What do the girls do when Richie isn’t around? How do they cook? And for goodness sake, who cleans up all their mess?

Luckily, we’ve tracked down a former producer, code name Sapphire*, of Australia’s favourite reality show, and she tells us what really goes on behind the scenes.

Given the main memory we have of the first few episodes of the latest season is Sasha having a snack on her rose mid-ceremony, our first question was all about the girls’ diets.

Turns out, there's a lot more to it than the occasional nibble on a rose.

"There is no shortage of food in the house. When I used to go in there I would always steal their food," Sapphire tells us.

"Think chocolate chip muesli bars and little packets of chips...They can also do a shopping list if they felt like cooking something in particular."

Yes, the Bachie mansion might look luxurious, but there isn't a single private chef in sight.

"They have to cook all their own food - both the contestants and whoever is the Bachelor/Bachelorette. They either cook in groups or just make whatever they want," Sapphire says.

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It's not all bad, though. Luckily, the girls (or the guys) don't have to clean. And they have the magic of television to thank for it.

"There are cleaners, I mean, the house does have to be television ready at all times. You can't expect them to be cleaning every room to a television standard all the time," Sapphire reveals.

"But, there is a reason why you'll never see their rooms. In the old Bachelor mansion, the girls lived in dodgy bunk beds, it's not glamorous at all compared to the rest of the house. [Their rooms] are never shown and it's never mentioned."

Listen to Sapphire explain exactly what goes on in The Bachelor mansion below. (Post continues...)

You'd hope for a comfy bed at the end of a long day of filming, but that never used to be on the cards.

And when it comes to some of the house events, Sapphire says the cocktail parties can take hours to film. And being the lucky man or lady in demand? The hours are a lot worse.

"There are days that [the Bachelor/Bachelorette] were working 20 hours a day and surviving on four hours sleep. They are always in demand, they have no days off. Even if they're not on a date or a group date, they're doing hours and hours of vox pops ...going over every detail."

"As a contestant, you may only be shooting one or two days a week. And the rest of the time you're bored to death. That's why they get so excited when something actually happens," Sapphire says.

There are none of the conventional cures for boredom on offer, either. There's no Internet, no television, and yep, no Netflix.

"If I went in [to the Bachelor mansion], I wasn't even allowed to leave my phone unattended," Sapphire reveals.

"All the guys [on The Bachelorette] would just spend hours in the gym every day to pass the time. That's why none of their shirts fit them at the end of the season," she laughs.

So next time the girls seem over-excited to see Richie ride up their driveway on a Harley, or land in their backyard in a chopper, keep in mind this is the most excitement they've seen in days.

*Name has been changed.

Hopeless romantic or awkward charmer: which Bachelor hopeful would you be?