Yahoo Lifestyle 
Why Love Island host Sophie Monk doesn't read online comments
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Beloved former Bachelorette star and self-professed bogan Sophie Monk isn't about to tone down her Aussie accent or her use of slang — even if it leaves people stumped sometimes.
The 41-year-old tells Yahoo Lifestyle about an awkward, lost-in-translation moment she experienced while living in the States in the mid-2000s.
"I was looking for a kettle, and they're like [imitates a US accent] 'kettle?' They don't know what a kettle is!" she exclaims.
"They don't use them. They must heat water up on their stove. Yeah, no one has a kettle, which is crazy."
Sophie says she received similarly baffled looks from Americans when asking for water and cordial in her broad Aussie twang.
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Online flack
While she's never been asked by casting agents to reign in her Aussie-isms to land a job in showbiz, punters on social media are not so kind.
"I don't read comments [online] because I get a lot of comments going, 'Oh my gosh, she's all right til she opens her mouth,' you know, so I try not to read it," she explains.
But Sophie's fair dinkum accent and vocab were an asset during her latest project: teaching Amazon's AI voice assistant Alexa how to talk 'Strayan.
"You can't get more rough or bogan than I am, which is hilarious because I was born in the UK and then I lived in America for 10 years.
"I don't even speak English, it's Australian."
Thanks to Sophie's true blue tutelage, Alexa can now understand some of our favourite slang words such as 'yeah/nah', 'mozzie', and 'barbie'.
You can instruct Alexa using Aussie-as voice commands such as "flick it on" to switch on the lights, "bucket down" to get a weather check and even "sparrows fart" when you need to set an early morning alarm.
Sophie's personal favourite slang word is 'ocker'; "Yeah, it's so descriptive as well, and not too offensive," she laughs.
Her love of all things Down Under also came in handy for the promo for the upcoming season of Love Island which, due to the pandemic, is being filmed in Port Douglas in Far North Queensland.
The head-turning teaser clip sees host Sophie sporting an Aussie flag bikini top and a mermaid tail while busting out a tune of a flute. Which isn't weird at all, right?
"It's so funny 'cause I turned up to set and I went, 'What am I doing?' and then I was a mermaid and they handed me a flute and I was like, 'What is going on? Is this a prank?'" she chuckles.
"I'll do anything. As long as it's entertaining I'll give it a crack."
Test out Alexa's Aussie knowledge for yourself on Alexa-enabled devices like Echo smart speakers, Echo Show smart screens and Fire TV devices, or via the Alexa app.
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