PSA: No ‘Rosie Recaps’ For The Bachelorette [Updated]

Australian blogger Rosie Waterland is best known for her weekly ‘Rosie Recaps’ of reality TV series The Bachelor. Whether you love Channel Ten’s televised ode to polygamy or hate it, Rosie’s weekly “Bachie” recaps were never less than hilarious. Tomorrow night, the fun begins anew with The Bachelorette Series 2. Unfortunately, there will be no Rosie Recaps this time around, or ever again. (Hashtag. Devo.) Here’s why.

Rosie Waterland’s Bachelor recaps have become a thing of legend — uniting people who despise the show with unabashed die-hard fans (and everyone in between.) It’s been a teat-hemorrhaging cash cow for its publisher Mamamia, raking in the kind of audience numbers that professional TV critics only dream of. Alas for all involved, her exceedingly popular Bachelor recaps will no longer be written.

Throughout her Rosie Recaps for The Bachelor Series 4 (which wound up last week), Waterland acknowledged that this would be the last season she would critique. To the shock and disappointment of many, she then took sick leave from her job and missed out on the final episode.

Followers of Waterland on social media will probably have seen this coming. For the past year, the blogger has repeatedly hinted that she no longer enjoys writing the recaps that so many Australians look forward to each week. In one memorable Facebook rant, she admitted that she was “kind of sick” of the whole thing.

She was particularly discouraged by the many emails she received from fans disparaging the physical appearance of various contestants, which was not what her recaps were ever about. She also experienced the death of a close friend, which may have factored into the decision.

Some of you are probably wondering why this news is on Lifehacker. If you’re thinking that, ask the people around you whether they read her recaps. We’re willing to bet at least one of your close, personal acquaintances is a fan. (Indeed, my wife got me into the recaps back in 2014.)

So, what to do? You could try reading the weekly recaps on our sister site POPSUGAR Australia instead. They’re not designed to be hilariously self-depreciating or playfully insulting but otherwise provide everything a Bachie fan could possibly need. You can check out their coverage here.

UPDATE: It turns out Waterland’s hiatus from work is more serious than we thought. Here is an update she just shared on her public Facebook page:

Hey guys,
 
So I just wanted to thank you for the beyond lovely outpouring of support and well-wishes since I came down with a ‘mysterious illness’ last week and was unable to finish the final Bachie Recap.
 
I wasn’t quite sure how to admit this, which is why it’s taken me a week. But then I figured, how strange that I keep thinking of the word ‘admit’ when it comes to an illness. That’s bullshit. I don’t want to be ashamed, and I’m trying hard not to be. So here we go:
 
I was hospitalised last week for mental health reasons. I haven’t really handled things well since my best friend Antonio died unexpectedly two months ago, and things got on top of me before I realised what was happening. My PTSD was triggered by his death, and I ignored the symptoms because I so badly wanted to not be ‘sick’ again. To not be ‘that person’, I guess.
 
But, I was. I am. I am that person. As is the case with mental illness, problems can reappear just like with any physical illness, at any time, whether you want them to or not. And mine did.
 
I’m lucky that I have people around me who stepped in to help when I finally asked for it. I’m also lucky that I’m in a position to take a bit of time off, so I can deal with my mental health properly and give it the care it demands. Because it does demand care.
 
Mental health cannot be ignored, or it will fester and grow worse like any other illness. I have been reminded of that this past week. I thought I could push through the last couple of months if I just knuckled down and willed myself out of it. I mean, my life is so great! I’m living my dreams! I have the career I’ve always dreamed of! How dare I not be okay when everything is so amazing?
 
I can’t even tell you how much that makes me eyeroll at myself now.
 
Anyone with a mental illness knows that you can’t just will it away. That it can sneak up on you regardless of where you are in life. I have learned, after dealing with my mental illness for many years now, that I need to respect it and give it the care it needs. That’s just a reality for me. These last couple of months, I wasn’t respecting my mental health, and last week I ended up having what could politely be called a nervous breakdown.
 
So. I am respecting my mental health now. I am taking the time to care for myself and to treat my mental illness. I am out of hospital, on the mend and spending time with my family in Sydney. I’m also taking time off work until my live show tour (which will now include a story about being in the ER while a dude gets a very graphic poo-spraying enema in the bed next to me – buy tickets here! http://www.frontiercomedy.com/rosiewaterland).
 
Thank you for being so lovely, and I’m so sorry I didn’t manage to do the final Bachie Recap. Although just quietly, Channel Ten are brilliant editors who spectacularly trolled us all by framing the entire season to look like the outcome was obvious. Alex was totally the winner from the start, and to make that a shock for the entire nation took some solid producing skills. Well played, Queen Sully. Well played. (Two hilarious and talented ladies are taking over recapping for The Bachelorette, so y’all should defs read those after each ep.)
 
Okay so… I’m gonna check out of social media for a little bit. I may pop back in occasionally to sell tickets to my show, because I’m constantly panicked that nobody will turn up. It’s in late Oct/early Nov. In the meantime, I’ll be watching Transformers with my nephew and pretending to enjoy it.

We wish Waterland a speedy recovery.


The Cheapest NBN 50 Plans

Here are the cheapest plans available for Australia’s most popular NBN speed tier.

At Lifehacker, we independently select and write about stuff we love and think you'll like too. We have affiliate and advertising partnerships, which means we may collect a share of sales or other compensation from the links on this page. BTW – prices are accurate and items in stock at the time of posting.

Comments


3 responses to “PSA: No ‘Rosie Recaps’ For The Bachelorette [Updated]”