The finale of The Golden Bachelor Australia is officially upon us. After weeks of watching Bear navigate romance with 20 incredible women, we’ve finally reached the end — and the final two are Janette and Sunny.

While I’ve enjoyed so many moments on the show — including seeing all these women from different walks of life bond and support one another — there’s one thing that has made this particular season of reality TV so special for me.

As an Asian woman who’s been watching Australian reality TV for years, this moment feels monumental. Sunny making it to the final two isn’t just exciting television — it’s literally making history.

While this is the first season of the Aussie Golden Bachelor, Sunny is the first Asian person to make it to the finale on any iteration of the franchise, whether The Bachelor or The Bachelorette. It’s a milestone that means everything to myself and, I’m sure, so many in the Asian community.

Recently, Sunny’s daughter Chloe sat down with Mamamia to discuss her mum’s groundbreaking journey on the show and she opened up about the pride of watching it all unfold.

“Obviously, Asian representation is very limited in Australian media — especially reality dating shows. Part of me wasn’t surprised because my mum is such a beautiful woman inside and out,” Chloe told Mamamia.

“But when I take a step back and think, ‘wow, this is an Asian woman making it to the finale on an Australian TV show’, I realise how much of a big deal it is.”

Image: Nine

Historically, there has been very little representation on Australian television in general, but particularly on Aussie reality TV. The Bachelor franchise, despite running for over a decade, has struggled with diversity and authentic representation.

Even when there were women of colour cast, they were often stereotyped or given problematic edits.

Take Areeba Ahmed back in 2020 — one of the only women of colour that season, she was given what many viewers recognised as an “angry brown woman villain edit” and was blatantly racially targeted on screen. It was uncomfortable to watch and highlighted just how far the franchise had to go.

With the exceptions of Blake Garvey from season 2 and Jimmy Nicholson from season 9, we’ve seen exclusively white men hand out roses to women. In 2023, there was significant backlash when three white bachelors were announced with no diversity in sight.

Image: Instagram/chloebunnie_

So to see an Asian woman in the final two is huge. But it’s not just about ticking a diversity box — it’s about seeing someone like Sunny, who is so interesting, unique, and true to herself, being celebrated for exactly who she is.

We’ve fallen in love with Sunny over the course of the season. Her vulnerability in opening up about her dating history, the loss of her mother, and her journey to finding love again has been genuinely moving. She’s shown us that representation can be authentic and empowering, free from harmful stereotypes.

Sunny has been portrayed as a complex, multifaceted woman — not reduced to tired tropes or one-dimensional characterisations. She’s funny, thoughtful, resilient, and real.

“I hope other Asian families feel proud seeing my mum make it to the finale. I hope it gives them more confidence in their worth and their beauty,” Chloe explained.

“White beauty standards are definitely the norm in Australia, and I know that if I saw more Asian representation on TV when I was younger, it would help me feel a lot more confident in my skin.”

Despite Sunny’s success on the show, that doesn’t mean there isn’t progress still to be made.

Recently, Chloe posted to her social media talking about the racist comments her mum has been receiving online since the show started airing. And it was devastating for her to witness.

“I was definitely shocked when I first saw those racist comments. I unfortunately expected a lot of racism directed towards Mum from the Australian public,” Chloe explained.

“But because a lot of racism in Australia can either be subtle, indirect or in the form of micro-aggressions, I didn’t expect to see this level of cruel, blatant racism — especially on Channel Nine’s social pages, where I expected more moderation.”

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A post shared by chloe (@chloebunnie_)

Since Chloe has pointed this out, the network have turned off the comments on some of their posts.

But it’s a sobering reminder that while we celebrate this milestone, there’s still so much work to be done in creating a safe and inclusive space for people of colour in Australian media. The fact that Sunny’s daughter had to speak out about the racism her mother is facing shows that representation on screen is only part of the battle.

But Sunny’s journey to the finale represents hope — hope that Australian reality TV is finally catching up, hope that future seasons will continue to embrace diversity, and hope that young Asian women watching will see themselves reflected in ways that feel genuine and empowering.

Sunday’s finale can’t come soon enough.

Regardless of who Bear chooses, Sunny has already won something much bigger — she’s changed the game for all of us.

Feature Image: Nine.