It’s the question that every dating show fan has asked themselves at some point: is the Bachelor or Bachelorette really* keen on the villain or is a meddling producer pulling strings to keep them around?
And now we finally have a definitive answer – straight from the horse’s mouth.
The Bachelorette’s Georgia Love was filling in on the Hit Network’s Heidi, Xavier & Ryan earlier this week when last season’s runner-up Todd King called in with a pressing question.
Todd was on Ali Oetjen’s season of The Bachelorette – two years after Georgia’s stint – and was left heartbroken when the blonde bombshell chose Taite Radley over him in the finale.
Seemingly with unfinished business, Todd grilled Georgia over whether Bachelorettes are purposely stringing the runner-up along.
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“You get roughly 15 mins to have your final words [after being dumped] and you don’t get to ask all the things you want to ask,” Todd said.
“And having not heard from Ali since that day, you question yourself, and I kind of wondered whether I was just dragged along towards the end.
“My question for you is, were you ever asked to bring anyone along for the ride?”
WATCH: The Bachelorette’s Ali Oetjen picks Taite Radley to be her man… see their heartwarming love story below. Post continues after video…
Todd was Ali’s knight in shining armour last year but still left the show heartbroken.
(Image: Network Ten)
Todd also revealed he hasn’t spoken to Ali since she dumped him.
(Image: Network Ten)Georgia denied that producers told her who to take to the finale but admitted she was guided early on as who to keep around, presumably to make the show more entertaining.
“So straight out answer is for that in terms of talking about the runner-up is no, absolutely not. So you’re 100 per cent on your own when it gets down to the serious stage,” she revealed.
“But when it’s earlier on when there’s lots of people, they will ask you to carry a couple of people along if they’re giving them good content. So I don’t think this is particularly surprising a heap of people.”
WATCH: The gut-wrenching moment Todd was dumped by Ali on The Bachelorette. Post continues…
Georgia also confirmed what many viewers at home suspected – there is a helping hand involved in keeping the “villains” in the mansion.
“When there’s like the villain, obviously The Bachelor or The Bachelorette wouldn’t like them but you keep them on because they’re creating good content.”
So there you have it – a rumour officially confirmed as fact by a leading lady herself!
Georgia said she was “100 per cent on her own” when it came to choosing Matty J (left) and Lee Elliott (right) to bring to the finale.
(Image: Network Ten)