Nina sent packing but Heather remains in dangerous friend zoneThe Bachelor has a fire warden just for the candlesSam Wood confirms he's met 'the one'
Well. That was intense. 
Viewer favourite Heather Maltman has been sent home by The Bachelor's Sam Wood in the most gut-wrenching rose ceremony yet. 
One minute, she was showing him around her hometown of Brisbane - including the mountain where she shared hot chocolates with her late father - and introducing him to her mentor, Warwick, and her best friend, Laura. This was a huge deal, given her tough childhood. [As Bachelor fans know, Heather's parents separated when she was a baby. She had little contact with her father but tracked him down when she was 18 and they became close. Sadly, he died a few years later.]
The next minute, Sam was breaking up with her. You could practically hear all the Heather fans shouting at their TVs. 
Of course, she knew this was a possibility - she said so umpteen times on camera - but it did not soften the blow. After not getting a rose, she stood there, dazed, until Osher called her name.
"Can I ask why?" she said as Sam took her outside for a final chat. "Am I allowed to?"
They shared an "amazing friendship", he explained, but it never grew beyond that. 
"My feelings for you were more than just friendship," she replied. "I'm kind of glad, in a way, that you gave me the opportunity to see where that would go. But yeah, it still hurts."
In the wake of her dramatic eviction, we spoke to the 29-year-old aspiring filmmaker about love, heartbreak, taking risks, reality TV, standing up to bullies, and her future with Sam. 
On her worst fear being realised:
Most men have found it very hard to deal with my past, and found it quite hard to listen to me, which is very normal. Anyone from [a similar] background knows exactly what that's like. It was incredible being able to share that with Sam but at the same time, quite terrifying for me. I think that's part of the reason why I couldn't be as romantic on the show as what he needed, because that's a massive risk for someone like me - like, huge. 
The truth is, I was terrified that the minute I showed him my family and where I'm from and my background, that would be it. That he'd be all, "OK, that was fun! See ya, wouldn't wanna be ya."
[BURSTS OUT LAUGHING]: And the fact that I didn't receive a rose, I was like: "Oh, worst fear realised!" I guess that's just all part of it. But that fact that it was my worst fear and now I'm like, "Okay, cool, I came out the other side and it's okay," ... that's cool. 
On how she's feeling now:
It did kind of blow me a little bit sideways, I'm not going to lie. I'm like, "Oh, okay, this is happening. Good." But I think always in the back of your mind is that it might not work out. The odds are really against you. There are 21 other girls - one in 21! - good luck. 
I'm alright. It's hard watching it back and having all of Australia think I've got a boyfriend. But it's also kind of relieving at the same time, to be able to go, "Look, it didn't work out. I did end up with a broken heart but that's cool. It's all part of it."
On why she'll always want her partner to be a mate as well:
I made a vow to myself when I started the show that I wanted to find someone who would be my best friend and my lover. If that's not what Sam is looking for, then it's never going to work. You need to be my best mate to be my partner, because I've been through so much as a kid and I need to know that I can talk to you about it and that you're going to be okay. And that can only come from an incredible friendship to begin with.
The truth is, I'm eventually going to meet a guy who is so comfortable around me, and I'm so comfortable around him, it's not going to matter if I call you "mate" or "dude" or "douchebag". Because you're going to be like, "I'm so into you, I wanna touch all of your areas."
On why she'll never close herself off from love, despite the risk of getting hurt:
I've met so many wonderful guys and I think part of the reason I'm still single is we've started out with a beautiful friendship, but then they've been so scared of letting go and getting hurt that they refuse to go there, and I just can't be that person. 
I want to be able to love someone with every part of me. But having done the show, I've realised I'm not very good at letting people love me, because I'm just so used to being independent. This show has taught me how to let other people care for me and be there in return - it's been the most incredible gift Sam could have given me. 
On her relationship with Sam now:
We haven't been in touch because I think that would be a bit wrong given the show is still going. It wouldn't look too good and it wouldn't be nice for whoever he does pick. But once it wraps, and if we get in touch and end up being mates, that would be unreal.
On whether she's dating anyone now:
I'm not seeing anyone at the moment. It's very difficult to have a boyfriend when everyone in Australia already thinks you've got one!
On cynicism about reality TV:
Anyone who tells me that my journey was not real, or challenges whether I went on there for the right reasons, I dare you to sign up and go on. I ask you to throw your hat in the ring and tell me how fake you are when doing it. I can tell you right now, this is the most honest and riskiest I've been in my life with how I feel about someone. I'm really proud of doing it and anyone who wants to hate on it, do your thing. All I'm going to do is send you love and ask you do the same in return. 
On how [neighbour and mentor] Warwick helped her find her voice:
My sister and I kind of raised ourselves, and he came along when I didn't have a voice. [Heather worked on Warwick's horse farm as a girl.] I was getting bullied incredibly, and he basically taught me to stand up and go, "My name's Heather and this is what I want." And he's been that person my entire life. 
On her "little big sister" Laura:
I got picked on so badly as a kid, and Laura was literally the only person who would be my friend. We used to ride our bikes together, share my rollerblades, and eat watermelons and spit the seeds on each other's faces.
On bullies:
At school, I was given a hard time by other kids - but sometimes by parents or teachers, too. The thing I learnt was to stare them in the face, acknowledge the fact they were picking on me or being mean or rude, and walk away. There's a lot of power in staring someone in the face who's trying to tear you down and going, "That's cool, but I'm not going to let you own that power over me. At the end of the day, you have to walk away and be you, and I get to be me. So I'm going to send you all the love I can." The more you send a bully love, the more they don't have anything to push up against. 
On what's next:
Doing my usual Heather stuff, working incredibly hard with my filmmaking and acting and writing. It's taken me since 2006 to get to where I am today - the only difference is I've done The Bachelor now and people know I exist. 
I'm working on two short films [The Blow Job, about a drug deal gone bad that involves superheroes; and The Skype Exchange, about a long-distance relationship].
I'm just head down, bum in the air, and done exactly what I've always done. That was my dad's advice: "If you want something bad enough, go after it."
Twitter: @Michael_Lallo
mlallo@fairfaxmedia.com.au