If you thought Luke McLeod’s early departure was going to be the most shocking elimination of this season’s The Bachelorette, then think again – because we’re seriously reeling after Sophie Monk sent Mr Nice Guy James Trethewie packing on tonight’s episode.
And so was he!
“It kind of really hit me the next day when I woke up and I was back at home in my bed,” James spills to NW.
“I was just in shock trying to kind of process what had happened.”
With the rest of Australia now trying to process it too, James puts his exit down to the results of tonight’s compatibility test. But we thought opposites were meant to attract?
Despite not winning Sophie’s heart James certainly won’t be short of female admirers. But, he isn’t ready to open up his heart just yet. “I think time heals everything and I’m kind of working through it all,” he says.
Of course, it’s not all bad news, as James reveals he hasn’t ruled out being the next Bachelor.
Where do we sign up?
James was shocked that he was sent home.
James, hi! We are devastated to see you go home! What happened?
I know, I’m absolutely shattered. Look I don’t know, I thought everything was going really strong.
We had a really good momentum coming off that single date – you know, so much chemistry – it was real. So, to go in and have to be going home tonight when there are still five of us, it came as a real shock. It just sort of unravelled at that compatibility group date and she said I’m too organised for her. (Laughs)
There must be more to it than that?
I think she said [I was] too serious and I was like, ‘mate didn’t you see me in a friar tuck outfit and busking down at darling harbour?’ (Laughs). I’m the least serious person.
It must be tough because you don’t get to explain that to Sophie?
No! This guy comes in and is like, ‘oh no, because of this and this and this [you aren’t compatible]’, but, that’s not me he doesn’t know me.
I’m not that OCD organised or anything. But, I’m half Virgo and half Libran, I’m on the cusp so there is a little bit of organisation in there.
Well you need to be a bit organised. You don’t want a relationship where you have to baby someone?
100 per cent! I feel that in any solid relationship, that someone’s more got their s–t together than the other person.
Did the compatibility game make Sophie second guess James?
Did Sophie give you an explanation for sending you home?
No, and that was the hardest thing for me, not getting a debrief and not getting closure. I was shocked. We all were. Everyone even in the house was expecting me to go through to the end.
So, when it came to Apollo and I and he was like, ‘mate I’m gone I’m done’ and she called his name and I was just floored. I just didn’t see it coming. I guess in the back of my mind in the group that compatibility thing it had worried me. I thought, I hope she doesn’t take this that seriously but I started to realise there is a real risk I could be going home.
Was it hard watching it back on TV?
Watching it back on TV you get more of a sense of why.
I respect her for her decision you know and I’m happy like she’s gonna make the right choice for whatever’s right for her and you know. So I’d love to continue what we have into being best mates and there’s no sort of hard feelings or anything, nothing but positivity for her.
Were you shocked that Blake received a rose over you?
I think the thought was that maybe Blake and Jarrod would be going before me. I think especially Blake because of how he’d been and I know that Jarrod was calling him out a bit. Blake said on the camera that he worked out how to play the game to be in there longer.
So, I think Jarrod was calling him out for not being genuine. It was a surprise but I guess if she’s basing it off how she’s feeling or how it is after that compatibility thing, I get it you know. It sucks but sometimes things aren’t meant to be.
Do you ever wish you could tell Sophie that someone is pulling the wool over her eyes?
Oh, 100 per cent and you don’t get the opportunity to do that and that’s the hard thing. In real life you can kind of have a chat with somebody. But here you don’t get that opportunity and you just don’t know how someone’s really feeling all the time.
Look, it’s tough and you want to be like ‘hey’ but at the same time I don’t know how she was really feeling. I certainly based my decisions off my intuition and my heart and how I’m feeling and what kind of chemistry I’m feeling and all that. For me it was real and I hope for her it was all real and looking at it on screen it looks real.
That’s why it was a bit of a shock to me, but again, I don’t know how she really felt deep down. Maybe she just wasn’t really feeling it and that’s OK.
It was heartbreaking when you left but there are probably a lot of women that are happy you’re single.
It’s kind of funny, people are like you’re our favourite but we don’t want you to win (Laughs).
Look the positive messages and everything has been so awesome. It’s been quite funny because there’s been heaps of girls wanting to say hi and everything but I’m getting so many families getting photos with them and the kids and stuff. It’s kind of really, it’s nice to have them behind you.
Do you think you’ll be the next Bachelor?
I’m kind of working through it all. This week’s been kind of hard cause it’s just brought it all up again, thinking back to how you’re feeling at the time.
I’m not closed off but I’m not looking either, I’m just getting through this and I’ll just see what happens. I don’t know I wouldn’t rule it out.
So not no, just not now?
Yeah, there would have to be a lot of conversations. Everyone out there are saying they were signing petitions um, you know there’s got to be a James show, find James a wife and it’s been pretty funny.
With the drama in the mansion were you relieved to be sent home?
To be honest, if she’s already made her mind up at that point in time of who she wants to be with a part of me is there going I hope she’s protecting me by sending me home now rather than later and I’d like to think that’s the case.
If it wasn’t going to be me ending up with her then I would rather go now than go through that stuff with the families because you’re kind of getting in deeper and it would have been so much harder to leave.
Oh, and everyone would have been so upset to see you come second!
Yeah it would have been tough, if I was in that final two it wouldn’t have been pretty.
