Every Wednesday night at Christina Sharman’s Lismore home, there’s an open invitation to friends to come over and watch The Bachelor on television. It’s a show that many love to hate - watching 22 women compete against each other for one man.

For Christina, seeing her daughter Izzy Sharman-Firth on the show is something best done with a glass of wine.

“I’m horrified I’m watching it - it’s not a feminist show is it?” Christina said. “It’s not my thing, but Izzy told me she wanted to apply for the show and I’ll support her in what she does.”

Izzy meets the bachelor Locky.

Izzy (Isabella), 29, grew up in Lismore and went to Trinity Catholic College and according to Christina, she has brains as well as beauty. Izzy now works as a human resources consultant in a cyber security firm in Brisbane.

So why would she choose to go on a national TV show where women fight for the love and attention of a man?

Christina said Izzy went on The Bachelor as a profile-building move for her career – and her Instagram profile has got quite a few followers now.

“She wants to go into business by herself and have a job where she can travel with her consultancy,” Christina said. “She loves her job and has no intention of leaving it, but she always thought she would travel next.

“I’m not horrified with how she’s conducting herself in the show. I said to her, ‘you’re not going to be the bitch are you?’

“When I wonder how come my daughter is not on screen? - it’s because the ones with all the screen time are bitching madly - the producers want drama.”

The idea behind The Bachelor is spruiked as the search for love - and this year’s bachelor, Locky, is an outdoors adventure type man. Christina said Izzy also has a sense of adventure and likes those things too - perhaps one of the reasons why she was chosen for the show.

“Applying to get on the show was big process for Izzy,” Christina said.

“First you apply, then there’s a video call and finally a screen test,” she said. “It was all done last year before Christmas.

“Then the show started and they had to lock down in the Sydney mansion, and the girls were all given dresses and nice clothes to wear - until Covid made them all come home and they did the show via zoom.

“She was looking forward to getting an adventure date with Locky, but Covid put a stop to that.”

Contestants on the show.

Christina said once Izzy entered the mansion, her mobile phone was taken away and she was allowed one phone call once a fortnight - with a producer listening in. 

So, who does Izzy call with her one call?

“Of course, she calls her mummy,” Christina said. “She’s not allowed to tell me too much about the show, but she can tell me how she’s feeling. She often says ‘yeah good, thanks mum’. She says the bachelor is funny, nice and charming.”

While the show is already “done and dusted” and Christina can’t say what happens next, she did say that if Izzy makes it into the final four, it means Christina heads off to Sydney to grill the bachelor about what kind of man he is, along with the other contestants’ family members.

The Lismore App will keep you updated as the fun and games of The Bachelor progresses. You can watch it tonight (Wednesday) at 7.30pm on WIN.