Last year, when Bachelor Nick “The Honey Badger” Cummins dumped his final two in the finale and walked away from the reality series single, he left a tough task for whoever was going to come next.
That person would feel a responsibility to the Australian public to deliver a fairytale, to fall in love in front of the cameras, and to make fans fall back in love with the series they once adored after last season’s disappointing ending.
And it’s for that reason new Bachelor, 31-year-old astrophysicist Matt Agnew, felt the pressure. In fact, it was his parents’ fear that he too could be dubbed Australia’s Most Hated Man that had the them questioning whether this was a good decision.
“They were initially very cautious,” he tells TV WEEK. “You’re going from a very private life to a very public, very open and exposed life. I guess their concerns were that there’s a lot of scrutiny, a lot of trolling that could come out of this.”
And while Matt, who’s been single now for a year-and-a-half after “three kind of serious relationships”, says it was his parents’ panic that this “could go wrong” that gave him reservations, it was also his mum and dad who made him take the leap of faith.
“They’ve been together for more than 30 years,” he admits. “Their dynamic is something I look up to – the playfulness, the silliness, the friendship… it’s all there.”
Second time lucky
Matt says he’s fallen in love
This isn’t the first time Melbourne-based Matt has challenged himself to find love in front of the cameras, telling TV WEEK that after a string of dating fails “through work, friends of friends, Tinder and Bumble” he was almost a contender for Georgia Love or Sophie Monk’s seasons of The Bachelorette Australia.
“I had applied in the past, but I was busy, so I withdrew due to travel commitments and date clashes,” he admits of the process that happened “two or three years ago”.
This time, though, the dates did work out. However, he chose not to tell his parents and three siblings.
“I don’t think I really backed myself to actually progress,” he says. “I told my family when it was offered and it was a bit of a shock for them.”
Matt admits that with the franchise often casting former contestants in the main role, he was aware he may not have been what the Bachelorettes were hoping for – especially with last season’s runner-up Todd King rumoured to be suiting up around the time of casting.
“I could have been an enormous disappointment, but for the large majority of [women], they were there for the right reason, which is to find love,” he says.
“I’m hoping that someone being unfamiliar didn’t influence their decision at all.”
There was also the fact that, unlike the rugged Bachelors who came before him, Matt has spent a life at his books, completing a double degree in science and engineering, and a masters in astrophysics, as he prepares to become a doctor. As a result, he’s been called a “hot nerd” by the public – a label
he doesn’t believe in or support.
“I’ve never been shy – I’ve always been loud and gregarious,” he tells TV WEEK. “I think people like putting people in boxes – and ‘nerd’ is an easy box to put someone in who’s smart or wears glasses.”
Happy ever after
For one Bachelorette, Matt was far from a disappointment, as he confirms to TV WEEK he has found The One.
“I’m in love,” he says, smiling. “I would be hard-pressed to say I’ve been this happy before – this is me at my happiest.”
So happy, in fact, he’s already talking kids with his lucky lady.
“I’m at a point in my life where I feel I’ve got a place to live; I’ve got a successful career; I’ve got a lot of things in the right place for me,” Matt enthuses.
“It’s the right time. I’m really excited to start that next chapter, which is marriage, kids, starting a family.”
As for how many children he’d love to add to the Agnew clan, Matt says he’s inspired by his parents.
“Having grown up with a big family, I don’t know if I could do four. There’s a level of practicality I need to keep in mind, so two or three is probably what I’d hope for,” he says, confessing we could see a Bachelor baby before we know it.
“I’d love to be a young dad,” he says, revealing that his new nephew has made him clucky. “It’s something I’m more than happy to get stuck into sooner rather than later.”
The Bachelor Australia begins Wednesday July 31 at 7.30pm on 10.
