Channel Ten raised a few eyebrows when they cast Sophie Monk on the last season of The Bachelorette.
However, the gamble of choosing an Australian celebrity for the first time has definitely paid off, with Monk spearheading the highest viewership of the show’s four-year history. Now, it seems like Channel Ten are looking to replicate the success over on its male counterpart The Bachelor, with reports that rugby union player and loveable larrikin Nick ‘Honey Badger’ Cummins will be the star of the next season, which begins filming this week.
The former Wallabies star not only possesses great on-field skills, but his high quality banter has seen him star in campaigns for Tradie Underwear, The Iconic, Head & Shoulders and Tourism Australia. Now, we’re set to receive the biggest dose of the Honey Badger yet, if the reports in The Daily Telegraph are to be believed. A source tells the publication that “he’s going to be great for the franchise. Funny, witty, with a huge cult following. This is a stroke of genius for the network.”
Furthermore, PerthNow believes that the choice of a macho Australian sportsman is also a tactic to expand The Bachelor‘s core viewership, saying “his profile, comedic value and sports following all part of the strategy to pull in more male viewers to add to the show’s devoted legion of female fans.”
There’s no official confirmation of Cummins’ latest reported role, and we’re very sceptical after those reports of Shane Warne starring on The Bachelor turned out to be very false. Still, there is hope, because who doesn’t want to see an entire season of gems like this:
