[imagesource: Facebook/M-Net]

Before we get to Qiniso van Damme, who will be the central figure in the first season of The Bachelorette SA, let’s check in to see how Marc Buckner, the most recent Bachelor, and Marisia van Wyk are doing.

Hang on, what’s that? Oh, they’ve already broken up.

In a wonderfully petty and public break-up, Marisia alluded to the development on Instagram with a post, using hashtags like #KnowYourWorth, #NotSettling, and #NotGivingUpLoveJustYet.

She then confirmed the break-up in a reply to one comment, saying the pair had been broken up for a while, before later deleting the post and saying she’s taking a “social media holiday”.

But wait, there’s more – she then uploaded the same cryptic post to Instagram again.

Marc never saw any of this go down, saying “She’s blocked me. I can’t talk about this now. I have a lot to process.” In response to a comment on Instagram, Marc said “I have moved to my moms. Crashing on the floor now.”

Yup, that’s the (former) couple you spent months watching already down the toilet, although they did last longer than season one’s Bachelor, Lee ‘I feel a connection” Thompson, and Gina Myers, with the couple already having broken up by the time the season finale ended.

It’s almost like choosing an Instagram model who’s keen to grow his online presence (Marc here, Lee here) for future financial gain isn’t an approach that’s working.

All this means the bar has been set pretty low for the first Bachelorette, Qiniso (the blokes on the show will want to learn how to pronounce that one), who you’ll recall was one of the women who vied for Marc’s heart.

Here’s Qiniso’s Instagram account, if you fancy a look, but let’s start with the Carte Blanche:

Yes, before you ask, she is the sister of DA MP Phumzile van Damme.

If I was being brutally honest, I would say that nobody who appears on a show like this is really looking for love, but rather their 15 minutes of fame.

But hey, maybe Qiniso will surprise us.

Here’s the M-Net promo:

Keen to enter, gents? You can do so here.

Over on YOU, they’ve delivered five earth-shattering things you might not know about the Bachelorette. These include the fact that she has more than one best friend, she loves to groove, she’s a self-confessed nerd, and she’s a people’s person.

Cool.

The fifth pertains to her favourite movie:

“Her – it’s about this man who falls in love with an artificially intelligent virtual assistant. I just love the strangeness of the love story; how beautiful a connection can be without meeting a person and just falling in love with who they are and that’s me right now.

“I’m going on this love journey of a stranger’s love story and I’m so excited.”

OK, not a bad choice, because Her is a decent movie. If you want to watch it on Netflix, you have until July 28.

Will she find love? Will her Instagram following grow rapidly beyond her current 13 500 count? Will the show actually result in a relationship that lasts longer than it takes a coat of paint to dry?

No pressure, Qiniso.

The first season of The Bachelorette SA is due to start filming later this year, before airing in 2021.

[sources:carteblanche&you]