Bachelor winner Matilda Rice and Art Green. Photo / Norrie Montgomery
Bachelor winner Matilda Rice and Art Green. Photo / Norrie Montgomery
The casting call is out for new contestants for The Bachelor NZ as talent scouts comb the country for another 20 Bachelorettes to match last season’s colourful batch of beauties. Bachelor Art Green and winner Matilda Rice are still inseparable six months after the debut series ended. But what became of the other girls and their quest for true love? The Herald on Sunday pops the question.
Rosie Kininmonth insists her sensational exit on the show's debut episode is the best decision she ever made.
The 30-year-old thrill-seeker left clean-cut Bachelor Art Green speechless when she told him her heart wasn't in it and he was too laid-back to visit dangerous countries with her.
Days after her March departure from the show, Kininmonth revealed to the Herald on Sunday she was planning to wed a rugged "Westie" bushman in the jungles of Papua New Guinea.
Eight months on she is still engaged to live-in boyfriend Dan Deans, who proposed to her a week after they met.
The bubbly brunette quit her home town of Thames, Coromandel, and has started a new career as a real estate agent in West Auckland.
"Turning down Art was the best thing I could have done because I went on to meet Dan," she says.
"I went on the show genuinely looking for love but Art wasn't the man for me. "He is a nice guy but when he said he did not want to come to the Middle East with me and be my bodyguard, that was the deal-breaker."
Kininmonth says she couldn't be happier with tradie Deans and their ridgeback staffy, Fiddy. "Dan and I are sub-atomic particles and the force between us is strong.
Auckland lawyer Danielle Beston's Bachelorette journey raised eyebrows when it was revealed she was still married, and she turned down a rose from Green.
But the 35-year-old is on the up after getting engaged last month to an admirer, Andrew, who won her over by sending a yellow rose to her office.
"He had never watched The Bachelor NZ but became interested in me after hearing me do a radio interview while he was driving to work," Beston says.
"He tracked me down and sent me the rose, followed by another and a letter, then photographs and everything just took off from there.
"I thought it took a lot of guts to do that and after a few phone calls and emails, we went on a date."
The couple's first date was like something out of The Bachelor NZ - a helicopter trip to Waiheke Island followed by a horse trek and a romantic dinner at Cable Bay Vineyard.
Beston was swept off her feet during a holiday in Tahiti where her 47-year-old IT manager boyfriend delivered his surprise proposal.
"Being turned down by Art was a really traumatic experience and it took me a while to get over it," she says. "But I am really happy for Matilda and Art and the way their relationship has grown is cool. We are now all good friends."
Robinson has been dating different men since the show ended but not seriously.
"Being in a relationship is not a priority. I am doing really long hours at work and focusing on my career."
Yesterday she stepped into the boxing ring at Auckland's ABA Stadium and beat blogger Hannah Rogers in a charity bout.
Robinson isn't the only star from the show to jump into the ring.
Green is set to take on ex-All Black Zac Guildford in next weekend's Fight for Life and fellow Bachelorette Lisa O'Loughlin recently fought Shortland Street star Bree Peters on the under card of the Super 8 event at SkyCity.
"I don't have an aggressive bone in my body so it has been a big deal for someone like me to get my head around hitting another person. But I have been training three hours a day and that is another thing that is keeping me too busy for a partner."
Tinder blokes disappoint
The Bachelor contestant Amanda Macdonald. Photo / Supplied
Amanda Macdonald took to Tinder to try to meet a man after The Bachelor NZ ended.
However the mother of twins, who exited the show in April, says the online dating experiment fizzled out after men seemed more interested in talking about Green.
"I went on a couple of dates through Tinder but the blokes were a bit of a disappointment as neither looked anything like their profile pictures," she said.
"They also just seemed to want to know what Art is like rather than what I had to offer. I got so fed up I offered to give them Art's number and suggested they call him themselves."
The hair and makeup artist, 30, has a busy life looking after her 3-year-olds Daisy and Daniel and settling into a new job at Zurri Hairdressing salon in Mt Eden, Auckland.
She recently started dating a man she met at The Bachelor NZ runner-up Dani Robinson's birthday party in July, but says it is early days. "He is a bit younger than me and it is going quite well."
A confidence booster
The Bachelor contestant Natalie Stol. Photo / Supplied
Natalie Stol credits the show for dragging her out of her comfort zone. The 23-year-old events manager has never been in a serious relationship and that hasn't changed since she was eliminated by Green in Episode 11.
But her confidence has grown and she recently moved out of the family home in Pukekohe and into a flat with three others in Auckland.
"We are going out for drinks and meeting some really cool people," she says. "I was from Pukekohe, so when I went out before I knew everyone."
She is also more relaxed since being on The Bachelor NZ and is a co-ordinator for the New Zealander of the Year Awards.
"Being on the show was a very intense experience and nothing can really prepare you for it," she says.
"I'm still not dating but the number of offers has improved and that is a good thing and guys do recognise me from the show.
"I have a good steady job and I'm enjoying life. The next thing is to go and do a bit of travelling and now I have the confidence to do that."
Still looking for love
The Bachelor contestant Lisa O'Loughlin. Photo / Supplied
Lisa O'Loughlin had also never been in a serious relationship when she joined 20 other single women looking for love on The Bachelor NZ.
Almost 11 months on, she is without a partner but O'Loughlin believes she is a lot closer to finding that special someone.
"I'm still single. Forever single is almost me, but after the show I've definitely been more open to dating and a relationship," the flame-haired 30-year-old says.
O'Loughlin says when she was chosen by radio listeners as a wildcard entrant her biggest regret was not being open to relationships.
She has enjoyed a few high-profile spin-offs from the show since it ended and this month took on actress Bree Peters in a charity boxing match, which she lost.
The clinical research assistant's stint on the show ended after four episodes.
But she is firm friends with a number of the contestants, including Dani Robinson, Natalie Stol and Chrystal Chenery, who found further fame on Dancing with the Stars.
"We all have this very strange thing in common as we were New Zealand's first Bachelorettes."
O'Loughlin remains positive about her taste of celebrity life - although she still finds it odd when strangers call her name.
"It's a bit bizarre. I turn around expecting to see someone I know."
The Bachelor contestant Alysha Brown. Photo / Supplied
High-school teacher Alysha Brown dropped a bombshell when she confessed she was married.
MediaWorks said she had been transparent about her marital status and the marriage in Japan, which had ended, did not disqualify her from the programme.
Brown, 26, hasn't found her dream partner but has moved on. She quit her teaching job in Invercargill and has shifted to Auckland.
"The move to Auckland was a long time coming because I spent so much time there filming the show," she says. "I needed a big-city vibe."
Brown, who made it into the Top 3 in The Bachelor NZ, is casting around for a job in public relations.
"I hope to pick up some bits and pieces of work over summer, then decide what my next move will be.
"I need the right man to come out of the woodwork. I still get recognised from the show and I would 100 per cent do it all over again. The right guy is still out there."
A good result all round
The Bachelor contestant Brigette Dickson. Photo / Supplied
Personal trainer Brigette Dickson has also left the South Island for Auckland.
The 25-year-old moved from Queenstown five months ago and has found love and a new job.
She and her SkyCity marketing manager boyfriend have just found a house together. He is a good friend of Brown, who introduced the pair.
"My relationship is a direct result of being on the show," Dickson says. "Being involved with the programme means I have new friends and a new city, job and partner, so it is a good result all round."
The writing was on the wall for Dickson on The Bachelor NZ after she called Green a "dick".
Moments later in the rose ceremony, the cheeky brunette was left empty-handed. But she believes being on the show was transformative.
"It was the impetus for me to make some big changes," she says.
"While you are in the Bachelor house, you get time to reflect on where you are in life and where you would like to be, so it was a very beneficial experience for me."
Still looking for Mr Amazing
The Bachelor contestant Hayley Blundell. Photo / Supplied
Bubbly girl-next-door Hayley Blundell made a lasting impression when she wrote a special rap for Green, which will go down in history as one of the most cringe-worthy scenes the show has delivered.
The West Aucklander was sent home by Green after being the last contestant to be invited on a date.
The 25-year-old entrepreneur won the group date challenge, claiming special one-on-one time with Green but didn't receive a pre-ceremony rose.
But Blundell has a new job and has moved house since being booted from the show.
"I have moved out of living with my sister and I am staying with a high-energy flatmate in Henderson," she says. "I have been dating but I'm still looking for Mr Amazing. I want everything and I will only settle for the best."
Blundell has just started a new job in customer sales at a gym.
"I'm in no big hurry for a relationship and I now plan to save and go travelling. I also still intend to make a documentary on happiness."
