He may have finally confessed his true feelings for Viarni Bright in last night’s finale of The Bachelor New Zealand, but tonight, it was time for Zac Franich to face the music as he reunited with his Bachelorettes on Women Tell All.
From the catfights to the heartbreak and everything in between, here are some of the biggest bombshells revealed on the episode.
1. Katey and Lucia face up to the rest of the Bachelorettes
The BFFs – who caused a fair bit of controversy early in the season when they locked lips during a tense rose ceremony – fronted up to their fellow Bachelorettes as they fought back against claims they were “immature”.
Of course, host Dominic Bowden also gave them a chance to set the record straight about that kiss once and for all.
“It was just bad timing on both of our parts,” Lucia said, while Katey defended their close bond in the house, explaining that they leaned on each other to make the most of a “really hard” situation.
2. The intruders relive the drama of their arrival
Their surprise late arrival in Thailand shocked the original Bachelorettes to the core, but when the three intruders Karina, Vanessa and Sarah took to the stage, it was clear there was nothing but love – even Rosie and Karina had settled their feud (mostly).
As for Sarah, who came closest out of all three intruders to winning Zac’s heart, the brunette beauty said she had no regrets about bowing out early. Despite the fact that she and Zac were “on the same wavelength”, Sarah said she was “scared” about making it to the final two or three.
3. Claudia looks for answers
The blonde beauty had one of the most heartbreaking goodbyes this season as she was sent home just shy of making the final two – and when she reunited with Zac on stage, Claudia didn’t hold back.
Seeking a definitive answer as to why she was eliminated, Claudia looked calm and composed – but Zac looked to be feeling the pressure.
“I asked you to give me everything you had and, bless your heart, you did,” Zac said. “But when it came down to it, it just wasn’t quite what I was looking for in somebody.”
After being pressed to explain further, Zac also revealed he thought Claudia was “stunning”, but didn’t want that to “blind” him when it came to making his decision between the three women.
4. Lily reunites with Zac
True to her easy-going nature, Lily kept things light when she reunited with the Bachelor for the first time since being sent home in the finale.
Asked to explain why he said goodbye, Zac revealed: “Feelings were real and they were there. I just think that we were at different stages and wanted slightly different things – that was the main thing for me.”
Lily agreed with him, telling Dom, “I feel like me and Zac definitely had some different things going on and we weren’t sure how they were going to fit together in the real world.
“We didn’t really try, did we,” she quipped, adding that the two are “still friends”.
5. Viarni and Zac make their debut as a couple
For the first time since filming ended, the happy couple were finally able to debut their romance in public.
Now that the show is over, the duo said they were just excited to return to normal life – even without the luxury of extravagant dates!
“Being part of this whole experience, we got to do these crazy dates, [but] that’s not who I am. We talked about it and we’re keen to just do regular old stuff, learn about each other and have some fun,” Zac said.
“I like Zac, not the Bach. I like him for him,” Viarni chimed in.
“I think we’re a good team and I’m excited to see how it all goes.”