If you ask me, rumours are the best part of the Bachie season because they can be so bloody loose. And with only weeks left of The Bachelor Australia 2021, we’re copping some GOOD ONES. It doesn’t get much better than rumours about contestants setting up their own pap pics at their local servo.
We’ve compiled all the rumours floating around so far, so you can keep track of the chaos throughout the season. Expect this yarn to be updated about 1829471192041 times as the season progresses.
Remember, since these are all just rumours, don’t take it as gospel. Have your grains of salt ready.
The ‘Secret’ WhatsApp Group
Okay, we know there’s a group chat with some of the contestants in it. What we don’t know is the exact contents of said chat. Some of it is apparently mean – like, really mean. Some ex contestants, and you can probably guess which ones, have apparently said some unkind things about Jimmy. From dragging his physical appearance to his personality.
Appearing on SAFM’s Bec, Cosi & Lehmo, Jimmy Nicholson talked about the WhatsApp group.
“It’s not just the stuff you see on TV, it’s how [some girls] behaved afterwards. A couple of them with WhatsApp groups and stuff like that. It’s where you see their true colours,” he said.
“One in particular is spreading rumours about me which are completely untrue, it’s kind of disappointing.”
Yikes.
Jimmy said he only found out about the WhatsApp group from his partner (AKA, the woman he chose), who told him people were spreading rumours about him.
“I don’t mind if they have a dig at me but it’s when they try put words in my mouth… I like to think I was respectful towards everyone. That’s the disappointing part,” he said.
“Apparently I was commenting on someone’s looks or something like that. That’s not on, I won’t let that fly.”
A source then told the Daily Mail that Jimmy started distancing himself from a number of women who he heard was saying shit about him.
Jimmy’s Final Four
According to So Dramatic!, Jimmy’s final four are Holly Kingston, Brooke Cleal, Jay Lal, and Lily Price.
Apparently you can tell who the final four are by their Instagram bios.
Some context: this year, every contestant’s Instagram makes it very, very clear that Channel 10 is managing their IG. These accounts, apart from four, say the exact same thing.
“This account is currently managed by a third party on behalf of [insert name here] from 19 July 2021. Participant on #TheBachelorAU S9,” the accounts read.
But Holly, Brooke, Jay, and Lily’s Instagram bios are slightly different.
Instead of the 19 July, their bios say 7 July.
A source told So Dramatic! host Megan Pustetto that this is because the final four were made to sign an additional contract.
“The top four had to sign another NDA [non-disclosure agreement] once they reached the top four. And they got paid more money to sign it and more money to keep quiet, and they had even stricter rules than the rest of us did,” the source told Megan.
“Part of this was they had to hand over their Instagram accounts two weeks before the rest of us did.”
Surely it can’t be that obvious, right!?
Jimmy Nicholson begged Brooke to come back
A couple of weeks into the show, Brooke was dealt a massive blow when she found out her grandad had passed away. So of course she left the show to grieve and be with her family.
But, as we later found out, Brooke kept in touch with Jimmy. They talked a lot, leading to Brooke’s inevitable return to Bachie.
Per the Daily Mail, Jimmy “begged” Brooke to come back, which is a pretty bold move. If he did, then Brooke will surely be the one or, at the very least, she’ll be in his final two. Otherwise, it’d be pretty shitty to beg someone – whose grandad just died – to come back onto a show only to dump them on national TV.
I would be LIVID.
Or, he chooses Holly Kingston in the end
I mean, this rumour doesn’t surprise me. Holly copped the winner’s edit in episode 1, complete with the victorious music. You know what I’m talking about. Her introduction to the show was also pretty long, compared to other women.
As for rumours, Holly is the betting favourite according to at least two sites. To me, that means there’s probably been a leak somewhere. Holly and Jimmy do have a mutual friend in E! host Francesca Hung, and the pair feature in each other’s Instagram posts quite often.
Jimmy and Holly having a mutual friend is according to the Daily Mail, which also quoted a production insider as saying Jimmy was instantly keen on Holly after “falling for her infectious smile”.
Holly is an actor
Every year, at least one contestant on Bachie is accused of being an actor because they dabbled in acting at some point in their lives. ‘Tis a tale as old as time.
But if Holly’s IMDb page is anything to go by, she hasn’t acted professionally since 2015. Her one credit is the ABC drama Ready For This, so I reckon she might’ve hung up her acting shoes.
The marketing manager has since shat on the rumour that she’s still a professional actor, telling News.com.au:
“I played a minor role in a television show over six years ago after I graduated from university.
“Whilst I enjoyed my time doing this, my passion is in the field I currently work in. I have over five years’ experience in marketing working for awesome Australian brands and that is where my sole focus is.”
Rumour = debunked.
Bachie Gals Have Been Setting Up Their Own Pap Pics
A mysterious source told So Dramatic! host Megan Pustetto that the contestants who have been papped have gotten in huge trouble.
“The producers know that everything on the Daily Mail is set up,” the source continued. “They told them it’s so fake, embarrassing, and tacky to be seen on the Daily Mail.”
From what I can see, the paparazzi have mostly gotten pictures of Holly and Brooke… doing everyday things like going to the servo. At the very least, I hope they’re getting paid for this.
Jay Lal just wanted to be runner-up and every other rumour about her
Where do I even begin with the rumours about Jay? First the rumour was that Jay didn’t want kids, then it was that she wanted to be runner-up because they apparently do better, and then the third is that she only dated famous people.
That last one surfaced after Jay’s mate told Jimmy that her ex was in the spotlight and that ex was revealed to be the Bachelor New Zealand.
But Jay told PEDESTRIAN.TV that this was taken out of context. Plus, she dated the bloke seven years ago.
“So when I dated him, he wasn’t the Bachelor. He wasn’t that well known, he was an opera singer in New Zealand, that not many people knew. I only found out he was going to be the Bachelor of New Zealand about seven days before I went into filming,” Jay said.
The nutritionist also cleared up the chatter about her wanting to be a presenter.
“So that was taken out of context as well, which was unfortunate,” Jay said. “So I’m a nutritionist and I’ve always wanted to help people on a wider scale, so doing nutrition presenting is something I’m really interested in. And I have done it before in a previous job, back in New Zealand.”
The Bachelor Australia sent home a contestant for calling Jimmy a ‘privileged playboy’
In what is quite the spicy meatball, a source told Daily Mail that contestant Annabelle O’Regan was sent packing early on in the season after she questioned Jimmy’s intentions.
Apparently, Annabelle recognised Jimmy from the dating apps.
“Bel thought Jimmy was a privileged kid who was still enjoying the playboy lifestyle,” the source told the DM.
“Jimmy has never had a shortage of female attention and [Bel] questioned why he was even on The Bachelor.”
According to this source, Bel was sent home after she shared her thoughts with another contestant, who then told a producer.
Said producer apparently “didn’t want that negative attitude” around Jimmy.
Well then.
The Bachelor Australia airs 7.30pm, Wednesdays and Thursdays on Channel 10.
