When Sam Wood signed up to be The Bachelor in 2015 nothing could have prepared him for the harsh reality of starring on the cult TV show.
Putting his heart on the line, the personal trainer turned TV star went looking for love on national television – something that also opened him up to commentary and criticism from viewers.
“I definitely don’t think you understand what you’re getting yourself into before you do,” Sam tells Now To Love.
Sam met his wife Snezana Markoski on The Bachelor Australia.
(Image: Instagram / @samjameswood)Luckily Sam met the love of his life, now wife, Snezana Markoski, on the show making it all worthwhile. But he also attributes one great piece of advice from his dad to helping him get through the ups and downs.
“He’d never seen the Bachelor, but, he said: ‘Mate, if you’re yourself, I think you’ll be fine.’ And it was the best advice anyone gave me.”
Sam says he relied a lot on his family to get him through the experience.
“I really just surrounded myself with my friends and family that loved me and kept me grounded.”
Sam and Snez married in 2018.
(Image: Instagram / @samjameswood)Reflecting on the recent and tragic death of Love Island UK host Caroline Flack and shows such as Married At First Sight, Sam says reality television can become a “pressure cooker” for stars.
“I think we have to look out for each other.”
“You can think, ‘I’m a strong person, I’m a resilient person, I can handle this or it’ll be fun.’ But you go from relative obscurity to everyone knowing who you are and having opinion on you.”
This year, Sam joined the cast of Better Homes And Gardens.
(Image: Channel Seven)It’s unsurprising when Sam reveals he made an effort to steer clear of reality TV after his time as The Bachelor.
Instead, he chose to wait – five years, or so – for the right opportunity which presented itself in iconic show, Better Homes And Gardens.
“I didn’t just want to be on TV for TV’s sake,” he explains.
“I’ve been a personal trainer for 20 years, I’ve lived and breathed it, so when Better Homes came along and it was allowing me to do the fitness stuff, I said ‘This is the one, this will be awesome.'”
