Bachelorette producers ‘livid’ after Konrad and Abbie Chatfield’s kiss

Just over a week after he was spotted kissing Abbie Chatfield, Bachelorette frontrunner Konrad Bien-Stephen has reportedly copped some major heat from the show’s producers.

Daily Mail has claimed that the steamy make-out could cause the 31-year-old to lose his $5,000 bonus for breaching his contract, which forbids contestants from being spotted with potential romantic interests which could spoil the final results.

A source told the publication that Warner Bros, who has produced The Bachelor franchise since 2016, was “fuming” over the clear spoiler that Konrad doesn’t win Bachelorette Brooke Blurton’s heart.

“They were livid,” the production insider claimed. “Producers have gone to extreme efforts to make sure that the cast don’t go rogue and felt like they have done a really good job at getting audiences to feel like he’s a strong frontrunner.”

RELATED

• The Bachelorette’s telling clue fans missed during the rose ceremony

• Bachelorette's Jess fires back at rumours of contestants 'hooking up'

• Bachelorette star reveals ‘grand gesture’ that didn’t air: ‘Disappointed’

The carpenter was filmed sharing a kiss with Bachelor season 7 runner-up and I’m A Celebrity champion Abbie Chatfield earlier this week in footage obtained by Daily Mail.

The video shows the two reality TV stars hugging and chatting while standing in line for the bar at the Beach Hotel in Byron Bay before going in for a pash.

Abbie has been vocal about her attraction towards Konrad on her podcast, It’s A Lot, where she does weekly Bachelorette recaps.

In a recent episode, the 26-year-old declared that she finds him “cute” and she wants him to “take care” of her and be her “love seat”, which is a reference to the drama earlier this season where he and Brooke built a chair together on the red carpet.

A few days after the pair’s PDA, Abbie took to Instagram to reveal that she had been on a date with a mystery man who is a Gemini and was unsure if she should pursue the relationship if they have the same star sign.

While it’s unconfirmed who she was referring to, the Shameless podcast hosts Michelle Andrews and Zara McDonald have since revealed that Konrad is a Gemini “after going onto LinkedIn, Instagram and into the depths of the internet”.

Meanwhile, an anonymous contestant from the current season of The Bachelorette told So Dramatic! that they think Konrad won’t be punished too harshly by producers because he is their “favourite”.

“I bet producers make an exception for Konrad breaching his contract and still give him his bonus,” they claimed.

“It’s The Konrad Show. He’s their golden boy. I have a feeling they are setting him up to be the next Bachelor. I think he knows that too because he wasn’t even subtle or trying to hide his romance with Abbie.”

The gossip comes shortly after ex-Bachelorette Angie Kent shared her thoughts on the saga during her recaps for Yahoo Lifestyle.

She wrote: “I mean I get it, we all need to eat. But I guess I am a little more salty than the average punter because I know how much goes into this love safari experience and how much you just want everyone involved to do their part and you know, perhaps not give away the ending at all. Like, is it that hard to make out behind closed doors these days when you’re both hot property in the TV world at the moment?

“So now when I watch Konrad with a K, all I see is him getting up close and personal with someone who isn’t Brooke. Now we know he isn’t the one at the end, can we perhaps replace his airtime with people who we don’t know won’t be the last man or lady standing?”

The Bachelorette continues Wednesdays and Thursdays on Channel Ten from 7:30pm.

Never miss a thing. Sign up to Yahoo Lifestyle’s daily newsletter.

Or if you have a story idea, email us at lifestyle.tips@yahooinc.com.