The stakes are getting higher on The Bachelor New Zealand, and on Sunday night’s episode of the Three reality show, the relationships between Zac Franich and some of the Bachelorettes grew stronger than ever while others hit a rocky patch.
The drama kicked off early on as it was revealed that Karina – one of the three new ‘intruders’ who recently crashed the party – had previously dated The Bachelor NZ host Dom Bowden.
“When I applied, I had no idea the host was going to be Dom,” Karina later said.
“We live in a small country, everyone has a past. It’s just how it is,” she revealed, adding that the two had dated “very briefly” three years ago.
While the news didn’t go down well with the other girls – especially Rosie, who had a heated confrontation with the blonde beauty over the revelation – Zac took it all in his stride once Karina told him at the cocktail party.
“We’ve all got a past. I certainly wouldn’t judge anyone because I wouldn’t expect anyone to judge mine – so it’s fine,” he told a visibly relieved Karina. Obviously impressed with her honesty, he even gave Karina a rose, reassuring her she was safe for that night’s ceremony.
“Dom had already spoken to me about having previously dated Karina,” Zac later revealed on camera.
“I appreciate them both being up front with me. I was impressed by her guts and I was impressed by her courage, that’s the kind of girl I want to know more of.”
Instead, it was 24-year-old jokester Molly who was sent home, despite scoring a coveted one-on-one date with Zac earlier in the episode.
While the duo had an enjoyable day together planting rice alongside the locals and later getting to know each other during a romantic dinner overlooking the water, where Molly opened up about her checkered past with alcohol, Zac said he felt the two were at different stages of their life.
With just 11 Bachelorettes remaining, tune in next week to find out what’s next on Zac’s journey to find love.
