Absolutely everything we know about being a contestant on the The Bachelor Australia.

With the new season of The Bachelor premiering in late 2023 on Channel 10, our appetite for all things reality TV has, once again, multiplied by a million.

We want to know all things. Including, where the hell was Vakoo at the second rose ceremony?

But we also want to know what being a contestant on The Bachelor Australia actually entails. So that we can vicariously live the drama-filled life of Rachael, the self-proclaimed villain of season 9.

But first, watch when Mamamia met The Bachelor, Matt Agnew. Post continues after video.

Here’s everything you ever wanted to know about what happens when you’re a contestant on Australia’s favourite reality TV show. (Sorry, MAFS).

How much do The Bachelor Australia contestants get paid?

Although an amount has never been confirmed by Channel 10, in 2016, the Sydney Morning Herald reported that the women on Richie Strahan’s season of The Bachelor were paid a nominal fee of $90 a day.

It’s not a lot, considering many of the women have to leave their jobs – some for as long as three months – to be on the show.

As for Bachelor in Paradise, it appears that rate increases depending on your profile. Ivan Krslovic confirmed this year that he got paid around $100 to $200 a day to appear on the show. On the other hand, Alex Nation, who won Richie Strahan’s season before they parted ways in a high-profile breakup, is rumoured to have received $5000 a day.

Contestants are paid $90 a day. Image: Ten.

What are the living conditions like on The Bachelor Australia?

Laura Byrne, who won Matty J’s heart on the fifth season of The Bachelor in 2017, and Brittany Hockley, who made the top two of Nick Cummins’ season last year before he infamously chose no one, shared the behind-the-scenes details of living in the Bachelor mansion on their podcast, Life Uncut.

The bedding arrangements, they both said, are akin to sleeping in a "dorm room".

“Our mansion was three quite big rooms and all the girls were in bunk beds in the rooms,” Laura recalled. “In my room it was actually 14 girls all in bunk beds and obviously that dwindled down as the roses also dwindled.

“It was like being on school camp, which was probably one of the funnest parts and also one of the most difficult parts of the whole thing as well.”

“I had a room of 12,” Brittany explained. “And you don’t think about that when you go into the mansion, but what mansion is going to have 30 rooms?”

Brittany added the gym provided for the women was “the alpaca shed that they had just ripped out the hay and put some equipment in.”

How long does filming for The Bachelor Australia take?

The first night takes four days to film. Image: Ten.

The filming process of The Bachelor sounds, honestly, exhausting. While filming the entire season is known to take three months to film, it's the individual episodes that take significantly longer than expected.

In 2016, Sam Frost, then radio host on 2DayFM's breakfast show with Rove McManus, revealed the first night can take up to four days to film. Yes, FOUR DAYS.

Sam, who was Australia's first Bachelorette, explained: "We'll usually film it over two nights. But for me actually, I got ready for the arrivals on one night and then you do your getting ready shots, put your lip gloss on, and then they did meeting Osher in one night."

"Then the second night you go back, put on the same thing, do arrivals, a little bit of the cocktail party, chat to a few people," she added.

"Then by the third night of getting ready, we did the rose ceremony and on the fourth day you get it all back [on] again and do the pieces to camera."

Listen to this episode of The Spill. Post continues below.

How involved are the producers in keeping contestants on The Bachelor Australia?

So far, Matt Agnew has been accused of keeping the likes of Rachel "the bride" Arahill on his season purely for entertainment purposes. So was it his decision? Or that of producers?

Most likely, both.

In an interview with News Corp in 2018, a former producer of The Bachelor Australia shared: "[The Bachelor]’s not told, but he’s guided towards decisions.

"I think the Bachelor keeps certain people in because it takes the weight off his shoulders. He knows for the show to do well it’s got to be interesting, but it’s hard for him to be interesting the whole time. If he keeps the crazies in, that’s a great show. Let’s keep it entertaining, let’s work together."

They continued: "He’s being encouraged, and he’s seeing the merit in it, because then he doesn’t have to be this outrageous entertaining character the whole time; she can carry a bit of the workload."

How much can contestants drink on The Bachelor Australia?

In Australia, there are rules around how much contestants can drink. They are allowed two drinks per hour, and if they're on Bachelor in Paradise, that has to be after midday.

For more, read:

• An avocado ban and bunk beds: Laura Byrne and Brittany Hockley on being on The Bachelor.
• Everything we know about The Bachelors 2024.
  
• Who are Australia's 2024 Bachelors? 

Feature Image: Ten.

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