Ex-Shark Thompson seeks romance on ‘The Bachelor’
For those who love the idea of love and have always dreamed of going on lavish dates, but would much rather spend their Thursday night on the couch and in their pjs, tuning in to MNet at 7pm for the first date with South Africa’s bachelor might just be the perfect way to spend this Valentine’s evening.
The dashing Lee Thompson, South African entrepreneur, international model and former Sharks rugby player, will charm 25 women and all those watching from home, on M-Net’s new local version of the world’s biggest reality TV dating show, The Bachelor SA.
Filmed in beautiful South African settings, the show will see Thompson enjoy romantic dates with women from diverse backgrounds in the hopes of finding ‘the one’.
“I think I’ve been so focused on my career these last few years and I’ve just put my love life aside,” said Thompson, 29, who hails from Port Elizabeth and now lives in Cape Town. “I wasn’t really a fan of The
Bachelor before and it’s a very unconventional way to find love, but when M-Net made me the offer to potentially find my soul mate and focus solely on my love life, I couldn’t say no.
“I want to find my partner in life, and I really want to start a family. I can’t wait to be a dad one day. Those are the main reasons why I accepted the offer.”
From an incredible bachelor mansion in one of SA’s richest suburbs, Sandton, to first impressions, group dates, the first kiss, heartbreaking rose ceremonies, emotional goodbyes and the most dreamy marriage proposal, the show will follow the US format and will have viewers cheering for their favourite girl to win Thompson’s heart.
Executive producer, Donald Clarke, from production company, Rapid Blue, said it took metres of fairy lights, over 500 candles and a total of 560 red roses to create the romance, fantasy and elaborate dates on
The Bachelor SA, but often the simplest dates were the most poignant.
“The fantasy and romance is definitely present throughout the show, but we were much more interested in Lee’s [Thompson] love story.
“We were looking for real emotion rather than just spectacular dates and Lee was completely invested in the entire process,” said Clarke.
Thompson said: “I learned a lot about myself throughout this process.
“I learned to open up a lot more.
“I was looking for a spark, for real chemistry, and I got to know so many unique and amazing women and made so many strong connections.”
While most of the show has already been filmed, and Thompson has already had a custom ring designed by SA fine jewellery company, Jack Friedman Jewellers, viewers will have to wait until the final episode to see who will be his future Mrs.
According to M-Net’s head of local productions, Kay-Ann Williams, should The Bachelor
SA be a success, there is the possibility of creating a local Bachelorette version of the show.