He’s been tipped to win Ali Oetjen’s heart on The Bachelorette, but in episode nine, Taite struggles to wear his heart on his sleeve leaving the pretty blonde to question their connection.
The lovebirds go on a romantic date down to the beach and Ali asks him some serious questions.
“I need Taite to understand how serious I am,” Ali insists.
But when she asks him a series of hard-hitting questions from ‘do you see yourself being engaged by the end of the year’ to ‘what’s your biggest fear in a partnership’, Ali feels unsure with his answers.
“I fear not falling in love,” says Taite.
Ali looks upset. “I fear that my love won’t be reciprocated,” she says.
“Do you think that of me?”
“I need to get some reassurance from you…I want to know how you feel about me,” she presses.
“I still don’t know what other connections with the guys you are having. And it kills me to think there is a stronger connection… but if there is, that you’ll give it what you have. I just want you to be happy,” says Taite dodging another question.
“I don’t want to hear that. I want him to fight for me,” Ali laments to the camera.
“Is he willing to fight for me?”
The conversation continues to meander and Taite still struggles to get his feelings across, while Ali becomes more and more desperate.
“At the end of this, I want to be able to tell the person I love them and for that person to tell me the same…
“Do you think you can get there for me?” Ali says, trying to ascertain if they are on the same page.
“I know I can get there, but I’m not going to say it until I am there,” says Taite leaving Ali none the wiser.
“He makes me feel so amazing, but at the same time there’s daggers in my stomach. He seems like a risk,” sighs Ali.
At the cocktail party Taite knows he should have put his heart on the line more and fears that Ali might send him home at the rose ceremony.
“I should have opened up more, I should have said what I felt…” he laments to the camera.
And at the rose ceremony, Taite is one of the last two standing, along with Daniel who viewers only recently got to know.
In the end, Ali decides to take the risk and gives Taite the rose sending Daniel home.
Punters who placed bets on Taite can still sigh a breath of relief as it appears he’s still very much in line to take the crown.
Question is, even if Ali does pick Taite, will they stay together? Will Taite meet Ali’s expectations or will he end up breaking her heart?
