At last night’s heartbreaking Beauty and the Geek elimination, we said goodbye to bookworm Alex Waters and self-proclaimed future PM Sophie Taylor.
But what most fans don’t know is just how much the experience impacted Sophie.
WATCH BELOW: Chris’s makeover on Beauty and The Geek 2022
“Before the show I was very broken. I’d come out of a really terrible break up and I didn’t realise it, but I was a mess,” Sophie reveals to New Idea.
“Every single person there filled me up and put me back together.”
Sophie applied to the show as a bit of a joke. “My mum had been pushing me to apply,” she laughs. But perhaps motherly intuition was right, because it ended up being exactly what Sophie needed at that moment.
“I believe that the universe put me there because I’ve never been happier in my life,” she says.
“In the past, in my relationships, they always wanted to change me or there was always something wrong with me. But [Alex] taught me that I am enough and I’m worthy and I’m good enough just the way I am.”
Certain contestants have had an incredible impact on Sophie. She names beauties Emily, Hedi and Bri as close friends – but it’s one of the geeks her mind keeps coming back to.
“Every day since the show I wake up and want to be a little more like Aaron,” she says.
“He’s so kind to everyone he meets and he’s such a compassionate person.”
Viewers only saw a glimpse of her friendship with Aaron on the show, but what we saw was impactful. In a particularly heart-wrenching scene, Aaron asked Sophie if she was being sarcastic when she complimented him.
“I was shattered when he said that. After the mixer, I went back to my room and cried because that really really upset me.”
Of course, the person who helped Soph the most was her partner, Alex.
“Alex was amazing. He genuinely changed my life and I’ve never met anyone who has such nice things to say about me and I just love him so much.”
READ NEXT: Beauty and the Geek recap, week one.
For his part, Alex feels the same and said that despite being eliminated early, he wouldn’t change anything for the world.
“I often refer to Sophie as a shot of espresso, she brings so much energy to life,” he jokes.
“If I had the chance to redo the experience, I wouldn’t change a single part of it. I had the best partner, Sophie, who taught me so much.”
Does he still feel that way after the disastrous dog challenge that landed them in the bottom?
“Yes, Sophie may have had a fall or two,” he says, as Sophie cackles on the other line, “but she genuinely picked herself up, dusted herself off and went straight back into it.
“I’ve never seen dedication like that before.”
Neither of them harbour a grudge against the dog either.
“I’m feeling a little bit stitched up with the dog but there’s no hard feelings there,” Sophie quipped.
On their way out of the competition, Sophie suggested she and Alex get matching tattoos, a plan that is still very much on the cards.
“That hasn’t happened yet but if Soph’s down for it I am,” Alex says. (“Any day of the week!” came Sophie’s reply.)
“We’re going to get the animals we were dressed up as for the second mixer, so I am going to get an owl tattoo whereas she’s planning to get a cat.”
WATCH BELOW: Hedi and Mike kiss on Beauty and the Geek 2022
Related stories
Native ad body.
Native ad body.
Native ad body.
