The Bachelor’s Matt AgnewCredit:

THE BACHELOR ★★★

Series return, Wednesday (July 31), 7.30pm, Ten

After the anti-climactic mess Nick Cummins made of last year's Bachelor, choosing honesty over a staged happy ending and leaving the series as he entered it – a single ex-rugby player with a curious, self-allocated animal nickname – Ten were taking no more chances on a lonely celebrity heart. Plucked from obscurity (or, rather, from a shortlist of applicants), 2019's prize stallion is mild-mannered astrophysicist, Matt Agnew.

By his own account, Agnew is a simple scientist looking for love. Having had no luck with dating apps, he's "not above any method" of matchmaking. After friends suggested he try out for The Bachelor, he threw his hat into the ring. The gamble appears to have paid off. Reportedly, Agnew is no longer single, having presumably paired up with one of his seven on-screen suitors. He has also since put astrophysics on the back burner, taking a job as a data science consultant with data analytics company, Quantium.

But for the purposes of The Bachelor, Agnew is not only an astrophysicist, he's a Clark Kent/Superman descended from the heavens. His family and friends think his portrayal as a superhero in the trailer (the making of which he describes as "a really fun day"), as "pretty cool".

Passionate about educating the wider public about his work and study, which has centred on the theoretical prediction of Earth-like exoplanets in order to more effectively use telescopes to explore other galaxies, Agnew wouldn't turn down any media opportunities that might lead him to become Australia's answer to Professor Brian Cox.

"Something that has been of interest to me for several years now is outreach and communication," he says. "I really enjoy talking about astrophysics and about space. Based on the quality of the questions I get at the conclusions of talks I give, it's something other people enjoy listening to as well."

He made the most of his time on The Bachelor set to steer conversations in this direction.

"Any time you get to know someone, you do ask about their work and I certainly asked the women that I met what they like to do and what they do from a career point of view. Likewise, they asked me, which means I got an opportunity to describe what kind of research I do as an astrophysicist."

An avid fan of the format, Agnew was aware of the negative backlash an unfavourable finale such as Cummins' might unleash.

"I think there's always concerns and caution when you go into a situation where you are very exposed and where you will be letting your guard down. This kind of scenario is one where you are very much yourself … I managed to block out the cameras much quicker than I expected. Because of that it made the whole process very easy and natural for me and I was able to enjoy each moment with each woman without worrying what people were thinking of me, or that I was going to do something that might be considered cheesy. I could just enjoy the date for what it was."

Agnew will be pleased if his appearance on The Bachelor goes some way towards disproving the stereotype of the awkward scientist too absorbed in their work to commit to love.

"Everyone always has time to meet that special someone," he says.

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