When you put 23 women in a mansion, all vying for the heart of one man, things are bound to get a bit heated now and again.
This week on The Bachelor Australia, tensions rise when Holly gets wind that Stephanie has called her vulgar names behind her back.
For Carlie and Brooke, who have become fast friends with Holly, it was important to call out Stephanie over her behaviour.
“Emotions run high in the mansion and it’s easy to say things without thinking or to react in a way that you typically might not,” Carlie, 34, tells TV WEEK.
“We need to make sure that we support other women. For some, there is a ‘competitive’ element to the experience, but that doesn’t mean we need to call each other names.”
Although Stephanie denies it, Carlie and Brooke reveal what they heard to Holly.
She’s shocked by what they tell her, but not entirely surprised.
“It was confronting to hear, because I honestly didn’t think we had any issues,” Holly, 27, says. “I knew I hadn’t done anything to Steph.”
She adds that Stephanie wasn’t one to hold back her opinions.
“I tried to distance myself from people like this in the mansion,” Holly explains.
“I wanted to focus on my relationship with [Bachelor] Jimmy and the women I’d formed stronger bonds with.
“Unfortunately, unnecessary drama and conflict still managed to surface.”
Unaware of the tension in the mansion, the women are sent into a frenzy when Jimmy chooses Stephanie for the one-on-one date.
“Jimmy prided himself on being a good judge of character, so I think one-on-one time is vital for him with all the girls, Stephanie included,” Holly says.
“Would I have picked her? After what transpired, probably not.”
While both Holly and Carlie thought about sharing the controversy with Jimmy, they decided to bite their tongues.
“I was there to find love with Jimmy, not involve him in drama,” Carlie says.