EXCLUSIVE
An Australian reality star caught in the deadly Vanuatu earthquake is now in a race against time to escape a life-threatening landslide.
Bachelor veteran Samantha Royce, 33, was working on the small Pacific island when the magnitude 7.3 earthquake struck, toppling buildings and killing at least 12 people.
He immediately sprang into action in his role at the Australian High Commission, assisting in rescue and recovery operations and coordinating the return of Australians.
But Royce has now been forced to evacuate her own home, and heavy rain is forecast to cause more landslides that threaten to destroy weakened buildings.
And he relived the horror the moment the massive earthquake hit the Pacific island.
“It started like all the other earthquakes we have here, and then after the first two seconds it intensified very quickly,” he revealed.
“My colleague and I looked at each other and I said, ‘I think this is something hiding under the table…”
Samantha Royce dated former The Bachelor contestant Jarrod Woodgate for three years
Samantha Royce moved to Vanuatu in January
Huge boulders crushed and blocked roads in landslides after the quake toppled buildings and killed 12 people.
“It was absolutely terrifying and it didn’t feel real or understood until he stopped and we looked around the room.”
In a post on Instagram, he added: “It was like no other earthquake I’ve ever felt.”
“They often feel like rolling or rocking, like a ship in rough seas, but this one was like Thor, banging his hammer above us.
“I was on all fours under the table and they threw me against the table and I fell.
‘Our computers flew, pictures fell from the walls, filing cabinets overturned, furniture crashed against the walls and my cup and bowl shattered on the floor.
“It was like someone was throwing things in the middle of an intense tantrum.”
But the ordeal has continued for the former Australian Federal Police officer, with fears the landslides will cause fresh terror and chaos.
“The rain is coming, so I’m rushing home before the evacuation is ordered,” he said in an emotional video on Instagram on Tuesday.
‘I’m going to put everything outside, inside the house and everything valuable in the car with me and go back to stay at a friend’s house.
“I’ll put the dogs in the car and try to stack everything on the tables and cross my fingers that if the water floods the house, I won’t put everything on the tables.”
Samantha Royce has been working to evacuate stranded Australians as part of her role at the High Commission.
Entire buildings have been completely destroyed and there are still people inside.
Samantha Royce has had to pack up her belongings and protect what she can on tables in the hope that they will survive a flood as new landslides loom.
He has recorded images of the devastation caused by the earthquake in shops, buildings and cafes across the island.
‘It’s been a really difficult week, the aftershocks keep coming and we’re all very nervous. Even if a car passes by.
“Thank you very much for all your messages over the last week, there have been many.”
Royce rose to fame on Matt Agnew’s season of The Bachelor in 2019.
While she didn’t find love on the show, she dated Jarrod Woodgate, who was runner-up on Sophie Monks’ season.
The couple bought a house and a dog together in Darwin, where Sam worked for his AFP role, but eventually left in 2022 after three years.
Sam said he felt like a “failure” for not being able to make their relationship work, but he wished Woodgate the best.
“I did everything in my power to make Jarrod happy and it’s hard not to feel like a failure,” he said.
“I know a lot of people are interested in Jarrod’s love story and I wish we could have given everyone a happy ending.”
Royce was on Matt Agnew’s season of The Bachelor.
After leaving his job in the AFP as a federal agent, he moved to Vanuatu.
Woodgate, 36, had been open about his mental health issues, revealing he suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety and depression.
Royce left the force in August 2023 and moved to Vanuatu in January to take up his new role at the Embassy.
Having grown up on the remote tropical island, Royce was delighted to be offered the job that would allow her to get closer to her family.
“I’m very excited to have some consistency and consider Vanuatu my home for the next two years,” she said at the time she made the decision.
“Here’s to the next chapter of sunshine, island dresses, laplap and tropical rain, snorkelling, kava bars, fruit markets on beach days and island time running.”
He bought a house in the village of Mele, outside Port Vila, and rescued a dog from the island.
Yesterday he said his dog Luna is “healthy and healthy” but is having mental problems.
“All humans are quite traumatized,” he said. ‘It’s like nothing I’ve ever experienced in my life and it’s nothing like what I thought an earthquake would be like.
Samantha Royce bought a house in the village of Mele, outside Port Vila, and rescued an island dog (pictured)
Yesterday, Royce said his dog Luna is “safe and sound” but has mental problems.
‘I’m running back home to grab all the precious things.
‘I’ve already taken my laptop and my passport, but it’s gotten to the point where I can’t even figure out what’s valuable and what I need to pack.
‘Nothing matters as long as you’re alive. It’s such a surreal feeling that I don’t even think I need anything anymore as long as I have the dogs and we’re safe, that’s all that matters.’
Heavy rainfall predictions may also cause flash flooding near low-lying areas and rivers, with thousands more residents urged to leave immediately.