Ryan, we saw a lot of you on the show. But we didn’t hear much from you. Looking back, what would you have done differently?
I think I probably would have watched the previous season of the show before I went into it! I didn’t really have too much idea what I was getting into. My sister nominated me to go in and when I got the call I thought, “Yeah, I’ll give it a go.” But I really had no idea what was happening.
You didn’t watch the previous season?
I just didn’t think it was necessary! For one, I didn’t think I was going to be chosen. And then, next thing I knew, I was in this whirlwind process of getting myself ready for it and just didn’t get a chance. I threw myself into it, figured it would be this big romantic experience and then, obviously, came to learn that there are a lot of other things that go into the making of a television show. It was interesting… it took me a few weeks to get into the groove.
Why do you think this was the week that Georgia chose to let you go?
A few reasons. I did get to talk to Georgia a lot more than what was let on. We did have a great start in terms of finding a friendship. We became quite great mates at the start. We were honest with each other the whole time, but a few weeks down the track she started coming to me for advice on which guys were there for the right and wrong reasons. And that was an awkward place to be. I started feeling like the high school mate who was just there to help her figure out other guys, and obviously that’s not the position I wanted to be in.
So I suppose that was in the back of my mind, and that night it all came to a head. I wasn’t happy, and I said that to her: ‘Look, I’m not really enjoying this anymore. I don’t want to be that guy.’ She understood, she apologised and told me she felt the same. We had another candid chat about what I might have been missing, and she probably read between the lines that I saw her as a friend. Unless we got a single date, it probably wasn’t going to ever happen. So I suppose, with that, she knew we’d be mates and I can’t fault her decision.
So far, you seem quite well-spoken and you are talking quite a bit. Why didn’t we see this version of Ryan on the show?
[Laughs] Yeah! I don’t know… I think they maybe played me as that under-the-radar guy. I’m probably a bit shy in situations like that, though I’m not afraid to be vulnerable. It was kind of hard to get a word in around some of those guys.
You weren’t willing to be catty enough.
Yeah. There was a lot of drama that some of those other guys really went for, and I wasn’t keen to be a part of that.
What do you wish people had seen that they didn’t?
There were certainly moments where I showed my vulnerable side. Georgia appreciated those and I could definitely tell by her body language in those moments that we were taking steps forward. I don’t know why they didn’t show it. I guess I’m just not dramatic enough—I was simply trying to be and explain myself, not to fight with all of the other guys.
Speaking of that, let’s talk about Sam and Rhys.
Oh, they’re just so similar. There are so many qualities about each other that they claim to dislike, but I think they’re actually seeing qualities in themselves that they dislike. That was fascinating to watch. They’ve both got very different ways of handling things – Sam was very outspoken, he’d talk before thinking. Rhys was very much his opposite, off by himself writing poetry or whatever it was he was doing. Just very different characters, but at the end of the day, very alike in the way they react and create confrontation. They might as well have just been arguing with mirrors. It would have been the same outcome.
Who do you see Georgia taking to the end?
Cam, Courtney and Lee have some potential. And Matty J is getting more and more smitten with Georgia. They’re all absolute catches. She’d be lucky to be with any of the guys in the house, but they’re the ones I’d pick if I had to narrow it down.
Georgia doesn’t seem quite sold on Matty J yet, though.
The more she gets to know him, though… she did say last night that she found him a bit cocky and overconfident. I wouldn’t disagree. He is a confident guy. He is good with girls. But the more he gets to know her, too, the more he realises that he quite likes her and it’s bringing out this boyish charm in him. Hopefully she’s seeing that, and maybe they’ll be a match made in heaven.
What did you learn about yourself from doing the show?
A lot. I realised I do want to keep my private life private. I saw this as a cool way to shake up things and get into the dating game, but then you’re actually there and you’ve got all these cameras in your face – it’s competitive, you’re fighting for a girl. It’s pretty full-on. It works for some as an incubator for love. But not me.
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