Bachelor Richie’s first meeting with the beautiful and mysterious Olena’s conservative Ukrainian family went about as well as expected.

“If my dad doesn’t like someone, I won’t fight for them,” Olena warned, completely deadpan.

“If you piss him off, you better run for your life.” Alright then.

The whole of Australia knew poor Richie was out of his depth when Olena’s ex-professional boxer dad offered up shots of spicy chilli vodka on arrival.

“Oh! It’s really spicy! Oh!,” spluttered a red-faced Richie, before embarking on a misguided recollection of how he picked Olena up on a motorbike on their first date.

“I don’t like bikes,” a stony-faced Andriy told Richie, before inviting him outside for a casual boxing session.

The evening concluded with Olena – who turns out to be an archetypal Daddy’s Girl – asking her father outside for a serious chat.

“Do you think he likes me? Is he the one for me?” she implored.

“These are not questions to me, these are questions to you,” replied Andriy, quite reasonably, before informing Olena he thought Richie was secretly planning on forcing her to move to Perth.

In Olena’s words, the date only “left more questions on the table”.

But, in the words of Olena’s Ukrainian mother: “Don’t worry about any guy!”

Dads are important for Bachelor contestants

Unfortunately for Richie’s nerves, Rachel also declared she wouldn’t consider a boy her father didn’t like.

“He’s been spot on with his intuition every single time,” Rachel told Richie before the family date featuring her four (count them) brothers.

“I’m just going to wait and see what dad’s got to say.”

Luckily, it was a yes from dad, who wisely declared, “I think he knows the future”.

After pash number three of the episode (for Richie at least), Rachel was left in tears.

“He’s such a beautiful man and I’ve never had [a night like] that before,” she told the camera once Richie was out of earshot.

Next up it was bubbly blonde Nikki’s turn to take Richie to meet her family in country WA.

“So, is Nikki your number one choice or what?” asked her brother-in-law ‘Snowy’ as he downed a schooner with Richie in the family backyard.

Richie responded with a suitably vague response (“At the end of the day I’ve gotta follow what I’m feeling”), placating yet another potentially fiery sibling.

“Yeah I’ll pay that,” Snowy said as went back to turning kebabs on the barbie.

#Snowy doesn't muck around. To the grill! 😉 #TheBachelorAU pic.twitter.com/aSa1RU6iR6

— The Bachelor Australia 🌹 (@TheBachelorAU) September 8, 2016

Rachel gets booted

Apparently even a fun day of beach fishing in his home state couldn’t keep a brunette in the competition, with Richie leaving Rachel rose-less at the end of the episode.

“I understand. You’ve got to follow your heart,” she said – clearly Rachel had been paying attention.

Next week, master-date planner Richie will whisk the final three off to Bali.

Hopefully he won’t put Olena back on a motorbike.

https://twitter.com/AshB73/status/773840732754812929

Congratulations to the contestants who made it into the final 3! #TheBachelorAU pic.twitter.com/FH1wOusKqT

— Thingy Mcthingface (@McThingface) September 8, 2016