As the next season of The Bachelorette gets underway, TV executives are secretly making their final choice for the leading lady of the show.
And New Idea has discovered three possible frontrunners vying to win arguably the biggest role in reality TV.
The favourite is Michelle Jenneke, 24, hurdler and model.
The super-fit brunette beauty, who has been dubbed ‘jiggling Jenneke’ after her trademark warm-up routine, is a hot favourite among decision-makers at the television network.
With around half-a-million followers on social media, the athlete has been widely discussed within the network, after recently competing on home soil in the Commonwealth Games and missing out on a bronze medal by 0.1 seconds.
‘The producers want to sign her,’ spills an insider. ‘She really is just the sort of person they are looking for.’
‘The only issue they see is the fact that Michelle may not even want to be the Bachelorette. That kind of public scrutiny is not for everyone, but they are keen to give it their best shot.’
The wild card for the job is 24-year-old model, Kate Wasley.
This stunning Sports Illustrated star is famous for her voluptuous figure. She’s a body-confident role model who is fairly new to the scene but Kate has a huge online fan base, boasting 215,000 followers on Instagram alone.
‘She is not the type of girl they usually cast for the show and that’s what excited them the most about Kate,’ spills the insider. ‘She has strong support in the boardroom and there are some people high up at Channel Ten backing her.’
The Perth local has overcome eating disorders and started the movement AnyBody, after she was body-shamed by fellow pupils at school.
‘The idea is that Kate could set the show apart from shows like Married At First Sight and Love Island,’ adds the source.
But at just 24, and having spent her whole life in Western Australia, there is some concern that Kate may not be ready to settle down, especially considering that her burgeoning modelling career is now set to take off in a really big way.
‘Her age and relatively sheltered life is a worry to some, but if show bosses think viewers may like how authentic she is, they are willing to overlook it.’
Married At First Sight star, Davina Rankin, 26, model and trainer is also on the cards. Fresh from the ratings success of MAFS, some producers are keen to make Davina the new Bachelorette.
But there are a few concerns.
‘Davina’s name was thrown around early on in the game,’ says the insider. ‘She has since caused a lot of long and serious discussions. She could be ratings gold, but also poses a massive risk because of her villain reputation.’
In her favour, the feisty Queenslander certainly knows how to play the reality television game and she would definitely cause her fair share of drama in the mansion.
‘There is no doubt Davina would spice up the series,’ says our insider.
‘And Channel Ten would love to steal some of the MAFS fan base, especially after Sophie Monk defected to Channel Nine after her success on the last season of The Bachelorette.’
But there may be a spanner in the works, as speculation has been brewing that Davina has already started a new relationship, rendering her not suitable for the TV role.
‘That’s certainly put the breaks on, but it’s early days, so they want to keep her on the list just in case things don’t work out with the new man,’ adds the source.
For the full story see this weeks issue of New Idea – out now!
