From A Familiar Face To A Cheating Scandal, Here’s Everything We Know About Brooke Blurton’s Season Of The Bachelorette

Now that Jimmy Nicholson's season of The Bachelor has wrapped up, The Bachelorette is ready to roll onto our screens. This year viewers will see a familiar face in Brooke Blurton as she takes on the lead role, making history while she's at it.

This will be the first time — not only in Australia but across the world — that an Indigenous, bisexual woman will be the bachelorette. It's a big change for the popular global TV franchise, and one that warrants celebration as a move towards greater diversity and representation on screen.

With not long to go until Blurton's quest for love arrives on TV, here's a rundown on everything we know about what will no doubt be an entertaining season of The Bachelorette.

Channel 10 has officially announced that the show will premiere on Wednesday, October 20 at 7:30 pm. As is the case every year, The Bachelorette will occupy the Wednesday and Thursday evening time slots, while the network's new Celebrity MasterChef will air earlier in the week.

With a reality TV-packed lineup to round out the year, the network has decided to air the show just two weeks after The Masked Singer finale, and a week after Dr Chris Brown's The Dog House Australia premieres.

Brooke Blurton will be handing out the roses after originally appearing on Nick 'Honeybadger' Cummins' season of The Bachelor in 2018. She placed third after deciding to voluntarily leave the mansion, and went on to appear on Bachelor In Paradise in 2019.

"It's the same Brooke, just new style and better taste... in men and women," she says in an extended promo.

Hopefully, third time's the charm for Blurton finding her happily ever after, as she has a diverse mix of potential love interests vying for her roses.

Both men and women are competing on the show this year, and an extended promo has already shown Blurton going on dates with some of the 16 contestants.

Hailing from New South Wales is Photographer, Beau Tauwhara, 34; Vet Receptionist, Emily Bebbington, 25; Marketing Administrator, Holly Langford, 27; Psychology Student, Jamie-Lee Dayz, 30; Carpenter, Johann Alessandrini, 27; Sports Mentor, Kurt Herzog, 29; Plumber, Ryan Carmichael, 29; Podiatrist, Steve and Youth Worker, Taje Fowler, 23.

The cast from Victoria includes Charity Officer, Bec Pressing, 30; Carpenter, Konrad Bien Stephen, 31 and Filmmaker, Ritu Chhina, 25.

Flying down to Sydney to film from Queensland is Psychologist, Carissa Croft, 30; Landscaper, Darvid Garayeli, 27 and Metal Fabricator, Matthew Pottier, 31.  

From South Australia is Software Sales Executive, Jessica Franklin, 30.

Not surprisingly, Osher Gunsberg is back as the host, after holding the role for each season of The Bachelorette thus far: Sam Frost (2015), Georgia Love (2016), Sophie Monk (2017), Ali Oetjen (2018), Angie Kent (2019), Elly & Becky Miles (2020). He's also hosted all Australian seasons of The Bachelor and Bachelor In Paradise.

Like in previous years, The Bachelorette was filmed in Sydney, though it's unclear if the same mansion was used as last year as COVID-19 restrictions ramped up in 2021.

Blurton took a break from filming in August to fly to Perth following the death of her sister. Later that month, ViacomCBS Australia-New Zealand's Chief Content Officer Beverley McGarvey told TV Tonight that filming was "just about finished".

Last month, reports emerged that the male and female contestants were being housed separately on the same property.

"I heard they have two mansions," former Bachelor contestant Abbie Chatfield claimed in an interview with told Hit Hobart's radio duo Jimmy and Nath.

"I don't know," she added. "I wanted [there] to be some crossover, you know? More than one love story."

In an explosive extended promo that's been released ahead of the premiere, there's plenty of loving but also some not-so-rosy moments during the season.

What many have feared most appears to have come true when a male and female contestant form their own romantic connection.

"I knew coming into this experience that there might be a possibility [that] guys and girls have an attraction to one another," Blurton says in a voiceover, before she tells the contestants in another scene, "Honestly, tonight was a total mindfuck, I don't want to have to do that again."

On a more uplifting note, she seems to have found her match by the end of filming, saying that returning to the franchise for the third time has given her what she's been searching for.

"The third time has restored my faith in actually loving something so unconditionally and knowing they love you back," she says with tears. "I'm really and utterly in love. I'm so madly in love."

With not long to go now, we can't wait to watch Blurton's love story unfold on screen.