The Bachelor: The truth about Zoe-Clare McDonald’s ‘ranga’ meltdown

Her cocktail party tantrum about being ‘oppressed’ for her red hair went viral earlier this month, inspiring thousands of tributes on TikTok.

And The Bachelor’s Zoe-Clare McDonald, who was eliminated on Wednesday’s episode, has finally explained her strange behaviour during the season premiere.

She denied rumours she was simply very drunk, saying she’d only had two alcoholic drinks but the effects were amplified because of the medication she was taking.

‘Unfortunately I had been quite ill leading up to [filming The Bachelor], so I had been on medication,’ Zoe-Clare, 23, told The Daily Telegraph.

‘Having two drinks did not help. At the end of the day, my emotions were super heightened and it escalated to a ranga rant.’

During The Bachelor premiere, which aired on August 12, Zoe-Clare had a meltdown after fellow contestant Areeba Emmanuel interrupted her chat with Locky Gilbert.

She claimed she was being ‘oppressed’ because of her hair colour.

‘To me, it’s disrespectful. If she wants to act the child, that’s fine,’ she told producers.

‘I’m the only redhead in the whole entire house… The only colours are blonde or brunette, and then there’s me. I think that’s exactly why Areeba is targeting me. It’s the red hair. It’s just… it’s not appropriate. 

‘What’s wrong with a ranga? Yeah. Do you want me to dye my hair every 10 seconds because you don’t like my colour? I’m so sorry, but this is natural, guys. It’s not going anywhere.’

Her tearful monologue confused many viewers because nobody had mentioned the colour of her hair on the show.

Others said it was ironic that Zoe-Clare, a white woman, was accusing Areeba, who is one of the few people of colour on the show, of discriminating against her.

The Bachelor continues Thursday at 7:30pm on Channel 10