The Bachelor
Bachelor Nick Cummins reflects on his time on the show as his family jumps to his defence
HISTORY WAS MADE WHEN THE Bachelor Nick Cummins decided to leave the reality show without a partner, instead dumping the final two girls, Brittany and Sophie, in what has been described by avid fans as the most disappointing Bachelor finale ever. Since then Cummins, a former Rugby Union player, has been slammed by the Australian public and the 25 single ladies who spent months vying for his heart, only to have theirs broken on national TV.
The onslaught of abuse has seen the 31-year-old’s sister hit back at haters on social media. “Why is honesty so hard for some people,” Cummins sister Bernadette wrote. “I get the disappointment, but the bad mouthing? Really?” Bernadette’s comments come after Cummins spoke to The Project’s Lisa Wilkinson, revealing he believes he made the right decision to walk away alone.
Similarly, earlier this year Cummins opened up to WHO about his time on the show. “My biggest fear is regret,” he revealed during our interview, adding that despite the outcome, the journey wasn’t all for nothing. “I think you learn a lot about your own emotion,” he said ahead of the season finale. “It caught me off guard how it all happened, how the experience was.”
Backlash aside, Cummins has no hard feelings towards the women who took time out of their lives to get to know him.
“I met some incredible girls,” he says. “I learned a lot from them and I think, beauty aside, there [were] a couple of girls who actually left a mark on me in a positive way. They left me with a respect, a deeper understanding and admiration actually. That’s why it made it so hard to say goodbye to these girls, because they’re awesome.”
Cummins adds that the entire process also took an emotional toll on him as well, not just the girls.
“I struggled, absolutely,” he admits. “We’re human beings, we’re not robots.”
In particular, Cummins says the infamous rose ceremonies were brutal. “Out in real life if there is something that’s not going well and if there is going to be parting of ways, there’s an understanding that this is where we are in our lives and you’re just grateful for meeting that person. Then it’s a good end and you both walk off confidently and happy with yourselves. There, it was like ‘you didn’t get a rose, get out!’ A lot of things are left unsaid.”
Angry fans have been quick to suggest the Aussie larrikin only went on the show to boost his profile, but Cummins is adamant that’s not the case.
“This is the thing, you wouldn’t go in there and not want a bar of it,” he explains. “You’re in there for a reason, but there’s cameras around and there’s mics, so to think that you’re going to get married on the show is probably a big call.”
For now, the curly-haired hunk is still on a mission to find the love of his life.
“You want someone who you actually want to be with and [are] compatible with,” he admits.