The Bachelor Australia’s Sogand on her elimination and ‘feud’ with Abbie

Sogand Mohtat was sent home from The Bachelor Australia overnight, with our Bachie Matt Agnew saying he was unsure if their connection was still strong.

Though she was sad to see her time cut short, there’s certainly one person Sogand was happy to leave behind in the mansion: Abbie Chatfield.

The pair have been locked in an ongoing feud for most of the season, with Sogand – among others – accusing Abbie of being disingenuous and, on occasion, selfish.

We caught up with Sogand after her elimination to find out about her experience on The Bachelor, her relationship with Abbie and why she thinks she dodged a bullet with Matt.

Are you excited to move on to the next stage of your life, now your final episode has aired? How do you feel?

I feel free! It’s a good feeling.

Definitely. Were you surprised at all that you were sent home before some of the other women still in the mansion?

Yeah definitely, I thought Matt and I had a good connection, but I guess after my chat with him at the last cocktail party I realised that maybe I haven’t been as forward as I should have been in letting him know how I feel about him. So about halfway through the night I felt like I was going home.

Obviously your ‘feud’ with Abbie became a major storyline this season. What was it that made you so fired up over her?

I guess, in the beginning I wanted Matt to have a chance to get to know everyone, I wanted it to be fair… Not realising that we don’t have the luxury of time. Every time I was asked what I thought about Abbie, whether she was there for the right reasons, I was truthful and said it how it was and I guess that’s just where it all started.

In the episode where Matt’s friend Kate came to visit, we actually saw that she had the same reservations about Abbie and didn’t believe she was genuine. She said this to Matt, and told him that your answers had sort of ‘cemented’ it for her, but he didn’t seem to take her opinion on board either. Was that frustrating for you?

Kate actually asked me what I thought about Abbie, I didn’t go out of my way to tell her anything – which is what was shown on air – I didn’t want to mention anything but I was just being truthful. And I appreciate the fact that she took it as me coming from a protective side, more than being malicious. She obviously felt the same way and mentioned it to Matt, and it was surprising that he brought his best friend in to help him out, yet he didn’t want to listen to anything she said. It was a little bit confusing.

Do you have regret over being so outspoken about Abbie, or confronting her? Do you wish you had kept to yourself more?

I mean I would have loved to have focussed on myself, but being one of the few who spoke out and was being honest… a lot of the girls had a lot to say behind her back and didn’t want to say anything in front of her. I can’t do that, I say it how it is.

What did you think watching the episode last night, when Elly gave Abbie the date card because she said she “really needed it” – there have been a lot of strong reactions on Twitter about it!

Yeah she definitely knows how to talk people out of things. She manipulated Elly to give her the card and made out as if she had something really important to talk about, but they seemed to just be enjoying a cheese platter (laughs).

Are you on good terms now, have you spoken?

I actually did send her a message. You know, I’m 31, I don’t hold grudges, I just want to make peace and move on. I’m not planning on being friends with her on the outside, but I sent her a message saying I hope we can move on and just appreciate that emotions were heightened and, you know, have each other’s back… and she never responded. I guess that’s where the age thing comes in.

As far as Matt’s concerned, how do you feel about him now that you’ve had some space from the show?

Honestly, I kind of felt like I dodged a bullet. Just in the sense that… I want to end up with someone who is a little bit smarter when dealing with girls, if he’s going to be that easily manipulated then he’s definitely not someone I want to end up with.

Who do you hope Matt does end up with?

I like Elly and Chelsie, I definitely feel like he would have a good future with either of them.

The Bachelor Australia airs Wednesday and Thursday, 7:30pm, on 10.