Three new Bachelors reveal a big change to the show’s ‘sex rule’ this season

Changes to The Bachelor have made it “the steamiest season yet”, according to one of the three men looking for love on the show.

Next year’s instalment of The Bachelor is set to be the steamiest season yet, according to the three men in the centre of the action.

Bachelors Jed McIntosh, Felix Von Hofe, and Thomas Malucelli joined Kyle Sandilands and Brittany Hockley for an X-rated (and heavily censored) chat on KIIS FM this morning, during which the reality stars revealed there’s a new “sex rule” on the show.

Amid the explicit discussion, in which Sandilands and Hockley asked at length about the stars’ favourite sexual positions, Sandilands probed whether there was any “rooting” during filming.

Bachelors Felix Von Hofe, Jed McIntosh and Thomas Malucelli.

When musician Jed McIntosh coyly answered that they “have the option,” former Bachelor contestant Hockley responded with surprise, given on her season with Nick Cummins, the rules were a lot stricter.

“It gets much steamier than it has on any of the other Bachelors before,” Jed revealed.

“But I will say, obviously these days there’s a consent chat that happens, so if you’re still in the mood after a 40 minute chat of you know ‘are both parties willing’ …,” he explained.

“This is very new to the franchise, very new to me,” Hockley explained, adding: “You’re not even left alone on previous seasons. You could not even do anything if you tried.”

Things have changed since Hockley’s season of The Bachelor. Picture: Wendell Teodoro/Getty Images.

When asked how the new “sex rule” works logistically, and whether viewers will be aware what the couples are getting up to, Jed explain they were simply allowed to “hang out” with the women after their dates if they wished.

“Our penthouse where we were staying, we had our own individual rooms, and there’s a big spa also which we called a name which we won’t mention … So you have the option if you want to ‘hang out’ with them later, you can do that.”

Back in 2020, Abbie Chatfield opened up about reality TV sex rules after viewers assumed she’d had a “steamy hook-up” with Ciarran Stott on the first night of Bachelor in Paradise.

Through the use of night-vision cameras, viewers watched as the pair cuddled up together – and while they never explicitly described what had gone on, Chatfield could be heard telling her cast mates he’d spent “three hours” in her bed.

Speaking to news.com.au following her elimination, the radio host revealed what really happened during their night together.

“We didn’t even kiss – and I would tell you!” Abbie insisted.

Abbie Chatfield has opened up about Channel 10’s consent rules in the past.

“He was just touching my leg, and rubbing my hip … not even sexually. We just had a little chat.

“We wanted to do stuff, but it was a mutual thing of like, ‘oh, should we or should we not, it’s day one,” Abbie told news.com.au.

In 2019, fellow Bachelor in Paradise star Keira Maguire lifted the lid on the very awkward process involved with hooking up on the reality dating show, including both parties verbally confirming their consent on camera to producers beforehand – and Abbie admitted that had been a big “mood killer”.

“That’s what stopped (me and Ciarran),” she explained.

“He was just patting my hand, and they were like, ‘Guys, do you want to give consent?’ and we were like … ‘nah’.”

The Bachelor premieres on Channel 10 on January 9.