Bachelor 2020 finale: Inside Bella and Irena’s bitter feud

They were the Bachelor besties turned bitter rivals. Here’s exactly what we know about frontrunners Bella Varelis and Irena Srbinovska.

Frontrunners in the race for Locky Gilbert’s heart Bella Varelis and Irena Srbinovska may have forged a close friendship in the early days of the Bachelor, but that couldn’t be further from the truth in finals week.

Recent episodes following the show’s lockdown period have seen tensions run high between the two contestants, culminating in a verbal clash at a cocktail party where Bella called Irena a “manipulative b**ch”.

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Irena, 30, and Bella, 25, are tipped to be the top two, though Irena is the favourite to take it out. This week, they will join Bec Cvilikas and Izzy Sharman-Firth for home town visits.

Given they’ve turned on each other, it looks set to be a tense finale.

Here’s what we know about each contestant and the rumours swirling about them:

BELLA

The 25-year-old beauty is based in NSW, where she works as a freelance digital marketing creative.

According to her LinkedIn profile, Bella, who has a background in digital marketing, has an associates degree in marketing and communications and a diploma in fashion business. She formerly worked as a buyer for Her Fashion Box before pursuing a career in social media marketing.

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In the early weeks of the season, there were whispers she and Locky knew each other outside the show.

In an episode of the So Dramatic! podcast hosted by Megan Pustetto, former contestant Nadine Kodsi, who was eliminated on the first night, claimed that a number of the contestants believed Bella already knew Locky prior to filming.

“I honestly think Bella is going to win and the reason why I think that is because I personally think it was set-up,” Nadine told Pustetto.

“Apparently they met in Bali and … she basically made an agreement to go on the show and then they’d be together,” she said.

“Now it’s so obvious because if you were there on the night, I actually said, I looked over to her, and said, ‘You are going to win.’ I asked her, ‘Did you guys know each other beforehand?’ And she said, ‘No I’ve never met him.’”

“It just looked so set up,” Nadine said.

The former contestant even alleged that Bella confirmed to one of the contestants that her and Locky had an “agreement”.

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No stranger to the Bachelor world social circles, Bella previously dated Bachelorette contestant Sam Johnston from Georgia Love’s season.

Word on the street she also had a “fling” with Miley Cyrus’ ex Cody Simpson.

According to New Idea, the pair dated from 2015 and briefly moved in together before parting ways.

On her past romances, Bella told New Idea: “I always manage to attract men who aren’t ready for relationships.

“I had my heart broken pretty badly, being cheated on and yoyo’d has made it really hard for me to trust again,” she shared, although not specifying if the man who cheated on her was Sam Johnston or not.

“But I’m trying to not let my past affect my future.”

IRENA

Irena, 31 – a clear favourite from day one – is a nurse from Melbourne.

Irena managed to get Locky out of his clothes to check his pulse with a stethoscope at the very first cocktail party, making her a shoo-in for top two.

Before that moment even aired, both TAB and Sportsbet tipped her as a frontrunner.

While she should certainly be commended for her skill in having the Bachelor de-robe early on, the nurse has a secret talent she’s barely mentioned.

Baking.

“I’ve always wanted to work in the food industry, like having my own vegan cafe is my dream,” she told HuffPost this week.

In 2013 Irena even won the Tastes of Central Geelong competition, with a 10-layered chocolate-coffee opera cake.

The competition was judged by former MasterChef Australia winner Julie Goodwin.

THE UGLY FEUD

The former best friends’ relationship turned sour during the show’s stint in Love in Lockdown, and they returned to the mansion with Bella making it clear their relationship had fallen apart in the quest for Locky’s heart.

Maintaining she took issue with Irena “lying” about her lockdown phone calls with Locky, 25-year-old Bella said she no longer trusted her former friend before storming off amid an expletive-laden rant.

“I’m f***ing over your bulls**t, to be honest,” she said as she walked away. “You’re a manipulative little b**ch.”

Eliminated Bachelor contestant Steph Harper recently threw her support behind “villain” Bella following the nasty feud airing.

Bella and Irena’s friendship blew up before viewers’ eyes. Picture: Channel 10

While most of the social media reaction has indicated support for nurse Irena, the recent eliminee revealed there was a lot of context we missed which happened behind the scenes.

Speaking to Now To Lov e following her exit, Steph said she didn’t agree with how Bella’s appearance was edited on the Channel 10 series.

“I do think we’re seeing a lot of reactions about how Bella acted on the show – but there’s a lot of stuff that happened that wasn’t shown at all.

“I’ve had contact with the girls off the record and I’m aware a lot of stuff was said about Bella that wasn’t very nice, so I understand where she’s coming from.

“I adore Bella. I have so much love for her.

“There’s a lot of stuff that you don’t see between Bella and Irena – so much happened.

“I do think Bella was justified (in calling out Irena). She had a reaction to something, and yes, she might have gone a bit OTT, but in the mansion, who doesn’t? I know I had my moments there.”

WHERE THEY STAND NOW

Earlier this month, Woman’s Day reported there’s no love lost between Bella and Irena, and the two haven’t spoken since filming wrapped.

According to an insider, the quest for love turned the former friends into such enemies they’ve avoided each other for months.

Bella and Irena’s feud turned ugly in recent episodes. Picture: Channel 10

“The fallout began in lockdown – that’s when they realised they were both getting close to Locky,” the source said.

“They got back to the house and the jealousy just escalated tenfold,” they explained, adding that Bella was convinced nurse Irena was jealous of her connection with Locky and was stirring up trouble behind her back.

Bella has since forged a close friendship with intruder Bec Cvilikas, 25, with the pair said to have plans to move in together.

WILD FINALE RUMOUR

A juicy theory circulating the internet this week suggests this season may end on a crazier note than Honey Badger and Blake Garvey combined.

While we are all 99.9 per cent sure those finalists are bookies favourites Bella and Irena – insiders claim that a backflip decision turns the whole thing on its head.

Rumour has it the 31-year-old Survivor star will be rejected by Bella, who he initially chooses to be with him at the end.

It is said that Bella cannot handle the fact that Locky is also in love with Irena, so Locky U-turns back to the nurse, and asks for a second chance … which she gives him.

The show’s executive producer, Hilary Inness, hinted at a Honey Badger-style ending in an interview with Media Week last month.

“Locky, by his own admission, falls in love with more than one girl,” Inness said.

“Famously the Honey Badger couldn’t choose someone, and now we have a Bachelor who has fallen in love with more than one girl, which is a first for us.”

Yikes.

The Bachelor home town visits air tonight from 7.30pm on Channel 10