Bachelor Australia star Nick Cummins fends off reporters in Papau New Guinea, after the finale of the show. / A Current Affair
Nick Cummins has refused to answers questions about The Bachelor finale in a tense clash with A Current Affair.
In a move usually reserved for dodgy tradies or bickering neighbours, on Wednesday the Channel 9 current affair program revealed they had tracked down and confronted Nick on camera — and he wasn't happy about it.
The Honey Badger, who was in to Papua New Guinea to complete the Kokoda Trail and is now holidaying in Port Moresby, was accosted by reporter Reid Butler and a camera crew while leaving a hotel pool.
The story also included shots of Nick on his phone and in the pool with female friends. Photo / Channel 9
Butler and the camera crew followed Nick and a group of male pals to a lift where the strained exchange ensued.
Nick's friend James Brodie, a personal trainer who completed the Kokoda Trail with the Honey Badger, stepped in with some choice words.
"Just, just leave it, we've just asked you just leave it. We've just asked you three times nicely," he snapped. "So don't ask again, because I know you're about to."
Nick told the camera crew they would be getting security, again repeating his pleas for privacy.
"What a giant waste of time that was," Brittany said after learning neither woman has been chosen. Photo / Supplied
"Just don't hassle me, I'm trying to have a bloody — trying to chill out, (I'm) copping enough crap from people like you mate so I just want to relax," Nick said.
Butler tried to ask one more question but was quickly interrupted again by James, who shoved a finger in the reporter's face.
"Don't ask a question mate, we just asked you three times," he raged. "It's going to be the last time I f**king say it."
ACA's treatment of Nick received a negative reception on Twitter, with many questioning why the network had wasted time tracking the Honey Badger down.
Bit short on stories tonight??? Was it not better to break hearts then than to live falsely for months and do it later? He already announced they he was going to Kokoda so how is he “fleeing”? Seriously #9aca your clutching, wow!! https://t.co/UlvlldHjqm
In a preview for the ACA segment, Butler explained they had tracked down Cummins in order to get an answer for The Bachelor finale which had broken "all our hearts".
"Well Nick's been able to avoid the backlash that decision has caused from the girls and the fans themselves by being here in Papua New Guinea for the past eight days," Butler said.
"But A Current Affair has been able to track the Honey Badger down."
Showing shots of Nick lying on a sun lounger and chatting in the pool with friends — you know, normal holiday activities — Butler said Nick was "still very much enjoying the bachelor lifestyle".
A teaser for the segment received a largely negative response on Twitter today:
lol calm down @ACurrentAffair9. Aren't there some feuding neighbours you should be reporting on?
Nick fled to Papua New Guinea last week ahead of The Bachelor finale which saw him dump both Sophie Tieman and Brittany Hockley in a surprise ending.
The rugby player hasn't commented on his shock decision apart from a prerecorded interview with The Sunday Project.
When grilled by Lisa Wilkinson as to why he had gone on The Bachelor, a flustered Nick said it was all down to his "timeline".
"So timelines you can have, you can think you know what you want, and then someone comes into your life and your view of what you thought you wanted gets absolutely blown out the window," Nick said.
"Why would I go in and start something that has a high potential of three months down the track breaking her heart, you know? I'd rather make a very hard decision then at that point to save a big scar on the heart later."
