Ali, I’m sorry. I was so wrong about you
HAVING been bored senseless by Ali Oetjen on Bachelor in Paradise I had low expectations for her stint as The Bachelorette. But she’s turned out to be one the very best, writes Katy Hall.
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LIKE many Australians, I had pretty low expectations of Ali Oetjen’s stint on The Bachelorette.
Having missed her on Tim Robards’ season of The Bachelor, all I knew of the South Australian wellness advocate was what I’d seen on Bachelor in Paradise. Sure, she was conventionally stunning and had every bloke on the compound following her around like puppy dogs declaring their love for her, but she didn’t seem to say or do all that much. There just wasn’t anything particularly exciting happening when she was on screen … ever.
At the time, I wrote her off as being devoid of any real substance and assumed there wasn’t much to her — a lot of viewers did. After all, the news of her being the 2018 Bachelorette was met with reactions that could best be described as lukewarm. No one was furious, but no one was excited, either. (Something ratings later confirmed, with its premiere episode being the lowest rating in the Australian franchise’s history.)
But three weeks into the season all I can say is how wrong I was. How wrong we all have been.
From the outset, Oetjen has been a formidable Lady of the Nation Looking for Love. Where previous bachelorettes have made vague statements about who it is they’re looking for and their time frame for running off into the sunset together, Oetjen has not.
In fact, she’s been more open about why she’s there, what she’s looking for and the kind of people she’s hoping to avoid falling for, than just about anyone else we’ve ever seen — bachelors and bachelorettes included.
Take, for example, her encounter with Robert, one of the frontrunners of the season. Rather than wait until the pair were on a private date to share a kiss, as is the custom, Oetjen seized the day and pulled him away from the cocktail party for a quick makeout behind the bushes.
Given that so many other gents were standing nearby it might have put a few noses out of joint, but it was decisive, and made for bloody good television.
Then in week two, when it became apparent that one of the contestants had shared his take on some completely unsubstantiated rumours that have circulated about Oetjen since her recent split with Bachelor in Paradise co-star Grant Kemp, she wasted no time calling a spade a spade.
“The fact that Nathan decided to bring all these rumours up about Grant and I — even though he doesn’t have any idea what went on — infuriates me. But also really disrespects me, and I’m not letting it slide for a second,” she said to camera before approaching him directly.
“I heard you were saying really disgusting things about me this afternoon and I want to know what you were saying,” Ali announced in front of a captive audience of competing suitors.
When his explanation — or lack thereof — failed to impress, Oetjen simply walked him out the door and put him in a car home.
For women watching at home, her drawing a line in the sand with someone who clearly thought he could engage in “lad talk” while also wooing Oetjen felt like the ultimate fist pump moment. Because we’ve all been there, singing the praises of someone only to be left with egg on our faces later on. Something Oetjen herself has experienced and is determined to never repeat.
And finally this week, after being kind enough to eat a chocolate and avocado mousse made with the skins and pit included (because who knew you had to take those out before blending it?) Ali sent tradie and aspiring dancer Ivan home. Not because he was a bad guy, or because she thought he wasn’t being honest with her, but because she felt that their timelines and ambitions simply didn’t match up.
“You’ve got so much love to give somebody, and I want you to dance all over the world,” she told him before he replied with the greatest breakup line to ever be aired on Australian telelivison.
“But I wanted to dance for you,” Ivan replied before storming out.
In the past three weeks, Oetjen has proved herself to be kind, funny, fearless and not afraid to go after what she wants when she wants it — something we sadly didn’t see all that much of in her previous stints on Channel 10.
But in 2018, Oetjen has shown she has all the qualities to make her the Bachelorette we need right now.
Katy Hall is a columnist for RendezView. Follow her on Twitter: @katyhallway