It’s not every day a tradie from Down Under makes waves in the international reality TV sphere, but Dave Hand is making his Aussie roots known across the globe thanks to his penchant for a good ol’ dating show.
The gentle giant, standing six foot seven and often towering over his fellow reality TV contestants like a skyscraper, is somehow reaching new heights, having made his name known on the 12th season of Married At First Sight Australia, only to win the fourth season of Netflix’s Perfect Match in Mexico.
However, while the tall tradie had big dreams, it was a huge surprise for him when he won the top gong alongside on-screen flame Sophie Willett.
“We didn’t think we were gonna win,” he exclusively confessed to SkyNews.com.au, adding: “We were just having fun, and we sort of just laughed our way through it all.”
And the couple laughed all the way to the Maldives, being gifted a luxurious trip to the tropical destination as their prize for their palpable compatibility.
“You can pick a holiday anywhere in the world on Netflix’s dime so we picked the Maldives. I think the budget was about US$15,000, but they went well over for us, so it was really nice.”
It was here, Dave says, where he and his “perfect match” Sophie decided to call it quits and be friends, citing “a big ocean” and “time difference” as the obstacles their audience-winning bond could not overcome.
“We only knew each other for eight or nine days during filming,” he said, adding: “We’re not together. We never put a label on it. But the time that we had in the house and stuff like that, it was so special.”
He went on to detail their decision to have a “quiet conversation” on the first day of their trip regarding their relationship status, with Dave telling Sophie that he didn’t want to “lead” her on by having “a romantic relationship on this holiday” only to return to the opposite sides of the world and “pretend”.
“So we had a great holiday as friends and experienced that together, and it was awesome. Such a nice trip.”
From Mexico to the Maldives, it’s not just passport stamps the 38-year-old is collecting thanks to his props on reality TV – he’s gathering a few eyebrow raises from his fans for his Casanova ways.
Dave turned up his charm on Perfect Match, pulling girls aside for chats and kissing two of them on his first day in the villa, a major departure from his time as Jamie Marinos’ placid husband on MAFS.
Reflecting on the stark difference in his on-screen personalities, he said: “They are two very different shows.
“One show I’m the married man talking about my emotions every day,” he said, adding: “Perfect Match, on the other hand, you know, I was single.”
In a move that is sure to break hearts across the globe, Dave has decided to leave the love games behind, adding: “I think I’m gonna hang up the lip gloss for the dating shows now.”
However, Dave isn’t completely ruling out a reality TV comeback, a fact that is sure to bring a smile to fiends of the format, as well as his very proud dad.
“He messaged me the other day, and he was like, ‘Your Perfect Match is number three on Netflix in America!’
“That’s pretty cool for your dad to say that sort of stuff.”
The two-time reality star expressed his gratitude for the opportunities he had received thanks to his time on-screen, opportunities that his dad never got to experience.
“My dad is 68, you know, he’s been fighting cancer for six years. He’s never really travelled. I’ve had the opportunity to go through and do all these things. He gets to watch me live my life [and] see parts of my life that he would never ever get to see before.”
As for what’s next, Dave remained tight-lipped about his future endeavours, while hinting at his desire to show his “competetive” side.
“There’s more than just married Dave, single Dave. There’s also competitive Dave.”
One thing we know for sure is, while Dave is not leaving our screens just yet, he’s also not turning his back on his life Down Under.
“I’m a tradie. I’m still going to work. I still run my business,” he stated, adding that “cool opportunities” like Perfect Match have reminded him how important it is to take the leap.
“Life is what you make it!” Dave exclaimed.
Spoken like a true blue Aussie.