The Bachelorette hometowns visits can be a pressure cooker of emotions.
There’s tough questions from family members, concerns over living situations and sometimes clashes in personalities.
But last night’s hometown visits, in particular Becky Miles’ trip to meet Shannon Karaka‘s family, took a turn no one expected.
Especially Shannon.
Shannon was an early frontrunner.
(Channel Ten)
The 30-year-old New Zealand native, who made a spectacular entrance with his brothers and a performance of the Haka, reveals to Now To Love that he was expecting anything but a break-up speech from the Bachelorette.
“Coming into hometowns you’re constantly seeking reassurance as to where you sit versus the other guys,” Shannon recalls.
“I was unsure, but that date was going so well I thought ‘I’ve read everything wrong, she’s going to pick you, this is real, the feelings’.
“So, when she took me outside I thought she was going to give me a rose.”
Instead, Becky made the heartbreaking decision to call time on her romance with Shannon before a rose ceremony, so that he could remain with his family.
The Bachelorette broke the news to his family first, and they took her decision with an unprecedented level of respect and kindness. In a piece to camera Shannon’s brother became teary, pulling on our heartstrings harder than any other scene this season.
And, it turns out, it pulled at Shannon’s emotions, too.
“I was sitting there in my room, crying. It caught me off guard, watching him welling up.”
Our hearts!
(Channel Ten)Shannon has now become the undeniable hero of the season thanks to his grace when handling Becky’s devastating news.
“My inbox has been inundated,” he admits.
“Ultimately it wasn’t my day. I truly felt that she’s obviously found something with somebody else and who am I to get in front of that.”
Could we have another Parata
(Channel Seven)Fans were excited to discover at the beginning of the season that the kind-hearted contestant had appeared on TV favourite, Home And Away as a River Boy.
Be it only as an extra at the time, we had to know if a return to Summer Bay could be on the cards now his reality stint is over.
“I was only on there for two seconds, it was a cool experience, but who knows, I wouldn’t say no.
“I am very happy in my career but if something like that came along I’d be open to it.
“There is a Maori family on there at the moment, may I could be the second cousin or something [laughs].”
You heard it here first, folks.
