Bachelorette Brooke Blurton on the pressure of making reality TV history

It seems as though the entire world is awaiting the upcoming season of The Bachelorette, which is set to smash boundaries with both male and female contestants vying for Brooke Blurton’s heart.

While a number of people have already begun sharing their predictions for what’s to come, Brooke spoke with Yahoo Lifestyle about the pressures of making reality TV history and simultaneously becoming the series’ first Indigenous and bisexual lead.

Opening up about her decision to star in the franchise for the third time, the 26-year-old says it was a “whirlwind” getting the call from producers.

“It felt like the right decision,” she recalls.

“Obviously I went away and had to have a think about it, and also consider the way that I wanted it was a particular way that had never been done before and what that meant.

“I think once I sort of processed all of that I was like, yeah, it feels right.”

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Although she had only just moved to Melbourne when she was approached for the role, Brooke says it was “perfect timing”.

“I was kind of seeking change, and I think this was the change that I was seeking and it all kind of happened. And the next moment I was standing on the red carpet,” she adds with a laugh.

Having appeared on both the Honey Badger’s season of The Bachelor in 2018 and season two of Bachelor In Paradise the following year, Brooke says she felt well prepared for how The Bachelorette would work.

“I think that really helped me lean more into the process and the experience,” she explains.

“Knowing what’s to come and how it all works kind of gives you a bit more clarity. You can really focus on what it is you’re looking for and not worry about all the other things.”

The youth worker also admits that she contacted a number of previous stars - two Bachelorettes and one Bachelor - for their advice.

“I think one of the pieces of advice that I had been given was ‘Don’t be so hard on yourself and also lean into the experience’, which is exactly what I did,” she details.

“They had obviously different experiences to me and they told me about their concerns, but also gave really good feedback.”

While this season stars both male and female contestants - who will be living “separately” in two different mansions - Brooke says that she didn’t feel any pressure about alternating dates per gender or keeping quotas.

“I would say I kind of always just focused on the connection,” she reflects. “The gender part wasn’t really applicable, it didn’t really come into play for me.”

She does, however, tease that the mixed cast “brought a very fun dynamic” to the cocktail parties, and adds that the participants are “much more genuine and authentic than previous seasons”.

“That’s just me being completely and utterly biased,” she laughs. “Previously being in the experience, I kind of knew what to pick up on when someone wasn’t being genuine and authentic and I think that really helped to figure out who really was there for me and who wasn’t.

“I think everyone's got their different personality and I think you’ll see the uniqueness of each and every one of those individuals. But also, not everyone’s going to be my perfect match and I’m okay with having those conversations about why.”

The Bachelorette premieres Wednesday, 20 October at 7.30pm.

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