Bachelor enjoying every bit of his life

He wants to fall in love, so for him, it's probably not a game.

I HAD an enjoyable hour in Martinborough yesterday meeting Arthur Green, the main man in every sense of the word, on TV3's The Bachelor.

What was immensely satisfying was that I could have been having an interview with any considerate and intelligent 20-something Kiwi guy, who was clearly enjoying a chill-out weekend with a family who obviously like the kind of guy he is.

And that's a telling thing. Families are supposed to love you and all that.

Your parents support you and defend you. But when they actually like you as a person, and it shows, you know you're meeting a nice guy. He might be the man who's kissed 21 girls on a top-rating TV show, and he might well be absurdly good-looking with a figure that only five days of gym work and a paleo diet can produce, but he's still the guy who's just organised a complicated birthday bash for his mate and now wants a decent bacon and eggs with his family at the Village Cafe - minus the bread, of course.

You can't get much more Kiwi than popping down from Auckland for a spot of fishing or duck shooting with your dad in South Wairarapa. Even his entry to the show sounds Kiwi - his flatmates nominated him for a bit of a laugh. His philosophy about the show is also pretty cool - treat it as an adventure. It was what my parents used to say to me - usually when we were about to face some adversity.

I'm not sure if The Bachelor is the best example of building character, and Green notes it hasn't changed him. It was an opportunity that would never come his way again, and who knows - true love might come from it, he says. For the audience, we'll have to watch the remaining four episodes to know.

But for me, chatting at a cafe table in Martinborough with his family, it's good to know that while The Bachelor is a major league game, nice guys can remain as nice guys. The entire thing isn't a natural circumstance - it could even be a nightmare. I have to give Green credit for his focus.

He wants to fall in love, so for him, it's probably not a game.

Let's hope it works out.