Bachelor Australia - Season 10 - Felix - Jed - Thomas - Episodes - *Sleuthing Spoilers*

notarose wrote:Fascinating epi!
Jed and Alesia - IMO the dealbreaker is Alesia’s dad clearly not open to Jed being a part of her life. It goes beyond the idea of a proposal. I did really like how specific Alesia was when discussing concerns about the proposal. I too think it’s unnecessary and am disappointed this season went in that direction.
Thomas - I wonder if his mom met the woman he chose and it wasn’t shown because it would give it away?
Felix and Jess and Damien - LOL
Felix’s mom. She did a great job of asking pointed questions with measured tone.

exactly what I was thinking watching that. Why put in engagement rings in the 10th season when people have overwhelmingly said they think one of the best things about the Aussie version vs the US, is the lack of pressure and fake 'romance' that comes from an engagement ring at the end?

@leavers Yep - and the Fantasy Suite was a fizzer too.  No need to copy the US show on either of those aspects.

notarose wrote:...snipped
Thomas - I wonder if his mom met the woman he chose and it wasn’t shown because it would give it away?

I really want to know what happened there.  Thomas' screentime has been getting less and less over the season.  I wonder if he just stopped cooperating and refused to film the parent meetings.  

It's pretty clear IMO he's not into either of his final two so perhaps couldn't stomach the thought of lying straight to the faces of their families.  That wouldn't be too good for the karma now would it.

Also wonder if they brought his Mum in for a pep talk to get him through to the end of filming.  Seemed very weird for him to randomly break down in tears.  Tears of regret for signing up perhaps.

Yeah if you really want engagement rings and fantasy suites you don't add that out of nowhere in a season where you're trying to be 'different' when those belong in super traditional US seasons. Feels like they just threw everything at the wall hoping something would stick. Also felt like a 'we're going to criticise MAFS every chance we get for being cheap, while stealing a bunch of their tactics' season.

e: Yeah I'm very curious about the go with Thomas as well. Did he really not meet them? Or was that an edit? Did it just fizzle and not in a good way? Were there logistical reasons and they decided to pretend it was Thomas's choice? Also dude should have chosen Kiki, straight up. They had chemistry, they could have worked the baby thing out either way OR not - and they could have just enjoyed a short but pleasant relationship. There's no obligation to bloody get married after the show after all.

Leah, Alesia, Jess - as was known

now to find out how it all played out after the cameras stopped rolling!

Thomas And Leah Confirm They’re No Longer Together, ‘We Weren’t Compatible’

Jed And Alesia Start Their Next Chapter Together
(can't see that lasting...)

Felix And Jess Go Their Separate Ways, ‘It Did Naturally Fizzle Out’

What does Thomas mean by this? Is there someone else he's interested in?

“I was so focused on having that ‘perfect fairytale ending’ that I didn’t allow myself, in some cases, to fully open up to some of the women,” he said.

leavers wrote:Leah, Alesia, Jess - as was known

now to find out how it all played out after the cameras stopped rolling!

Thomas And Leah Confirm They’re No Longer Together, ‘We Weren’t Compatible’

Jed And Alesia Start Their Next Chapter Together
(can't see that lasting...)

Felix And Jess Go Their Separate Ways, ‘It Did Naturally Fizzle Out’

“I would have wanted to have been strong enough to actually break up with Damien prior to going on the show,” she admitted. “I think having someone that I was still attached to created a whole other layer of confusion and drama.

No kidding Sherlock. I had a feeling he'd choose her. Too much foreshadowing on his part.

Jed and Alesia are saying all the right things, we shall see.

GuardianAngel wrote:

Jed and Alesia are saying all the right things, we shall see.

snipped by me for focus

According to this article, Alesia has admitted to Jed she's 'kissed a few other people' during their 6 months wait to go public.

The pair explained that they decided to pump the brakes on their romance and have some breathing space due to everything being “so fast-tracked” during filming.

“We were on the show for seven weeks, and then from the rendezvous, we were like, ‘OK, let’s be together, let’s make this official’,” Alesia said.

“Then there was stuff going on between then, Jed had some things going on, so we just said, ‘let’s take a step back until we have the opportunity to be together properly.”

SD has an insider who reckons they're basically over but will wait out the 3 months before publicly breaking up, and of course SD also had the goss that Jed was spotted out clubbing at 3am in August trying to meet people. I think putting it all together, it feels very unlikely they're going to get anywhere.

Bobette wrote:@leavers Yep - and the Fantasy Suite was a fizzer too.  No need to copy the US show on either of those aspects.

notarose wrote:...snipped
Thomas - I wonder if his mom met the woman he chose and it wasn’t shown because it would give it away?

I really want to know what happened there.  Thomas' screentime has been getting less and less over the season.  I wonder if he just stopped cooperating and refused to film the parent meetings.  

It's pretty clear IMO he's not into either of his final two so perhaps couldn't stomach the thought of lying straight to the faces of their families.  That wouldn't be too good for the karma now would it.

Also wonder if they brought his Mum in for a pep talk to get him through to the end of filming.  Seemed very weird for him to randomly break down in tears.  Tears of regret for signing up perhaps.

Apparently, according to SD, it was just too boring and they didn't have enough time to show it (because they wasted so much time on Damien and Jess, what a waste of everyone's time that was) so they had Thomas say that stuff about being so certain there was no need for it.

GuardianAngel wrote:What does Thomas mean by this? Is there someone else he's interested in?

“I was so focused on having that ‘perfect fairytale ending’ that I didn’t allow myself, in some cases, to fully open up to some of the women,” he said.

I haven't watched the episode yet nor read anything about the final except the article @leavers liked by James Weir () but my interpretation of that quote is Thomas realises he messed up by giving Kiki the cold shoulder re: having kids.  Too late, IMO.  His attitude towards single mothers, step children and blended families is immature, IMO.  

It would have been a privilege if Kiki invited him into her children's lives, not a burden, and she was under absolutely no obligation to guarantee she would have more children with a man she had known for all of five minutes.  Women are not breeding mares.  He's got no chance with her now that she's seen what he said to the cameras, IMO.

Episode 12

Alright let's wrap this one up.  I don't often watch finales because once the sleuthing is over and the winner is known the fun of this show goes out of it for me.  But I'm making an exception this season considering it's likely to be the last episode ever.  Might as well see it through to the bitter end.



Thomas is "calm", and confident he's found his soulmate.  Puh-lease.  He said before the show he wants an independent, enterprising woman, to find the other half of his "power couple", while Leah looks and sounds like she runs the ball pool where parents drop their kids off on the way into Ikea.  



What does she even do for work?  Do we know?  Or is her only occupation "being in love with Thomas from Day 1 and bursting into tears on camera?"  I'm sure she's a lovely girl with many positive traits but soulmate to a multi-level-marketing, pyramid-scheme-climbing "Life Coach"?  Me thinks not.



Jed is thoroughly over this whole thing and looks moments away from telling TPTB exactly where they can shove their green screen filming sessions.  This looks like it was filmed long after the finale, so he and Alesia had probably already gone their separate ways by the time this was shot IMO.



It seems like only around 10% of the interviews aired were shot during filming - the rest have been re-shoots during post-production IMO.  When the narratives have been manipulated that much, does it even qualify as "reality TV" anymore?  I'd argue no.  Anyway, Jed's "packing it", he says.



Felix is pensively pacing around in front of his green screen which makes him look like a four year old next to the giant couch.    They might as well have used an image of Paris or the surface of Mars; it would have been just as believable.  Makes me wonder what said in the original, unused interviews.



Felix has "never been so unsure" in his life and can't believe he has to choose between "two completely different women". Apparently he has not seen the previous 9 seasons at the end of which the Lead has never been so unsure and struggles to choose between two completely different women.  



So for those taking notes:  Bachelor 1 is calm and confident.  Bachelor 2 is nervous.  Bachelor 3 is torn with indecision.  And so they come together at Shambala estate for some group hugs.  Even though I find few of the romantic relationships convincing, there is genuine warmth here IMO.



Osher emerges from the camelia bushes and I am reminded of the season he didn't show up for the FRC, nor half the episodes, because Melbourne was in COVID lockdown, and how his absence made absolutely no difference.  Anyhoo, they chat.  Confident; Nervous; Torn.  Yes, we GET IT.



Felix says if he could design the perfect person to meet his parents it would be Abigail.  OOF.  So she's basically a decoy.  A straight man's beard.  He says nothing about his feelings for her.  If I thought Abigail cared about him I'd be offended for her but meh, I doubt she gives two hoots.



Meanwhile the girls rendezvous in the garden for some quick chats wearing silky PJs and hair pins AS YOU DO.  Alesia says she has "feelings" for Jed but doesn't want to get engaged and doesn't think he'll propose but I suspect Jed's contract and pressure from producers says otherwise.



More open air nightie chats and this time it's raining so of course one needs a brolly.  Why not chat inside you say?  Don't be so silly!  Then we wouldn't get the beautiful surroundings of a wood pile and a reminder not to take any without paying because surveillance cameras are in use.  



Jess is worried that bringing her aggressive and controlling boyfriend *might* not have made the best impression on Felix's mum at the MTP.  She also thinks Abigail has "misinterpreted" what she said about wanting to still sleep with Damien post-FRC.  Nice try blondie but we all heard you say it.  



Jess tries to explain that distance from Felix's manhood might lead her to require ~ servicing ~ by Damien but Abigail's done with her sh*t.  She tells Jessica to "get a vibrator" and says she's self-centred.  Much of this conversation is frankenbyted but the gist is, Jess still doesn't get it.



And right on cue, here comes Damien.  I find it interesting that they chose to include this exchange between him and the producer, asking if he definitely wants to do this, to which he says yes.  Covering their asses because they knew exactly how badly he'd go down with viewers IMO.



Jessica says "I can't believe you're here... again" ().  Damien wants to "hold space" for her and "witness her speak her truth"  Jess thanks him for the support but feels he deserves someone who's "all in" (though "all in" an open relationship seems like an oxymoron to me...).



Anyway Damo says he's cool with it and exits stage left though if he didn't immediately call her post-show and if they didn't hook back up I would be extremely surprised.  Cult leaders don't just let their members go that easily.  But who cares because here come The Boys and they mean business.



Within 30 seconds, Thomas has dumped Lauren. They didn't even show her walking up.  Just him saying "you are not the one".  What on earth happened with Thomas' edit?  We've seen barely anything of him or his girls since mid-season. But yeah, SD was wrong - Lauren's not F1, and he does propose, to Leah.



He says some words but I'm not buying any of it.  Then he drops to the floor, gets the knee of his beige pants dirty and proposes to a girl he probably broke up with five minutes after the cameras stopped rolling.  This is the result of contractual obligations, producer coersion, and nothing more, IMO.



Angela says she's in love with Jed and she thinks Jed will pick her.  Eeek.  I could see him with either girl really but Alesia's been his favourite all along IMO.  She's a bit frosty which I think has kept him keen.  Yin/Yang and all that.  The chapel setting is completely OTT but why not at this point.



Angela arrives and Jed asks her to take a seat.  She freezes for a fraction of a second.  It's barely perceptible but in that moment she knows she's not the one, IMO.  Anyone who's watched this show knows the final couple need to be standing, the shot perfectly framed.  Sitting on a pew ain't it.



Jed has been the most engaging of the Bachelors IMO.  Yes he's a bit of a try hard and yes there's been some questionable stuff emerge about his past but he's been the most emotionally open of the three and it makes a refreshing change watching a man smear his mascara for once instead of the girl.



Angela is blindsided.  Like, they always say it, but she genuinely seems shocked.  The producers follow her round the garden peeping out of bushes as she tries to come to terms with what just happened.  She says she "feels like such a c*ckhead" and look you have to respect the poetry of the phrasing.



Jed says his heart has been screaming for Alesia from the moment he met her, that he feels like he's been lost from his house and when he's with her he's finally home.  All this is said with a haircut matching the one he has at the FRC so one of the few pieces of interview footage kept from the original filming IMO.



They look good together and say nice things and I believe they mean them.  It still seems obvious that Jed likes Alesia more than vice versa to me but I do think at this point she would have been willing to give it a shot, just minus the engagement because come on people it's been 7 weeks and she's not an idiot.



He says "Alesia's made it pretty bloody clear she doesn't want me getting down on one knee"... and then he does it anyway.  The look on her face says it all.  ABORT man, ABORT.  Realising he's not going to get the answer he wants, Jed stand back up while Alesia drops the most F-bombs that church has probably ever heard.  



He says he understands where she's coming from, he wants to be her man and for her to be his woman and he still wants to offer her the ring.  A nice gesture even if it is so they can pawn it post-show and split the profits.  She says "I'll put it on any finger you want so long as it's not 'will you marry me'".    Fair play to them both.



And so it all comes down to this.  The crazy cat lady whom the Lead has shown no romantic interest in whatsoever, vs the... I don't even know what to call Jess at this point.  Actress?  Coercive control victim?  Selfish, sex-mad vixen?  She's not a polyamorist that's for sure.  Anyway, here comes Abigail (with her freckled arm )



Felix says he hasn't found what he's looking for with her and Abigail barely flinches.  Says it's "not ideal" but she's fine with it and there won't be any second chances.  Suddenly the moon is out and it's the middle of the night.  What happened there?  Paps scared them back inside with their drones?  Weird.



Felix says she makes him feel "so special".  Huh?  Dude she wouldn't even dump her boyfriend for you till the last second.  No mention of a proposal and before any awkward questions can be raised, here come Jed and Alesia out of the mist like a couple of Dianne Fossey's gorillas and it's congratulations all round.



Now, THIS I like.  The season ends with the F2s slugging down champers and throwing shade at the various Leads/F1s.  Never mind the lonely and tearful limo ride home of previous seasons, this one's going out with gossip and a pissup.  Somehow I think these girls will be just fine.



Thomas and Leah arrive to round out the couples and that's it!  Some aspects of this season I think actually worked well - mainly the bits stolen from MAFS.  The group dinner, the "mates" visit, all worth trying.  But I doubt we'll see this show back on Ch 10 for a while, if ever.



Sorry Bachelor AU; you did not receive a rose.  

Source: Tenplay

hahaha your comment (and photo) about Felix in front of the green screen being out of proportion made me legit laugh out loud!

I watched the first ep of MAFS tonight, and it featured Jessica (that's her name, right?) and her bean-spilling at one of the weddings. I thought she did great, actually, I think she would have been good on Bachie... shame Ten got jealous of MAFS being the bigger show and cut her out.

@leavers and then at the opposite end of the spectrum with have Thomas the giant sitting on his little mini chair.  Looks totally realistic, right?





Source: Tenplay

I don't usually watch MAFS but might give it a go this year.  There was one (1) guy who looked half decent and I'm curious to know what's wrong with him

@Bobette thanks for the recap, freckled arm and all!

Big couch little man is hilarious!