The upcoming season of Ten's ratings hit The Bachelor could be spoiled before it even premieres, if local paps get their way.
Pictures of Bachelor Matty Johnson and his two final choices at the closing rose ceremony were snapped at a Thai resort on Yao Yai Island, where the series finale was recently shot.
The photos are being shopped around as part of a package including names and information on the two final contestants, The Daily Telegraph reports.
According to Fairfax's PS, two Sydney paparazzi had their equipment confiscated after being discovered on the Thai island.
The show's production company, Warner Bros Television, went through their computers and cameras and were said to be "confident that no images, which would have potentially spoiled the show's finale, exist."
A similar incident marred the end of Ten's debut season of The Bachelorette in 2015, when the network was forced to get a court injunction against the Daily Mail demanding the website take down behind-the-scenes pictures that showed Sam Frost and Sasha Mielczarek together ahead of the finale's broadcast.
While they didn't discuss potential action against the latest leaks, a Network Ten spokesperson criticised paps for attempting to spoil the series.
"Media interest in The Bachelor Australia increases every year, which is testament to the enduring popularity of the show," they said in a statement.
"While we cannot comment on speculative information that paparazzi might be trying to sell, it is a shame that their aim each season is to spoil the experience for viewers."
Despite their current nonchalance, Ten will be anxious to preserve their ratings bonanza.
The show's last season finale, aired in September when Richie Strahan waltzed home with Melbourne mum Alex Nation, pulled in a massive 1.39 million viewers, Ten's biggest haul of the year outside Masterchef's finale and their Bathurst 1000 coverage.
While follow-up The Bachelorette, which saw fan fave Johnson casually dismissed by Georgia Love in the final rose ceremony, suffered a finale drop to 972,000 viewers, news that the castoff would take centre stage in The Bachelor was met with positive buzz by fans.
Tabloids have painted a rather ramshackle portrait of this year's Bachelor production, which began filming in February, with NW reporting shoots were running behind schedule and Johnson was "unhappy" with the female contestants, claims host Osher Gunsberg told the magazine were "utter bulls---".
The series is set to premiere on Ten around July.
