Nick Cummins 'The Honey Badger' starred on The Bachelor Australia. Photo / Supplied
Nick Cummins 'The Honey Badger' starred on The Bachelor Australia. Photo / Supplied
It's been repeatedly denied by former contestants, but Nick "The Honey Badger" Cummins seems to have confirmed The Bachelor's worst-kept secret.
This year's Bachelor, who infamously dumped both Sophie Tieman and Brittany Hockley in the finale, was speaking to ABC's Radio National on Wednesday when he cited contractual obligations asthe reason why he made the shocking decision.
"I was actually disappointed that people are so brainwashed, you're not going to get your fairytale ending every time," the former rugby star said.
"And what's more important, me just saying 'yes' and going through the motions and dragging some girl through all this media about how we're in love and then three months down the track after the contract's over, um, we're allowed to break up.
"I'm not going to drag them through that rubbish … and break her heart. Bugger that."
It comes after former Bachelorette Sophie Monk was forced to deny claims that she was contractually obliged to pretend she was still dating winner Stu Laundy after the show finished airing last year.
Monk and Laundy announced their split about three months after the finale was shown on TV.
This year's Bachelorette couple, Ali Oetjen and Taite Radley, are currently the target of that same speculation, just weeks after their own season wrapped up.
Cummins made similar comments on The Project in October, after the controversial finale sparked outrage among fans.
"It's not fair to her. Going down that path three months, only to break her heart," he said.
"She'd be sitting here now. People would be asking if you're in love, and it's like … I didn't want to lie."
Meanwhile, Cummins revealed to the ABC that he hadn't realised prior to signing up for the show that it was an "expectation" that he would emerge from it in a relationship.
"I just thought you get on there with the hope of finding someone, and that's what it did. But if you don't (find love), it doesn't mean you're breaking the law, does it? It seemed like I was," he said.
