The Bachelor finale mess: How Nick Cummins could’ve saved himself

NICK Cummins could’ve got what he wanted in The Bachelor finale. But several bad moves led to his downfall.

AS Nick Cummins bent over and clutched his knees after delivering his brutal decision during Thursday night’s finale of The Bachelor, we were reminded of something.

Matty J assumed the exact same pose two years ago when he was left heartbroken and shattered by Georgia Love on The Bachelorette. Australia mourned for him. By the time he became the show’s leading man in 2017, he knew first-hand the pain and humiliation that comes with being publicly dumped on national television and he made sure he let down each girl with as much care as possible.

This show comes with many losers and only one winner. At the end, hearts will be broken. But Matty J proved you can do it without feeling the wrath of Australia.

It’s a lesson Nick Cummins could have used when he double-dumped Brittany Hockley and Sophie Tieman in the series finale — wasting everyone’s time and choosing to go home alone.

The double-dumping was as unforgiving as it sounds. After investing their hearts and time into this mess, the two finalists were left gobsmacked when Nick’s final decision was: “Nah thanks.”

“What a giant waste of time that was,” Brittany said, identifying the exact sentiment of the nation.

“Are you f**king kidding me?” Sophie shrieked after finding out there was no winner.

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Within seconds, Australia sharpened their hashtags and took to the streets of Twitter.

For years, Nick pitched himself as the loveable knockabout footy star who said funny expressions. He wasn’t the traditional choice for The Bachelor — he didn’t come with a spray tan or too much hair gel or a line of protein shakes. He was meant to be different. And he was. Just not in the way we expected.

A familiar move.

The OG knee grabber.

Unlike past Bachelor’s like Blake Garvey and Richie Strahan, the finale has not turned him into the most hated man in Australia. Instead, viewers are just irritated he has wasted their time.

The decision to go home alone could’ve worked in his favour. Australia would’ve respected the fact he hadn’t given in to a stuffy reality TV format and chosen someone because of contractual obligations. Instead of scheduling a trip to the Kokoda Trail to seemingly escape the media storm surrounding this week’s finale, he could’ve fronted up with the girls today rather than leaving them to battle media alone. It could’ve been a moment of triumph for all involved.

Several screw ups throughout the series paved the way to a downfall.

It was clear from the start he wasn’t into anyone. No chemistry developed over the weeks. Speculation was rife from those initial episodes he would not choose a girl. And this was OK. Then he started to make some bold declarations.

“She’s the perfect woman,” he would say about some of the girls. “She’s everything I’m looking for in a partner.”

Nick in the middle of wasting our time.

In front of the girls, he made it seem like he was in it without apprehension. Until the finale.

Brittany copped a three-part breakup on Thursday night’s final episode. Nick repeatedly did that thing where you start breaking up with someone and hope they pick up on the hint and finish it off for you.

“I didn’t think at this point it’d be this hard … I thought I’d know,” he told Brittany.

When she said she was falling in love with him, he replied: “I want all the same things you do, I do. And you are what I would see as the complete package. I just don’t know if the timelines match. I spend hours at night thinking about it.”

After leading them on, he then let them go with zero emotion.

“I’m not looking for a girlfriend, I’m looking for a life partner. And … Right now I can’t give 100 per cent of me to you,” he rattled off to Brittany without a hint of heartbreak. He repeated the lines to Sophie.

Unlike previous Bachelors and Bachelorettes like Sophie Monk and Sam Frost and Matty J, there was no sympathy or responsibility for the people whose hearts were breaking.

He was done. Pay cheques had been collected and several endorsement deals had been signed.

The only consolation? Nick Cummins will forever be known as the “double dumper”. And that’s just unfortunate.