When Australia’s beloved Heather Maltman was booted from The Bachelor after a tumultuous ride that ended in being called a “great mate”, she became an icon for single girls everywhere.
But has one of the Bachelorette boys joined her in the friendzone?
Last night’s The Bachelorette saw Sydney plumber Dave evicted from the competition after a drama-filled episode.
The 30-year-old held on until the final five but was left hanging after an awkward exchange at the cocktail party.
The plumber, who made a scene during last night’s episode when he called fellow Bachelor Michael out for breaking the rules of a game, took Sam aside during the cocktail party with the intent to explain his feelings, but feel short when it came down to the serious stuff.
“ … Anything you wanna ask me?” Sam prompted.
But Dave fumbled towards the end, saying: “To be honest, I think I’ve sorta expressed myself.”
Following his failed discussion with Sam, the Bachelorette ultimately decided to leave him behind, instead taking Richie, Alex, Sasha and Michael through into the hometown round.
Dave’s awkward cocktail party conversation.
When Sam took Dave aside after the ceremony, she didn’t leave it at “it’s not you, it’s me”.
Speaking to the heartbroken Bachelor, the Bondi beauty explained that she thought of him more as a friend rather than a love interest.
“I feel like you’d be one of my greatest friends,” Sam tells him, “I can’t wait for you to have your happiness.”
Ouch.
But luckily, Dave wasn’t too torn up over his eviction or being “friendzoned”.
Speaking to The Daily Telegraph, Dave explained that he was on the fence about the relationship himself.
“I was sticking in with the competition because I had to determine, ‘Do I really have strong feelings for her in that relationship style, or do I have strong feelings for her because she’s such a lovely person that I’d love to be her friend,” Dave told The Telegraph.
“I was battling with myself as to where I was,” Dave explained, “I’ve stopped crying, it’s time to get over it.”
Adding: “At the end of all of this I know for a fact we will be good mates.”
And for all those ladies out there who thought Dave should have ended up with the final rose, there’s hope for you!
“I’m still officially single,” Dave reveals. “No dating as yet but now that I’m out on the market I’ll be heading out straight away!”
