Abbie Chatfield on the hidden depth behind FBoy Island's ridiculous premise (2024)

It's easy to forget that Abbie Chatfield is a Bachelor alum.

Since coming second in the 2019 season, where she and others vied for Dr Matt Agnew's heart, the 29-year-old has become a successful slashie: a podcaster, radio host, TV presenter, designer and, of course, a mainstay of the tabloids who write up her every move and Instagram post as news.

Currently, the Gold Coast native is hosting the second season of FBoy Island Australia, a cheeky reality competition where three women try to find love among a crew of men while avoiding the self-identifying F***boys of the group. If these boys can successfully string along the trio till the end, the FBoys in question take home a $100,000 cash prize. If any of the three choose a nice guy, the couple splits the cash to start their new life/social media careers together.

ABC Entertainment had a little Chit Chatfield with Abbie about the depth behind the show's ridiculous premise, her favourite tabloid headline about herself and why Girls actor Jemima Kirke is never far from her mind.

Do you think Australian FBoys have a distinct flavour?

Our FBoys are in two camps. One is soft boys, who use therapy lingo that they have learned through osmosis. And they have this ability to weasel their way in with this kind of faux sensitivity - or maybe it's real sensitivity - but they still use it to treat women they're dating not very well.

And there's the macho bravado, tradie-surfer FBoy. We've got two extremes on either side of the spectrum. But unfortunately, neither of them really [bode] well for women, to be honest. [Laughs]

Have you had much feedback from people watching who suddenly realise they're dating a FBoy?

Not people saying my current partner, but I had a lot of "My ex did this!" or "My recent ex did this and you've reminded me of why I left him". That is really exciting and really joyous.

I hope those conversations are happening in private - that people are seeing these men have, at times, pretty poor behaviour on the show, and it's being amplified and spoken about.

It's quite a funny show, but there's a thesis to it that men need to treat women better.

Yeah, what I just love is the ability of these women on the show, and myself as host, to call out these men's behaviours that we see time and time again.

It's a show that focuses on women being sick of [it]. And it isn't even just the moments where men treat us like absolute sh*t. All levels of poor treatment are called out, like men not even listening or seeing us.

There's a scene in the first episode [of season two] where Joe says to Nicole, "You're just so naturally beautiful". And she's got a dark, smoky eye and rhinestones on, and she says, "I've got a lot of makeup on, dude!". But he keeps saying, "Nah, but you're naturally beautiful. It doesn't look like you have much makeup on", and she's like "What the f***?"

What was your most listened-to song of last year?

This is not even me plugging him, but I genuinely think it was my boyfriend [Peking Duk member Adam Hyde's solo music] Keli Holiday's Where You Feel. And that's from before we were dating.

So you were a fan first! Do you still listen as much now?

I listen more! And now he's sending me unreleased songs.

It's very embarrassing. He'll come over, and I'll have a Keli Holiday playlist going but I'll [try to] frantically pause it. Or he'll catch me in the shower singing his songs.

What's your favourite bizarre tabloid headline about yourself?

There was one that read something like, "Abbie Chatfield looks EXHAUSTED" - it was just a photo of me yawning - "after saying that she was put on BED REST". And I never said I was on bed rest! I said I was burnt out and exhausted.

There's honestly a different deranged article every day about me.

What's the last screenshot on your phone?

Oh! It's a screenshot of a text from Adam that says, "Take your antibiotics".

What would your drag name be, and what's your dream lip-sync song?

Alexa Pro!

Oh God. I do a lot of Karaoke of Dolly Parton with my friend [ABC presenter] Rowdie Walden. Maybe we'd do a joint lip-sync to Islands in the Stream [by Dolly and Kenny Rodgers].

What's a fashion trend that you hope never comes back?

I know it's already back, but the ballet flats! Not because of how they look, but because of the scent.

The smell of a ballet flat without socks is just horrific. I can't put myself through that again, even though it actually looks so cute.

A girl is crying in the bathroom because she feels ugly. What advice are you giving her?

I feel like the biggest advice is that no one is "ugly".

I've found that insecurities, or that ones I've had throughout my life anyway, are [often] about a man or whoever not validating me.

Your 20s and your youth go by so quickly. I mean, I'm 29! But I'd like to think I have a grasp on life. So the biggest thing is: "It won't matter in five years how you feel now. Stop being ugly in your own perception."

Plus, no one else is thinking about you that much - I mean that in a positive way!

Do you know that Jemima Kirke quote?

"I think you guys might be thinking about yourselves too much"! [Laughs]

Yes! I think it's perfect. I think about it all the time! It's perfect advice.