After a season of tantrums, tears and red-headed rants, we have finally reached the conclusion of the Bachelor Australia.
In tonight’s final episode, Locky Gilbert will choose between 31-year-old Irena Srbinovska and 25-year-old Bella Varelis — and from what we’ve seen and heard, it’s not going to be smooth sailing.
But if there’s one thing we can count on, it’s that the finale will give one woman a happy ending — after all, unlike the Honey Badger, Gilbert promised us one.
Every year, Network Ten release a promotional image of the final two women and like clockwork, this year’s has been sent straight to social media — but there’s a catch. There are two.
Before we move on, let me explain the finale dress theory. Each season, the final two women are dressed in a stunning gown and each season, the colour of the gown has determined the winner. More specifically, the lighter the gown = the winner.
For example, last year, Chelsie McCleod was the ultimate choice for Astrophysicist Matt Agnew, beating out Abbie Chatfield.
As you can see, Chelsie was in a lighter pink, while Abbie’s was darker.
The previous year had no weight to this theory because Bachelor Nick Cummins chose not to choose either woman, however, during Matty J Johnson’s season, Laura Byrne wore a cream coloured dress, while Elise Stacey wore gold.
The theory goes all the way back to the very first season when Tim Robards chose Anna Heinrich (who wore white) over Rochelle Emanuel-Smith — who wore a dusty pink. Then, in Blake Garvey’s season, Sam Frost wore a stunning silver sequined gown, beating out Lisa Hyde, who wore a black gown.
For Sam Wood’s season, Snezana Markoski, wore a cream beaded dress, winning over Lana Jeavons-Fellow, who was wearing a steel grey. Do you see where we are headed?
This year, Network Ten and Warner Brothers have blessed us with two images of the final women and it seems like they’re hoping to turn the theory on its head.
In the first image (above), Varelis is wearing white while Srbinovska is wearing black. Ordinarily, this would mean that Varelis is the winner.
However, in the second image released on Instagram, the colours are much less defined. Srbinovska is wearing a leopard print and tan dress, while Varelis is wearing a purple number. Is tan lighter than purple?
Both women have been previously picked to be the favourite — although, Srbinovska has more recently edged out Varelis as the one to take Gilbert’s heart.
If the original cocktail party photo is anything to go by, Varelis might just take it out, however, if we’re looking at the one on socials, then Srbinovska has it in the bag.
One thing is for sure, we will certainly find out tonight!
The Bachelor Australia finale airs on Thursday at 7.30pm on Network Ten.