The real story behind The Bachelorette's most controversial episode.

There were two ‘villains’ in this year’s The Bachelorette mansion, which we can all agree was a magnificent piece of casting by the team over at Channel 10.

Model slash amateur poet Rhys Chilton and model slash electrician Sam Johnston’s rivalry ran so deep they eventually had to be pitted against each other in a Thunderdome-esque battle to the death (figuratively) at, um, Luna Park.

It was a television moment like no other and one even Osher himself had been waiting for years for.

“Two men enter, one man leaves,” he declared not knowing that the double date would be such an utter train wreck that neither contestant would survive.

Bachelorette Georgia Love sent both of them home for acting like a couple of squabbling school girls.

Like I said, it was incredible television.

Here’s a snippet of the ride over to job your memory (post continues after video):

But while Rhys and Sam clashed on screen, when the cameras weren’t rolling they actually got along alright, according to Rhys that is.

“Everyone is pretty much how they were presented, except maybe Sam,” he told Mamamia Bach Chat team Laura Brodnik and Amy Cooper last night.

“Actually me and Sam are quite good friends.”

Sorry, what?

Listen to our full interview with Rhys here:

Would “good friends” relentlessly troll each other like that?

I mean Sam’s overt disdain for Rhys seemed only to be rivalled by Rhys covert moves to turn Georgia off his opponent.

The short answer is: Yes.

“A lot of that was taken out of context and obviously used for entertainment purposes but no, we get along quite well off screen,” he said, confiding the pair sometimes still chat on the phone, despite living in separate cities.

“Seeing what goes down after you go is interesting because you really don’t know what happens when you’re gone, I mean you hear bits and pieces…

“Seeing Sam’s face when he was told I was gone was priceless, knowing that he was about to go as well.

“I had an inkling, but yeah, it was surprising.”

Anyway you can listen to the latest episode of Bach Chat, the podcast where we talk all things Bachelorette here:

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