He may have been vying for Sam’s affections last year but now the tables have turned with a handful of women entering the new Bachie mansion to try and prove they are the coolest banana of them all.
But Sam has issued a warning to all the fair maidens who hope to snag the sweet-natured lad from Perth.
“Let me tell you something. If you want to get your claws into Richie, you better not be one of those opportunists,” she told co-host Rove during their breakfast radio show on Thursday.
Australia fell in love with him last year on The Bachelorette and now Richie is getting a second chance at love!
“You better be doing it for the right reasons, you better be doing it because you think, ‘You know what? I really wanna fall in love,’ because guess what?”
Continuing her very stern warning, Sam added, “ When you’ve done your little radio interviews like every Bachelorette does, I’m gonna grill you! I’m going to make sure that you’re doing it for the right reasons, you actually genuinely like him and you’re not just doing it to try and benefit off it, to boost your profile, blah, blah, blah, like some people might. Goodness me.”
Richie came in at third place on last year’s Bachelorette series.
But after finding love herself with Sasha Mielczarek, Sam clearly is chuffed her former flame is getting the same chance.
“You know, I pushed for him to become the Bachelor – the producers – but they wouldn’t tell me because they know that I get a little bit excited and I probably wouldn’t keep it to myself,” the 26-year-old claimed.
“But I am really excited because he is so lovely. He was on The Bachelorette for the right reasons, and I could tell you half of [the other guys] might not have been.”
Adding, “For him, he’s very genuine, he really does want to fall in love and he deserves to shine. Australia needs to see how beautiful he is, inside and out. I’m so, so, so excited about it.”
Rove also brought up the fact that Richie could never say “I love you,” to Sam.
“In Richie’s defense – and I will defend him until the cows come home – it’s a weird situation. There [were] obviously other guys involved, he doesn’t know where he stands, and maybe in his intuition he’s just like, ‘Sam isn’t the right one,'” the radio host said.
His mum Kate and sister Alannah will no doubt be a source of support during Richie’s experience.
Richie is overjoyed about the opportunity, telling his fans, “Can’t wait to start this adventure as The Bachelor! I hope to meet someone amazing. This will be a wild experience, get excited!”
Even his ex/friend/fellow reality TV comrade Tully Smyth is vouching for the handsome rope technician. “Wishing this mega babe all the best as the new @TheBachelorAU. Go get ’em @richie_strahan,” she tweeted.
Meanwhile, everyone’s favourite Bachie wingman/host Osher Günsberg is already getting his unmovable hair ready for TV’s best dating show.
“I could not think of anybody better. Of course I am biased because I got to know Richie quite well in 2015, however I know that I share the sentiment of anyone that watched The Bachelorette Australia when I say, all I want is for him to find the right person.”
Let the adventure begin…
We’ve just counted eight reasons why Richie is going to make the nation swoon…
