REVIEW: A crowd of work mates gathered around my desk as the "king of awkwardness" Moses Mackay FINALLY took the plunge, going in for the first on-camera pash of his Bachelor New Zealand season!
"WOOOOOWWEEEE!" he shrieked afterwards, the sound echoing through the picturesque Marlborough Sounds landscape (which, if you didn't know was the scene of The Hobbit - who knew?!) as music intensified for the big moment.
The lucky lady? Unsurprisingly, it was Wānaka bartender Annelise Theis, who may have been late to the season but was right on time to nab the first and, so far, only smooch.
Eleven episodes in, and after the third show in a row the opera singer's talked about the big moment then bailed at the last second, it was a white river rafting date and mussel breath which set the scene for tonight's romance.
But, while the couple only had eyes for each other in that moment, questions were raised over if another contestant has other ideas.
Another of Mackay's top contenders, Shenae Connelly, "absolutely threw [Lana Ennis] under the bus" telling the lead she was a polygamist and that an open relationship was something she and Mackay may have in common.
"What point did I say I'm interested in an open relationship?" a surprised Mackay asked on their one-on-one date. "That's definitely not what I am."
"I regret that, I wish I didn't say that at all," the 27-year-old Auckland lass said.
But, shockingly, Mackay didn't raise the potential deal-breaker with Ennis at tonight's cocktail party, instead saying an emotional goodbye to fan-favourite Luisa Kures ahead of the rose ceremony.
The Samoan pair had "massive love" for one another, but it just wasn't a romantic spark.
"I've probably been through the worst when you lose someone," the Invercargill beauty said, talking about losing her fiancé in a car crash four years ago.
"I don't think anything can compare to that feeling, so I don't think I'm heart broken but I am hurt."
So that means Mackay's final four for hometown dates is Theis, Connelly, Ennis and Chanel Lutton, right?
Maybe not.
Tonight's episode left on a cliffhanger, with Lutton potentially pulling the plug on her journey with the bachelor.
The Bachelor New Zealand continues Monday to Wednesday at 7.30pm on TVNZ2. Episodes are also available at OnDemand.
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