By Jenna Clarke
EXCLUSIVE
Blake Garvey was suffering from anxiety and couldn't eat or sleep in the weeks after The Bachelor Australia's dramatic conclusion, and felt powerless when he was cast as "the most hated man in Australia".
Garvey proposed to Sam Frost but before the show even had a chance to air, he had already dumped her, and shortly after ran away to Thailand with Pillidge.Credit: Channel Ten
After his onscreen engagement to Sam Frost was called off and he established a "real-life connection" with another contestant, Louise Pillidge, the 32-year-old real estate agent from Perth weathered a storm of controversy yet was unable to defend himself due to contractual obligations with Channel Ten.
It was one of the most controversial TV twists ever seen on Australian television but don't hate the player, hate the game. The game in this case was being umpired by Channel Ten and the production company, Shine Australia.
Speaking out: Blake Garvey and Louise Pillidge encourage anyone searching for love to sign up for The Bachelor.Credit: Channel Ten
Frost was allowed access to her social media accounts, but Garvey was not.
"I saw that Sam tweeted something and so I asked if I could as well and they said, 'Do not, don't you dare', because at that state they still had my accounts shut down. But they told me to trust them," he said of the days following the finale, which aired more than five weeks after filming on the second series wrapped.
"That was the worst weekend of my life."
According to Garvey, it was Frost who suggested the pair should "call things off" and face the media as a united front.
Few will forget Blake Garvey's announcement in Woman's Day that he had dumped Sam Frost and run off with runner-up, Louise Pillidge instead.Credit: Instagram/ Blake Garvey
"We were just two people who weren't happy at the end of the day and we both knew that, but there's knowing it and doing something about it.
"She went and had a talk with her sister and her sister was annoyed because it was going to be embarrassing for her brothers and they'd be annoyed. From then things were a bit different. When we were back sitting in front of the producers and publicists and were asked what we wanted to do, she said, 'It's up to him'.
He said it was then he began to question the integrity of those he was surrounded by and also during the interview with The Project's Carrie Bickmore.
"So your heart's not in love with somebody else?" Bickmore asked during the October 4 interview.
What's more likely, that I managed to somehow fool an army of producers, 31 women and continually kept fooling the most switched-on woman I've ever met, and her family, or was someone playing it up a bit?
Blake Garvey
"No it's not about that. It's about the fact that my heart is broken. I think the focus right now is on this and getting past this, I mean, this has just happened and this is very raw," Garvey said at the time.
Four months later Garvey stands by what he said, regardless of having been hamstrung by executives.
"They [The Project] were aware that things for Sam and I didn't work out very early on after filming and that there was something happening with Louise but I was told I couldn't talk about that in the first interview I did," he said.
"I remember sitting down for the interview and Carrie just launched into about eight questions like: 'Do you have feelings for someone else?' and, 'So is there someone else you'd like to see?' and I was like, 'There is no way this is coming out of nowhere, you clearly know and you must also know that I can't answer this question'.
"I came out of that interview just shell shocked, going, 'What just happened? I couldn't answer any of those questions so that's not going to look great'.
"That's what I want people to think about. What's more likely, that I managed to somehow fool an army of producers, 31 women – one of them left sick on the first night so they pretended there were only 24 – and continually kept fooling the most switched-on woman I've ever met and her family, or was someone playing it up a bit?
"If I was that good an actor I wouldn't be on that show. Right now I'd be getting psyched for my next Academy Award."
When contacted by Fairfax Media, Shine Australia - the production company responsible for The Bachelor Australia and MasterChef - wouldn't be drawn on the specifics of the Blake and Sam saga.
"As part of our duty of care to all contestants on any of our shows who find themselves in the limelight we endeavour to provide options and advice. Whether that advice is taken - ultimately is up to the contestant," a representative said.
"All reality show contracts include clauses on the participants ability to engage with the media, including social media. This is standard and exists as much to protect the contestants as it does the show."
So after all the torment and drama, would Garvey and Pillidge warn against anyone signing up for series three of The Bachelor Australia?
"Not at all. It was a beautiful experience because there is so much that is beautiful about it. We made it through the most scariest and interesting time," Garvey said.
"Without that show we would never have met, so we have taken away the positives from that. We are very grateful that we were able to be on that show because we wouldn't have met each other. We still found each other throughout the craziness and we're still together through all the other craziness and I think that speaks more than anything else," Pillidge said.
The upcoming series, The Bachelorette Australia, has also been fast-tracked, according to Garvey.
"One of the execs told me that before all of this happened The Bachelorette was a few years away, saying the format would be seen as being too misogynistic. But now they know what viewers want it's going ahead."
With the dust appearing to be settling, Garvey and Pillidge are settling into life together in the former Bachelor's home town of Perth, while Frost has moved from Melbourne to Sydney and is $26,000 richer since she auctioned her "cursed" 3.01-carat ring last week.
It was a decision Garvey approved of. "I read in the media about Sam's intent to auction and that she has no sentimental connection to the ring - essentially a TV prop provided by the show. I think that if it helps ease her financial problems, it's a smart decision to sell it. I'm sure some lucky buyer can reforge it into something special for them."