It’s tradition during every finale episode of The Bachelor that the final two contestants finally get to meet the Bachie’s family and face a grilling from his nearest and dearest about their true intentions.
But while Chelsie and Abbie were well and truly put through their paces by Matt’s closest friends, his immediate family were notably absent from the show.
Flying in to South Africa to meet Matt’s final two were his “Melbourne family” Kate, who he’s been friends with for 20 years, and another friend Jason.
Confused viewers immediately took to social media to question why it was Matt’s mates, not his family members, who were vetting his final two choices.
Well, we have an answer for you.
During an interview Matt gave to TV WEEK a few months ago, when he was first announced as the Bachelor, he revealed some intimate details about his family that totally explains why they didn’t feature on tonight’s episode.
Matt is one of four kids – two of his siblings live overseas – and his parents are based in Perth, meaning there was a fair bit of distance required to travel to South Africa for filming.
“I’ve got two siblings in the UK, in London. I’ve got a sibling and my folks in Perth,” Matt told TV WEEK, with the Melbourne-based astrophysicist adding he finds it really hard to live so far away from his loved ones.
“It is [hard]. I spent a couple of years living in Sweden. So I was away from them then. Because I have travelled a lot and lived in other places… you always miss friends and family, but the fact is you slot back in immediately when you see them,” he said.
“You treasure the moments more when you’re together, because sometimes it can be few and far between. It’d be nice to have everyone you love really close at all times, but it’s so easy to stay in touch, and it makes it so wonderful when you do get to be together.”
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Matt lives in Melbourne, while his parents and one sibling lives in Perth and his two other siblings live in the UK.
(Source: Network 10)But despite the distance, Matt said he usually relies on his family and friends to help him make big life choices.
“Certainly, I’ve got the brains trust that I contact when I’m having relationship decisions. But even just life in general, I lean quite heavily on family and friends in helping me navigate big decisions,” he said.
Not being able to contact his family and friends during his time on The Bachelor was incredibly difficult, he said.
“That was probably one of the hardest parts of the experience – not having access to people that help me during tough times and making tough calls,” he said.
“I did have a really good support network within the filming crew, and access to psychologists that I made sure I used very frequently. So there were a lot of things in place for me to lean on, and I felt really well supported throughout the process. That helped me in terms of making sure I was in the right headspace, and happy and healthy going through it. If those things are in order I can make the decisions with a clear mind.”
Matt’s friends Kate and Jason stepped in for the family.
(Source: Network 10)The relationship between his parents is one Matt admires greatly – they’ve been together for 30 years.
“In terms of what I’m looking for, seeing their dynamic is something I look up to – the playfulness, the silliness, the friendship. It’s all there.
“I’m one of four kids, they’ve raised a really lovely family. I’m really close with everyone. And seeing not just their relationship, but how they’ve raised the family is certainly something I’m hoping to emulate.”
WATCH BELOW: Matt’s friend Kate grills Abbie during the finale. Story continues after video.
But his fame-shy parents were initially sceptical when their son first told them he was going to appear on a reality dating show.
“They were initially cautious, very cautious. There’s obviously a lot of things they’ve seen in the media and things like that, so they’re aware that things can be very challenging, because you’re going from a very private life to a very public, very open and exposed and everyone’s got their two cents,” Matt said.
“So I guess their concerns were there’s a lot of scrutiny, a lot of trolling for lack of a better word, which could come out of this. Overall, they’re very, very supportive and excited about the process and excited about me hopefully finding love.”
Perhaps they wanted to stay out of the spotlight?
