Network Ten, I heart you.
Naming former Gogglebox scene stealer Angie Kent as the titular star of 2019âs series of The Bachelorette is a genius media move after last yearâs total fizzer with Ali Oetjen at the helm.
The announcement makes Angie a serial reality TV star â in January she hit the jungle in Iâm A Celebrity ⌠Get Me Out Of Here â but like housemate Yvie Jones (who was runner up on Iâm A Celebrity) sheâs definitely not one who has already worn out her welcome.
The 29-year-old bagel and dog enthusiast is a gem onscreen. Sheâs innately cool and genuinely funny â eight seasons of Gogglebox Australia proved her sense of humour is charmingly filthy â in an industry which prides itself on uncovering new talent but often ends up with hoary old chestnuts.
Queenslander Angie is the rare talent who brings authenticity to the fake world of reality TV and will give The Bachelorette the warmth it lacked in 2018.
Oetjen almost steered the franchise onto the rocks with her carefully-designed ânaturalâ persona and stream of New Age platitudes that grated with viewers and critics.
Her successor is the polar opposite. Where Oetjen was Barbie â a plastic version of a desirable modern woman â Angie is more in the mould of Sophie Monk, whose turn at the helm of The Bachelorette in 2017 broke ratings records.
The pair share the same natural sense of self, but where Monk relied on self-deprecation, Angie brings a caustic brainy vibe.
In an interesting twist, Ten also went with a âgeekâ to hand out the roses on this yearâs The Bachelor, plucking astrophysicist Matt Agnew from total obscurity to try his hand and heart at reality stardom.
âIâve always been the girl who loves to make everyone laugh, but now I reckon itâs time to have someone to laugh with me, rather than at me,â Angie said in an Instagram post.
âIâm at a place now where I have loads of self-love, but Iâm also open to all of lifeâs amazing possibilities.â
Maybe not all. Angieâs search for love reportedly doesnât extend to a desire to get married, which will make for interesting mansion small talk when her romantic hopefuls ask if they can grab her for a chat at cocktail parties.
Does that mean sheâs not there for the fabled âright reasonsâ?
Does it matter? Her personal dreams are almost beside the point, oddly, and her main role will be to fulfil the desires of what the showâs audience (and producers) want in their leading lady.
On the wish list for Ten and fans: someone who will be interesting, relatable and not an idiot constantly posting a stream of photos of herself doing yoga. Tick to all.
With over 66,000 social media followers, Angie had enough of a fan base to finish in the top five on Iâm A Celebrity and said in an exit interview why she wouldnât mind having a crack at looking for love on TV.
âI always said, âGod no!â But you know what, I think after having more time on television now and being on the other side of the couch ⌠I reckon I could be an alright bachelorette,â she told Yahoo.
âIâm definitely open to finding somebody. Home girlâs not getting any younger, so for sure.â
BFF Yvie mooted the idea of Angie having her as a âwingwomanâ on the romality show.
âAngie would be the best bachelorette because she really doesnât do intimacy well, and I think a man would lean in to have a little (kiss), and sheâd just go, âpull my fingerâ,â Yvie told Studio 10.
âIt would be the most brilliant bachelorette youâve ever seen, with me making all the decisions.â
The trouble for Ten will be finding 20 potential partners capable of matching it with Angieâs razor edge wit and verve. The series is casting now, and the new star has asked interested parties to âgive it a red hot go.â
Can married suburban matrons apply?
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