In the biggest WTF move in Bachelor history, Matty J let everyone’s favourite Bachelorette Tara Pavlovic go, taking Elise Stacey and Laura Byrne into the finale on The Bachelor Australia, 2017.
And while those before her are pressing their roses into a memories book, crying over what could have been, Tara tells NW she was over Matty the second he didn’t give her a rose.
“As soon as I didn’t get a rose, it all clicked that this was a TV show and I was out of that bubble,” she spills.
“It clicked that maybe he was the way he was just for the purpose of the TV.”
And don’t even think of asking if she’d be down to hand out the roses next season – because she has a particular gripe with the editing of the series, and ain’t down for round two.
Sorry Matty, Tara is O-V-E-R you!
Babe, our hearts are breaking….
Yeah our last date was really nice – I thought it went well myself, so I don’t know what the reason was… He never gave me a reason. He’s gotta pick a girl I guess… and he has found someone he likes better.
Better than you? Ahhh, we don’t think so. Which is why we’re backing you for Bachelorette 2018!
[Laughs] I’ve heard! You know, I was quite excited by the concept of it when I first heard that people wanted me to be the Bachelorette, but after seeing how my brother was edited, I don’t know it really upset me… I don’t know – I feel like you’re trusting other people to find you the love of your life, and if they’ve done that to my brother, you know, then they don’t really care about me.
What are you saying? That your brother didn’t give Matty a hard time?
It was so far from the truth! You know, he’s nothing like that. He’s so nice and he has been quite upset about it, and I feel guilty about he was dragged into that.
Matty and my brother got along really, really well. Troy is actually lovely. It was so clever how they cut it all and made Troy to be this awful rude person. It was upsetting for my family as well because it was kind of like, it makes everyone looks bad!
WATCH: Relive Tara’s best moments. Post continues after the video…
Visiting Tara’s family in her hometown wasn’t as hard as it looked for Matty!
It kind of made the audience feel like your family could be a red flag in your relationship with Matty…
People have said online, “Oh well, I wouldn’t date her just because of her family.” And it’s just like, “No! That’s an awful thing to say.”
They were so welcoming and I guess maybe the reason why they did edit it that way is because Matty and I did have such a strong bond, so maybe they needed people to see a reason for Matty to have let me go? And they’ve created a reason, otherwise maybe it wouldn’t have made sense having me go home?
So you reckon it was all staged so viewers would understand Matty sending you home? Cos up until that moment, it really appeared you were the perfect girl for him.
Yeah! Look I felt I could’ve been as well. I don’t know, like, we got along like a house on fire. We had so much fun together – so much fun! Hometowns were fun. He got along with my family so well. Yeah, he did fit in really well.
After that last single date, had you had a chance to debrief with the other girls?
No, after hometowns we were separated from each other. I knew I had a fantastic date, but I also knew that Matty was dating my mates.
There wasn’t ever one time where a girl would come back and be like, “Oh that date was not good.” So, yeah although I was confident in the date we had, I knew there was a big chance I could go home…
“Although I was confident in the date we had, I knew there was a big chance I could go home,” Tara says.
But you had such a great date that, surely, in the back of your mind you would have believed you could be The One…
Yep exactly, I had absolutely no idea I was going home. You know, he was so cuddly and he was just so touchy feely with me on that date.
He was just so like all over me, like, it’s still quite a shock. When someone is all over you like, like not even my ex was like that with me… [Laughs] So I guess it is quite a shock when someone goes from that to like, “See ya mate!”
Do you reckon he let you go now because it would be too hard to break up with you in the finale?
I have heard people talk about that, but I don’t know. That would make me angry because how dare you do that to my friend!?
What was going through your head when you left?
As soon as I didn’t get a rose, it all clicked that this was a TV show. And I was out of that bubble. And it clicked that maybe he was the way he was just for the purpose of the TV. But I was absolutely fine!
So all the feelings washed away?
Yeah, I think reality kicked in and I realised… And you feel as if it is so real, you feel like he likes you so much and, you know, you don’t doubt anything! But as soon as I didn’t get a rose, it wasn’t anything like I thought it was…
So no tears?
I was absolutely fine and I didn’t cry. Like, I wasn’t even upset I think yeah… In one of my interviews, one of the questions was “Are you upset? You should be more upset? But I thought why should I be more upset, like why?
Like why should I sit here and be upset about this guy?
He has made the choice for him, like, what is the point of me like sitting here and dwelling on it? What difference is it going to make? What it is meant to be will be, and that is fine. I’d rather accept the fact that and move on.
Tara’s a single, independent woman who wasted no time mourning MJ.
We need some of your strength!
Yeah, I’m very head strong! I knew when I went in that the possibility of me getting this guy was quite small, and I’ve never thought that I would end up with him. I was surprised that I made it as far as I did. I think I would’ve been more shocked if he chose me.
You would have been shocked to win?
Like, I would’ve been like, “WHY? HOW?” I got the outcome I expected and, yeah, I’m totally fine with it! I guess when you go onto a show like that you need to expect that…
Do you regret going on the show?
No, I don’t regret going on the show. But I wish I didn’t trust people in the way I did going on the show.
So it’s a definite no to Bachelorette then…
It’s been tampered so many times. I’ve been tampered with, you know, the girls in the house, the villains who were trying to bring me down and they’ve been tampered with production, on the whole brother situation, too…
And yeah that’s what makes me think twice about doing the Bachelorette, like, it’s just too upsetting.
Tara feels betrayed by the show’s producers so won’t be signing on for The Bachelorette next year.
So if it’s a no to The Bachelorette, then what about that “hot bartender” you allegedly picked up while on the show?
Yeah, that’s a bloody joke! And the necklace, and the stuff about my mum! There have been a lot of malicious rumours that have stemmed from tiny things in the house.
People have gone and blown things out of proportion and taken them out of context, and I really regret trusting everyone…
So no to Derek then?
Oh my God, I wouldn’t even hook up with Derrick. [Laughs] He was like the bartender and of course we all got excited when he came because we knew we were getting alcohol!
Was he keen on you though?
He did like me, I could tell. But he flirted with everyone! I didn’t treat him any differently to the way I treated my friends or any of the other staff. I never gave him my number. However, since all of this has happened I reached out to ask him what the hell was this? But yeah I don’t know that’s another thing – I don’t know who to trust!
So no digits were exchanged between you two?
It’s all false!
