Bachelor fans slam contestant for dropping the C-bomb: ‘Gobsmacked’

Viewers of The Bachelor were shocked to see things get so heated in Thursday night’s episode, with Stephanie Lynch calling front-runner Holly Kingston a c**t more than once.

Despite video footage of the incident happening, 27-year-old Stephanie denied ever saying the word, a move fans have called both hilarious and upsetting.

Holly and Steph on the bachelor australia
Steph made Holly cry after calling her a c**t and then denying it. Photos: Channel 10

27-year-old Holly was lucky enough to receive the third single date of the season and went stand-up paddleboarding with Bachelor Jimmy and his dog.

Steph was less than impressed with Jimmy’s choice, saying she was “pissed off” that Holly received a date before her.

“Holly sucks man,” she said in her confessional. “You know what, (she’s) a b*tch, so I just have no time for her.”

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Steph continued her rant with a small group of girls in the mansion, announcing, “So Holly’s a c**t.”

“I can barely tolerate 10 minutes with her so having to spend an entire day with her would be like eating nails.”

Steph - who has previously said she “hates pilots” - went on to predict Holly wouldn’t return with a rose or a kiss.

In amazing reality TV, she then looked directly at the camera after her proclamation and said: “Sorry Jimmy, this is the real me.”

bachelor contestant Stephanie looking at the camera
Holly broke the fourth wall in Thursday night’s episode. Photo: Channel 10

Despite Steph’s prediction, Holly’s date ended with an invite to hang out at the Bach Pad, a rose, and a make-out session.

While the rumoured Bachelor winner admitted she didn’t want to step on anyone’s toes during the cocktail party by stealing more time with Jimmy, he ended up approaching her for a one-on-one chat.

As predicted, Steph was furious and once again called her a “c**t” in front of fellow contestant and Holly’s friend Brooke Cleal.

bachelor's Stephanie at the cocktail party
Steph called Holly a “c**t” when she received extra time with Jimmy during the cocktail party. Photo: Channel 10

Brooke then told Holly what was said, who confronted Steph in front of all the other girls about inappropriately calling her a “horrific word”.

Steph was clearly not having it, asking Holly, “Don’t you think that your behaviour is slightly more inappropriate than me...“

“Than calling someone a ‘see you next Tuesday’?” Holly interrupted. “Probably not.”

The drama continued when Steph told Brooke she must’ve misheard her because she “wouldn’t have said that”.

“Hand on heart, I do not have a recollection of calling her that,” she said.

And just when viewers thought it was all over, Steph walked away to chat with her friends on the show and nonchalantly asked, “Isn’t she kind of one though?”.

Fans online were reeling over watching Steph’s behaviour in the episode, with many calling her out for “gaslighting”.

“To speak that way about another woman and then blatantly lie about it is disgusting,” one person tweeted.

“I would never call anybody, especially a woman, the C-word. Watching The Bachelor, I was gobsmacked to see it used, highlighted, almost ‘celebrated’,” another added.

“The absolute least Steph could have done is not gaslight Holly and say she started the drama,” someone else shared.

Others, however, applauded the bachelorette for providing some ‘iconic’ TV viewing.

“Steph is the first to shatter the mythology of the harmonious sister wives and I’m HERE for it,” a fan commented.

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