GC contenders ready for first bisexual Bachelorette

A GOLD Coast woman vying for the heart of The Bachelorette dating show’s first bisexual lead hopes Australia embraces the latest instalment.

The new season, starting on Wednesday on Channel 10, for the first time has an Indigenous and LGBTQIA+ lead in Brooke Blurton.

Gold Coast contestant and psychologist Carissa Croft, 30, said she was excited to see the show evolving. She said she applied having not found a deep connection with anyone after moving to the Gold Coast for work: “I’m still waiting to meet the person I want to create and share a life with.

“The more I found out about Brooke, the more I saw her as someone I could see myself with. It was amazing to see a lead from the Indigenous community and I’m really looking forward to Australia embracing it.”

But Croft did confess her awkwardness might throw the new Bachelorette off.

“I can be very awkward when I like someone and ramble or tell stories about nothing that go in circles. I hope the right person adores my awkwardness, rather than runs away from it.”

Croft (above right), originally from Coffs Harbour, said she would use her time on the show to break down mental health stigma: “If people are nasty, it is more a reflection of themselves.”

The other Gold Coaster, Konrad Bien (above left), 31, lost his job in Victoria and made the move to the Sunshine State when he applied for the series.

Bien said he had been in three serious relationships; the most recent came to an end after five years: “We were going to get a house and have kids but we kind of grew apart and it was a real eye opener.”

Bien said he had “honesty, love, laughs and a few headaches” for Blurton.

Dream date? “A trip to a country coastal town to find hidden spots and watch the sunset by the water, while eating tasty local treats and daydreaming about the magic of the universe.”