As the last of the bachelors sign up to join season 2 of TVNZ 2's Bachelorette New Zealand - featuring an unknown Bachelorette for filming this summer, we are told - Spy casts an eye over couples who are still together from their reality-show throw of the dice.
Art and Matilda Green, from the first series of The Bachelor, are living their best life as influencers and wellness advocates from their home base in Warkworth. Last weekend they had free time from young son Milo, celebrating Matilda's 30th birthday in style on the Waitemata Harbour and Waiheke Island.
Green, who is excited to be back as host of the second season of The Bachelorette, insists life is relatively normal for the couple now and the pair are loving being able to work from home and raise their son.
Two years ago they moved about an hour out of the hustle and bustle of Auckland to Warkworth. Green has also recently invested in an ethical honey company called End of The World, which is on a mission to help save the honey bees.
"We plan to keep having children, hopefully enough to form a basketball team (called The Green 69'ers) which we will then enter into the NBA. It's not often that the NBA accepts new teams so this will be proof that you can do anything you put your mind to." Green tells Spy.
Matilda Rice, Baby Milo and Art Green
His advice for would-be love hunters is more sage.
"Firstly, before going on reality TV, I think it's great to know deep down who you are, what makes you tick, what your values are, and that you're completely content with all of that. Then if you do decide to go on a show to find love, don't try to impress anyone, but rather just be the most authentic version of yourself - and then just go for it and have fun because you never know what amazing things can happen when you push yourself outside your comfort zone."
Meanwhile, Lily McManus is still head over heels for her beau, Richie Boyens, after choosing him as her bach earlier this year on The Bachelorette. The pair are loved up in Wānaka, enjoying everything the deep south has to offer.
McManus, a reality show veteran, has said anyone who is mentally healthy, confident within themselves, open to finding somebody and open to something that'll challenge them in ways they haven't been challenged, should do it. She says it shouldn't be about the Instagram followers, but the personal growth, places you get to see, nip slips, insightful conversations that there is no air-time for and all the excitement, nerves and love that comes with it.
McManus' rejected Bachelor Quinn Ryan, who is now with Claudia Hoskins - one of Season 3 Bachelor Zac Franich's top 3. They are giving the Wānaka pair a run for their money in the blissful love-match stakes, with Hoskins lapping up Ryan's action-filled lifestyle.
Quinn Ryan and Claudia Hoskins.
Auckland assistant fashion buyer Hoskins used social media to rematch with a dream bachelor - messaging Hawke's Bay-based engineer Ryan. They hit it off online and a week later met on Hoskins' home turf for some romantic nights out in Auckland.
Since then they have skydived, jet boated at some of the country's most picturesque lakes, and last weekend Hoskins indulged Ryan's other passion, the Superstock speedway, where Spy understands their mothers met for the first time.
Out of the many train wrecks Kiwis saw come out of the 2017 series of MAFS NZ, it is comforting to see Angel Star-Heron and Brett Renall celebrating their 3rd wedding anniversary last week and still living blissfully in the four-bedroom house they own in Lincoln.
With lots of room for children, so far the only patter of tiny feet are paws from their dog, Cashew, a french bulldog. Star-Heron has said her advice for going on a dating show is simple – put your best foot forward.
Also still cuddly from the MAFS world are 2019 match-up Carmen Stimpson and James Hardy, who were part of the ugliest session of coupling and uncoupling the Three show had turned out.
"It's been about 18 months since we finished filming, and about 14 months since I moved down to Christchurch from Auckland to live with Jim and life is pretty great," Stimpson tells Spy.
Carmen Stimpson and James Hardy
She says that the timing and being on the same page in life is the trick to the couple's success. Hardy works in telecommunications and Stimpson works as a pastry chef in the Garden City.
They are building a house on a section they bought together. Children are a little way off and they will be going the Brett and Angel route and getting a puppy first.
They know full well that they are part of the small percentage from the show where real-life love has actually worked out.
"It was the best thing to happen in my life," Stimpson says.
"But in saying that, it was also one of the hardest things to go through and I'm so glad Jim and I could go through that together. My biggest advice is be 100 per cent yourself, and keep your mind as open as possible, don't over-analyse situations and take it really slow. And have fun."
