You’ll Flip For Jordan On ‘The Bachelor: Winter Games’

Just as Ned Stark once (sort of) promised, The Bachelor Winter Games is coming. And just as The Bachelor creator Mike Fleiss said Wednesday night, “another huge announcement regarding #TheBachelor Winter Games” would be heading fans’ way the next day. On Thursday, Fleiss tweeted, “Meet Jordan, #TheBachelor from New Zealand. He is just one of many international cast members competing in The Winter Games.” So, who is The Bachelor NZ’s Jordan Mauger? Rest assured, you'll flip over this coin-testant.

Jordan was the Bachelor on the second season of The Bachelor New Zealand, and no, he isn't still with the season's winner. You're going to want to get ready for this one. When it was time to hand out that final rose and get down on one knee, Jordan was stumped — really, really stumped. So, he decided he had to settle it the same way a football referee would decide which team gets the ball first.

Yes, Jordan literally flipped a coin when the cameras weren't around. And viewers know this only because he shared this bit of information with The Spinoff's podcast, The Real Pod, a year after his season ended. He said,

“The first helicopter was waiting and [the producers] said ‘who are they putting in it?’ So, I flipped a coin.”

Go ahead. Let that sink in. Take as long as you need. The very real tale of a person flipping a coin on a reality dating program to decide the winner of his season will still be here when you’ve pieced yourself back together and are ready to carry on.

MediaWorks issued the following statement to The Real Pod:

“We are surprised to hear that Jordan tossed a coin to decide who was best for him, but ultimately the decision was his own and how he got there was his choice.”

Jordan picked Fleur Verhoeven, but it didn’t exactly work out. There wasn’t a proposal, they broke up just days after the finale aired, and Jordan said a bunch of not-so-great things about his overall experience. Wow, who would’ve thought a relationship that was sealed by a coin flip wouldn’t last?

While he is the guy who flipped a coin on The Bachelor NZ, Jordan isn’t just the guy who flipped a coin on The Bachelor NZ. The Winter Games contestant is an actor and assistant director. His IMDb credits include Hunt for the Wilderpeople, Roman Empire: Reign of Blood, and Coverband, and according to Stuff, he also worked on Z for Zachariah. The site says he's a "philanthropist, world traveller, actor, model, and director," as well as a "race car enthusiast." All in all, he sounds like a tremendous addition to the show.

Now, before you get too fired up at the idea of watching this coin-flipping multi-hyphenate compete against Bachelor alums from around the planet, here's something to consider: The Bachelorette star Peter Kraus said he isn't actually officially signed up for the Winter Games, despite the proclamation Fleiss made on Twitter a month ago. When Season 13 runner-up appeared on The Morning Breath last week, he said his involvement with the Olympics-themed spinoff is not confirmed. He explained,

“Mike Fleiss likes to tweet a lot of things. I feel like he even said I was the Bachelor at one point, so I think he just likes to throw people off.”

You're right, Peter. The Fleissmeister is pretty gifted at mixing it up when it comes to tweeting about what's next for The Bachelor franchise. (Also? Please be on Winter Games, Peter. Pleeeeeease.)

When The Spinoff asked Jordan about Fleiss' Winter Games tweet, he didn’t provide an official comment. However, he did say, “I look forward to talking to you in the future."

Sounds good, Coin-dan.