Bachelorette New Zealand - Season 1 - Dr Lesina Nakhid-Schuster - Lily McManus - Media SM - Discussion - *Sleuthing Spoilers *

A relationship guy, Conor is hoping that he’ll find the love of his life (and an everlasting relationship) with our Bachelorette.

He’s looking for three things in a partner – someone fully vaccinated, with personality and intelligence. If they’ve got all three, that makes them a 10 out of 10!

Why did you apply for The Bachelorette New Zealand?

I’m one of the only single ones in my friend group now, three of them are now engaged and obviously traditional methods haven’t worked for me finding a partner, either town or Tinder. So, I figured why the hell not give reality TV a go and see if it helps me!

Tell us about your dating history:

Since I was 13 I’ve only been single, in total, for about a year and a half. The majority of that has been since the start of 2019. When I was in year nine, I entered into a five-year relationship which ended at the end of my first year of university. Then a couple of months later, I went into a three-year relationship, that ended after about a year and a half at the start of 2019. Now I’m single, and here I am! I’m very much a serial monogamist, as my friends like to call me.

What will your friends and family say when they find out you are on the show?

They are going to laugh their asses off. Mum will be a bit confused, but my mates will absolutely love it. I do weird stuff like this sometimes, so I don’t think they’ll be too surprised!

Who’s your celebrity crush?

Alicia Vikander.

Fun fact:

I’m the only person in the world with the exact spelling of my name – so if you Google me, I’m the only one that will come up!

Jewellery salesman George’s life motto is “do it before you lose it”, and this experience is no different for him!

His co–worker signed him up for the show, but he decided to finish the application and take the plunge in the hopes of finding a genuine connection with our Bachelorette.

Will his expert jewellery knowledge help him out, if he makes it to the final rose and gets to pick out “the ring”?

What will your friends and family say when they find out you are on the show?

They are going to be a little bit surprised. It’s not something they will totally expect, but I like to be unpredictable sometimes.

Tell us about your dating history:

It’s been a lot of short–lived relationships. I haven’t dated for over a year. I think that’s to do with being a student in Dunedin for five years – it’s quite a transient lifestyle (studied law and arts).

What is your dream date?

I love the beach, so any date to do with the beach is a good one. Driving out in the sun, to the beach, is a dream.

What do you want to get out of this experience?

I don’t like to expect much from things I do – the whole reason I’m here is to meet the Bachelorette, and to see how our relationship goes.

Parlez-vous français? Of course, Logan speaks the language of love! This nice guy, originally from France is looking for someone to share his life with.

Honesty, good at communicating, sense of adventure and “someone who looks at me like I’m amazing and I’ll look at them the same way” are the qualities he’s looking for in the perfect woman.

Being well travelled, he’s lived in just shy of 10 different countries – from South Korea, Malawi, Scotland and Australia!

Will our Bachelorette be the one Logan can take on his next adventure?

Why did you apply for The Bachelorette New Zealand?

I’m in a really good place in my life; I’ve got it all together, I’ve been lucky enough to travel the world, do lots of things I wanted to do, and I feel like the only thing missing is someone to share it with. Hopefully I’ve got a chance at finding that.

What will your friends and family say when they find out you are on the show?

They will be super supportive. They know I’m a nice guy and genuinely want to find a connection.

Tell us about your dating history:

How much time do you have?! I’ve been lucky enough to date a fair few people and meet some amazing people. I’ve been fortunate enough to be in love twice and both times taught me about myself, what I want from life, and helped me become a better person, a better man.

Who’s your celebrity crush?

Emilia Clarke, because she’s a massive dork like me and attractive too.

What do you want to get out of this experience?

Hopefully I‘m going to be the last man standing, but ultimately, I want to come out of it happy with how I’ve presented myself, just being me, and seeing if I get a connection out of it.

Having been single for two years, Tavita has moved back from the Sunshine Coast for the opportunity of falling for our Bachelorette!

Viewers might recognise Tavita from a previous dating show – Heartbreak Island. Having been the island lothario, he still left without finding that special someone, and is hoping this experience will end differently!

Listing his major pet peeve as someone who chews loudly – he can’t stand it so much that he has to put headphones on - let’s hope the boys in the mansion eat with their mouth closed, otherwise we might have some issues!

Will Tavita have more luck this time around looking for love?

Why did you apply for The Bachelorette New Zealand?

What a great question! On a previous show I didn’t find love, so I thought why not try and find love this time.

What will your friends and family say when they find out you are part of the show?

My mum will be proud, as always, but my grandma will be like, ‘oh my gosh another one? Are you serious?’ It will be interesting to see their reactions!

Tell us about your dating history:

How much time do you have? My dating history hasn’t been too pleasant. There have been great times and tough times, but all that’s happened is I’ve learnt. I’ve learnt a lot of lessons through my previous relationships that sometimes things work out, and if they don’t, it’s a learning curve.

Who’s your celebrity crush?

Mila Kunis. She’s amazing, and that’s kind of why I watch Family Guy, so I can hear her voice occasionally.

Te HiHi Estate from Quinn OConnell on Vimeo.

Auckland-based Nakhid-Schuster was chosen to be the Bachelorette from more than 2000 single women.

But when it came to signing up single men to appear on the show, there were rumours it would be tough to find suitable contenders. However, Art dismisses this notion.

"I never once thought that we couldn't get some great, genuine Kiwi guys on the show, unafraid to talk about their feelings," he says.

The line-up of men includes an electrician, a teacher, a personal trainer and a chocolate maker.

"The guys on the show are just amazing," says Art. "They're such cool guys. They're so genuine. They are so open.

"I did have one sort of reservation thinking that, 'Oh, you know, what if some of these guys are just like, you know, Instagram famous guys that are just on it to become more Instagram famous'. But none of them are like that. They are all just great guys."

The Single Guys

Dominic Palfrey, 21, actor/model and sales rep, lives in Auckland.

What are you looking for in a partner?

"A lust for adventure, emotional intelligence and ambition."

Elliott Gilchrist, 32, painter, lives in Wanaka.

Tell us about your worst date.

"The worst date I ever had was with a lovely girl that picked me up to go for a drive and chat. She wouldn't stop talking about Stevie Nicks (Fleetwood Mac), how much she loves her."

Conor Orsbourn, 24, senior career consultant, lives in Christchurch.

What are you looking for in a partner?

"First thing I look for in a partner is, are they fully vaccinated? If yes, then personality is second. Looks will fade one day but talking about aliens and conspiracy theories at 2am in bed never will."

Brendon Vanstone, 38, self-employed in electrical/electronics and engineering trade, lives in Pleasant Point, near Timaru.

What are you looking for in a partner?  

"I want someone I feel a spark with, that's energetic and active, needs to have some similar interests (but not all), likes and respects animals, doesn't have a fear of flying, and doesn't mind being in wide open spaces (this is a must as to me as it has a big bearing on whether she's a city or a country girl) and enjoy nature and the simple things in life."

Tavita Karika, 30, personal trainer and youth worker, lives in Timaru.

What are you looking for in a partner?

"Core values like honesty, passion, kindness to others (like thanking the waitress or waiter when you go out for dinner), ambition and compassion."

Marc Johnson, 33, chocolate maker, lives in Wellington.

Why haven't you found lasting love?

"I've not found everlasting love as I can't seem to find the right person for me. I'd give anything to find true love."

Steve Masters, 35, construction account manager, lives in Auckland.

Tell us about your worst date.

"She was a catfish – very nice with her text messaging, horrible person in real life."

Kurt Johnston, 30, business development manager, lives in Auckland.

Tell us about your worst date.

"We planned to go out for dinner and drinks. I was told, 'You pick the restaurant, I'm easy going'. I pick her up, and drive to the restaurant. We go to the bar, have a drink and sit down for dinner. She turns around and says, 'I'm vegan I don't eat any of this food', (we were at a barbecue joint) and storms off. She asked me the next day to pay her back for the drink she purchased."

Daryl Habraken, 37, voice actor and podcaster, lives in Auckland.

Why haven't you found lasting love?

"I guess the cards haven't fallen my way. My eyes have always been open, but the aim has been off."

Aaron McNabb, 27, food technology teacher, lives in Hamilton.

Tell us about your worst date.

"I haven't had too many bad dates, but I think the worst one was I was out for dinner with a girl and she was telling some stories that started to sound familiar and it turned out I had dated her sister about a month earlier. So that didn't go well when she found out."

Terence O'Brien, 25, builder, lives in Auckland.

Tell us about your worst date.

"I once dated a girl who hated Nutella and, therefore, it could never work."

Logan Carr, 32, travel agent and brand ambassador, lives in Auckland.

Tell us about your worst date.

"I met up with someone from a dating app. She seemed nice and conversation was decent until she started talking about how she was preparing for the apocalypse. I do like a bit of crazy, but that was too much. There was no second date."

Liam Cochrane, 28, product development manager, lives in Perth.

What are you looking for in a partner?

"Someone exciting who has their own goals and ambitions. Ideally someone who still wants to travel the world, someone who surfs, skates or does some form of board sport. Must want children at some point and a collection of dogs."

Glenn Richards, 28, personal trainer, lives in Auckland.

What are you looking for in a partner?

"You know that feeling you get when you meet someone special? I want that – someone who brings out the best in me, who takes care of herself and is beautiful on the inside and out."

Tyler McKendry, 22, mortgage adviser and personal trainer, lives in Christchurch.

Why haven't you found lasting love?

"I get bored easily."

Marcus Mannex-Kingi, 23, jump master at AJ Hackett Bungy, lives in Queenstown.

Why haven't you found lasting love?

"Living in Queenstown, the population is mainly tourists that are very transient. It's hard to make the full connection with females that will be around long enough to find out their full dreams and ambitions. But I'm always looking for someone who is keen for adventure and wants to push themselves out of their comfort zone."

Jesse Williamson, 24, radio broadcaster, lives in Canada.

What are you looking for in a partner?

"I'm looking for a best friend who wants to live a fun, positive and adventurous lifestyle. Someone who has imperfections that I will strangely love. Someone who has a positive outlook on life, is driven, confident and someone who tries to become the best person they can be on a daily basis. Someone decent on the eyes wouldn't go amiss either, with all of the above."

Quinn Ryan, 25, sheet metal engineer, from Hawke's Bay.

What are you looking for in a partner?

"I'm looking for someone who is very driven, sets goals. She's got to have her thing as well that she's driven to do whether that's business or something else. I like a sporty chick and someone with a bubbly personality and a good sense of humour."

Clayton Turner, 31, graphic designer, lives in Napier.

Tell us about your worst date.

"I am quite the sci-fi fan and film critic. When I was young I went on a date with a young lady. We began to make conversation and it shortly became clear that she had not seen any movies or modern media for the conversation to relate to. I ended up asking if she'd at least seen Star Wars and being a big fan myself, when she said, 'Oh yeah that's that movie with The Dark Invader in it, right?', I couldn't quite feel comfortable after that."

George Hellriegel, 24, jewellery salesperson, lives in Auckland.

Why haven't you found lasting love?

"I have built up myself to be a comfortably solitary person, mainly through my time at university. I now feel the need to break free of those solitary traditions I have made in my life and, ultimately, invite someone else in."

Flynn Palmer, 20, model, athlete and student, lives in Auckland.

Why haven't you found lasting love?

"Realistically, I've only been an adult for arguably two years, so that's mainly why – I've still got a bit of time to find love. That being said, I'm 100 per cent ready and looking to be with someone and to have a best friend/partner to experience new things and grow with during this fun, exciting and unpredictable time of life."

Jonathan Wedge, 26, designer from Auckland.

Why haven't you found lasting love?

"I haven't found love because the last few relationships I have been in have ended in less-than-desirable circumstances. I've unintentionally gone for the wrong girls and put time and energy into relationships that have ended up hurting me along the way."