. They’re always laughing together, they seem at ease with each other, and of all the women in the house I’ve always felt Matt seemed most relaxed around Abbie.
This isn’t just about sex. These two, in my opinion, have something real going on.
3. Is She Being Fake Or Is It A Natural Reaction To Being Filmed?
Where I get stuck with Abbie is with her behaviour. Namely, sometimes she seems bloody fake. I genuinely feel like we’ve seen some real, natural moments between her and Matt, but then there’s also been times when she’s seemed like she’s putting on an act – at hometowns, on the boat during last night’s episode, etc.
What I can’t decide is if she’s faking everything and is just a fantastic actor, or if her “fake” seeming behaviour is just a natural reaction to having cameras shoved in her face. The thing with this show is, you have to remember none of these moments are happening in private. There would be multiple cameras around, drones, re-takes… anyone would feel a bit confronted and nervous.
4. Elly & Sogand’s Criticisms Were Pretty Bullshit
Ok, so something many of you may be thinking about right now is the comments about Bachelor In Paradise. Basically, Elly said what we HAVEN’T been seeing is Abbie constantly mentioning BIP, and an interest in going on it.
But! Does that mean she doesn’t have real feelings for Matt? I don’t think so – in the context of vying for Matt’s heart along with 20+ other women, maybe you wouldn’t be assuming you’ll win the show. Maybe you would be thinking about fun other shit you could do if you’re kicked out.
Then there’s this – feelings grow. Maybe Abbie was talking about BIP before her connection with Matt developed (I feel like this was around the circus date).
On the Sogand side of things, her criticism of Abbie centred entirely on her saying she wanted kids in 2-5 years after previously saying she didn’t want them anytime soon. But like Abbie told Laura & Snezana when they came in for a chat, when you meet someone you really like, your own life plans do go out the window somewhat. Maybe she changed her mind?
5. Look.
I would say, of all my theorising above, some of it is true and some of it isn’t. But here’s the thing – this is a show where all your dates are filmed. You’re hyper aware of the fact that Australia is watching, and that would undoubtedly affect how you behave. We see it with women like Chelsie, who get shy and nervous on camera. So why can’t we accept that maybe, just maybe, Abbie’s “fakeness” is just her natural response to being filmed.
