Well, that was a rather dramatic rose ceremony on Bachelor in Paradise with poor Jake Ellis torn between his two leading ladies – Megan Marx and Florence Moerenhout.
Ultimately Jake followed his heart and gave his rose to Megan, meaning Flo, who was shaping up to be a key player on the series, was sent packing just two weeks in. But not before Flo gave Jake some champagne showers… straight in his face.
In this exclusive interview, BIP‘s surprise new stand-out star talks to us about why he lied to Flo about kissing Megan, just how stressful that rose ceremony was and why he and Flo would never work in the real world!
Jake, you’ve been getting a lot of airtime and continually in the middle of the drama! Why?
I guess I was just the first one that had to face some tough decisions.
Tonight was overflowing with drama. You tell Flo that you didn’t kiss Megan, even though you did, and then it all spectacularly backfires and she realises you lied to her. What was it like being in the eye of yet another storm?
I’ve never in my life been in a situation where I had to tell a girl how another date went with someone, I don’t think many people would find themselves in that situation. I had to face it very quickly and very abruptly.
Look, honestly I didn’t handle it the best way I could have. At the time I cracked under pressure.
I tried to handle it the best way possible, and in looking back I wish I could go back and handle it a different way but I can’t do that now.
The only thing I can say is that from that I realise I made a mistake and I did all I can to learnt from that and show people it was just a momentary thing.
What was it like when Flo confronted you about lying?
I guess it was something I expected to happen, it was a conversation I thought might come along.
And even then, I hate confrontation and I hate drama even though I find myself in it a lot at the moment! It’s something I try to avoid and it was something I was still trying to avoid when Florence confronted me. The last thing I ever wanted to do was hurt Florence.
My heart was on the line just as much as everyone else and I tried to deal with it as best I could.
Jake says there’s no bad blood between him and Flo.
Have you apologised to Florence and where are you two at now?
We’ve spoken since. Obviously it was filmed quite some time ago and there’s no hard feelings between us. Florence sent me some really nice messages when I lost my mum at the start of the year to check that I was OK.
We’ve bumped into each other at events and we’ve been fine. Obviously it was a speed bump to go through, but I’ve got no hard feelings for Florence whatsoever and I don’t feel that she does with me either.
You seem to pick up exactly where you left off with Megan Marx on your date. What is it about her that you’re attracted to?
As soon as Megan walks in, I think you can see the smile on my face. Megan was someone I was really hoping was going to be in there and we did have such a great time when we first met in Perth quite some time ago, even though she was with Tiffany [Scanlon] at the time.
We did have contact as friends for quite some time but the chemistry between us is definitely undeniable.
I felt myself being nervous and excited [around her]… things I never really feel on a date! But when Megan walked in she definitely changed my paradise, that’s for sure!
Just not compatible: Flo and Jake had a spark, but it proved to be too fiery.
We’ve also seen Megan making out with someone that looks a lot like Elora Murger, is it fair to say we have another love triangle coming our way?
I hate to burst your bubble but it’s not actually Elora! You’ll have to wait and see who that is.
I guess I’m copping a lot of the brunt of it at the moment because I feel I’m the first person that’s had to make some tough decisions and really follow my heart and not do things just for the sake of it.
As the show goes on, you’ll see that I’m not the only person that has to make these decisions!
Let’s talk about tonight’s rose ceremony – how stressful was it for you?
I knew what I was doing leading into the rose ceremony. The boys and I, we all had a conversation and knew where everyone was going.
As you can see, that went out the window! It’s still stressful because I don’t want to hurt anyone, let alone Florence!
But as we got towards the end, I definitely felt the pressure. At the end of the day, the decision was on me to send someone home or keep someone there.
Why did you try to convince Michael to pick Flo, was there unfinished business there?
Ha! I definitely wasn’t convincing Michael to pick Florence. The actual argument that Michael and I were having was because Mack picked Ali at the start and that threw everything into a downward spiral!
Michael was standing next to me and muttered under his breath that he was going to pick Megan before I had the chance to.
And I was trying to mutter under my breath ‘don’t do that.’ I didn’t want to have the decision to pick either Leah or Florence. Michael knew where my rose was going, as did everyone else. I just didn’t want to have to be faced with an even harder decision than what I already had.
How do you think Florence felt going home? She was such a key character and then she didn’t even make it past the second week?
I know Florence would have taken it hard – as I would have, as anyone would have at that point.
We’re all there for a reason and putting our heart on the line. Whether people don’t believe it or not, I was there to find that person and I listened to my heart, not my head.
To get sent home, not only would have hurt, it’s a shock to the ego for anyone.
Do you think you and Florence actually could have ever worked in the real world?
Florence is a lovely girl and she’s got great banter and is a lot of fun.
But her and I together, we’re very fiery people. I don’t feel that we would have worked, we just weren’t a good match. I guess that’s just life, you don’t necessarily mesh with everybody.
As much as we have had fun in the past and we’re still friends now, I just don’t think it would have worked.
The date that I had with Florence in contrast with the date that I had with Megan was amazing and something that I couldn’t possibly ignore. Not only the chemistry, but the way I felt when I was around her.
I just had to make a hard decision and that was to follow it with Megan.
Pucker up! The infamous kiss with Megan that landed him in a pickle.
How awkward was it at the rose ceremony when Blake mispronounced Laurina’s name as Lenora?
Ha! It was pretty funny. Blake was very sick at the time and wasn’t feeling the best.
It was a shock but it definitely broke up the tension of the rose ceremony. They are very intense!
You’ve also been at the centre of some pretty awful slut shaming, what’s that been like watching it back?
It’s something I’m not used to. I understand everyone is entitled to their opinion and interpretation of things but nobody’s perfect and I just hope that before people judge me, they know I’m there for a reason – and that’s to find the right person for me! Not the right person that everyone thinks I should be with .
Have you spoken to Tara since she floated that “everyone has a Jake Ellis story” line?
Tara’s one of my really good friends, I speak to her two-three times a week.
She’s apologised ridiculous amounts because of that and we’ve had a good laugh about that. As the show goes on, you’ll see that not only do I prove her wrong but I prove everyone else wrong and I am there for the right reasons.
I love Tara, she’s amazing!
WATCH: Florence rips into Jake. Post continues…
Despite the drama, Tara and Jake are close mates.
All this drama aside, would you say you’re happy with how your BIP experience ended up?
Looking back and knowing where I end up and where I am now, I feel that everything happens for a reason and I couldn’t be happier.
Is that because you’ve met someone special?
You’ll just have to watch and see!
Can you describe your ideal partner instead, then maybe we can guess?
My ideal partner is someone that I can get lost with, when I’m with them I feel like nothing else exists.
That sense of adventure, sense of humour, passion and someone that I just get lost with and enjoy spending time with.
What about your deal-breakers?
As much as it probably doesn’t make sense, my biggest deal-breaker is drama.
How ironic! I do hate conflict and drama so finding myself in it is something I hated. Everything in paradise is magnified, that’s for sure. All our feelings and emotions are very real but I feel like they’re just ten times more than what you’d feel on the outside world.
Is he in love? Jake says he “couldn’t be happier” with where he’s at right now.
