Konrad Bień-Stephen is best known for his stint on Brooke Blurton’s season of The Bachelorette, where the fun-loving but sensitive soul quickly became a fan favourite.
When the time came for him to step into the limousine and bid farewell to the mansion, viewers everywhere were devastated, and rightly so. It was a heartbreaking moment, not just for people at home, but for Konrad, who had expressed his honest feelings to Brooke at the time.
However, things have thankfully improved since then, and now, Konrad is living his best life. Soon to star on Network Ten’s latest reality TV offering, The Challenge Australia, the 31-year-old is preparing for his return to television.
In case you don’t know, The Challenge pits 22 reality stars against one another as they compete for $100,000.
Featuring big names from shows such as MasterChef Australia and Married At First Sight, it’s almost certain be seeing a lot of drama play out.
It’s definitely not easy, but Konrad, who was familiar with the US version of the competition reality program, is ready to take the game head-on.
“It’s crazy. It’s jam-packed full of drama, there’s laughs, there’s extreme challenges, and in terms of The Bachelorette, it’s completely different,” he told The Latch.
“I mean, I had an amazing experience on The Bachelorette, there was lots of love, but The Challenge is more like Big Brother/Survivor/MAFS, it’s a really interesting show,”
While the challenges have not been revealed yet, they’re sure to test the strength, stamina and mental fortitude of the contestants, and preparation is crucial if you want a chance to make it to the finish line.
In order to be the strongest contestant on the show, you need to be able to play your cards right, and Konrad knew he had to work on his scheming skills.
“I normally train, so physically, I felt I was ready, but I did a bit of brain training,” he said. “I don’t have the greatest short-term memory, so I really wanted to work on that, so I bought a couple of quiz and puzzle books, but to be honest, I probably should have trained more.”
Throw 22 people in a room together, and you’re most definitely going to get chaos. Different personalities don’t always mesh well, and if the trailer is anything to go by, it’s pretty clear things aren’t always smooth sailing.
Just recently, contestant Australian Survivor alum Johnny Eastoe called The Bachelor alumni who appeared alongside him on The Challenge Australia “pretty conniving”.
“Johnny, Johnny, Johnny,” Konrad said. “Still playing games after the show has ended. I don’t know, I think to be on Survivor, you need to be good at that. I think he’s playing games still; that’s all I gotta say.”
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