reality tv

"She was excluded." Kaitlyn on what happened to Irena in The Bachelor mansion after lockdown.

To catch up on all The Bachelor Australia 2020 recaps and gossip, check out Mamamia’s recaps and visit our Bachelor hub page.

Last week on The Bachelorwe saw Bella and Irena's close friendship come to a sudden end.

The falling out, which played out across several dramatic cocktail parties, left many viewers feeling confused.

You see, no one quite understands how Bella and Irena's argument even began.

And it turns out even the other contestants are stumped.

WATCH: The Bachelor's Locky Gilbert decorates a cake while answering rapid-fire questions. Post continues below.


Video via Mamamia.

"I honestly don't know what the fight was about. I asked about five times," Kaitlyn Hoppe, who left the mansion on Thursday night's episode, told Mamamia.

"I think something happened in lockdown over phone calls or texts with Locky, Irena and Bella. There was some kind of miscommunication."

The falling out between the two frontrunners escalated when Locky and the contestants returned to the mansion. 

According to Kaitlyn, Bella and Irena's falling out led to tension in the mansion.

ADVERTISEMENT

"There was definitely a divide [in the mansion] and that's why I bonded with Irena," the personal assistant shared.

"I don't like to leave people out and isolate people and I don't have sheep mentality. [Irena] was 100 per cent there for the right reasons."

The 26-year-old shared that she believes Irena was "excluded" in the mansion.

"I think she was [excluded] because her connection [with Locky] was so strong," she shared.

"I don't think it was fair to exclude her. And I think the way people spoke to her wasn't appropriate. I don't think making up rumours about her was appropriate either."

ADVERTISEMENT

Kaitlyn understands what it feels like to be isolated in the Bachelor mansion. The Gold Coast native entered the show as an intruder in the second episode, and the other contestants certainly weren't happy to see her.

"I've been isolated in there before so I knew how it felt [for Irena]," she said.

"When I got [to the show], and I had to walk down the hallway, it was so intimidating. I was definitely nervous."

After entering the show as an intruder, Kaitlyn had some one-on-one time with Locky. But after that, she went weeks without a single date.

"It really sucks because we had an instant connection and he kept saying that he wanted to explore it further," she told Mamamia.

"It was difficult to watch the girls go on [single dates]. I felt like I was missing out because I didn't get to show him a different side of myself."

Once the show went into lockdown, however, her connection with Locky grew stronger as they exchanged frequent phone calls and "cute selfies".

"I really loved filming Love in Lockdown," she shared. 

ADVERTISEMENT

"It's just the camera guy and your family at home. I felt like I really got to show the real Kaitlyn," she added.

"I really stepped it up in the month before we went back to the mansion. We were talking every day for a long time and we developed a very, very strong connection."

Kaitlyn was surprised though when she heard that she wasn't the only contestant that Locky was talking to every day.

"Unfortunately, that's just how it is," she said.

"If you online date, the guy may be talking to three or four girls. It's modern dating. I'm not possessive or angry about it because, honestly, it's just our generation now. 

"Even if it's a guy you like outside the show, he's probably going to be talking to other girls. It is literally what dating is like in 2020."

ADVERTISEMENT

Upon returning to the mansion, Kaitlyn was surprised that she didn't get a single date with Locky.

"I brought it up with him and I asked him why I didn't get a single date. I didn't hold back," she said.

Listen to Mamamia's daily entertainment podcast, The Spill, below. Post continues after podcast.

"I asked him, 'Why did Bec get a single date and I haven't got one?' He said, 'I trust the connection we already have.' It was very confusing. I was like, 'Why didn't I get it?'"

Kaitlyn said she also felt blindsided when she was sent home on last night's episode before the hometown dates.

"I was surprised because there's a lot that we had that's not aired," she explained.

"We actually had a conversation at the cocktail party before I was sent home. He goes, 'I want you to meet my friends and family. Will your family like me?' And I thought, 'Oh my god, he really wants to go to the next level.'"

For the most part, Kaitlyn enjoyed her time on the show and she's open to giving reality TV another shot.

"I honestly love it. I think you love it when you're 100 per cent yourself. You just forget the cameras are there."

Feature Image: Instagram.

For recaps delivered straight to your inbox, click here and select "Mamamia Recaps" so you don’t miss out.