The testimonies: “Control, manipulation and isolation”
Updated 17.28 | Published 17.10
British “GVFÖ” has been shaken by serious accusations.
Now profiles from the Australian version are also sounding the alarm.
They describe an insecure environment characterized by control and manipulation.
It is in The Guardian as several participants from the Australian “Married at first sight” have come forward and testified that the security of the participants is not satisfactory.
They believe that the production creates an unsafe and dangerous environment for women and that there are problems with control, pressure, manipulation and isolation.
Former participant Olivia Rutherford is critical of several aspects of the program.
– I don’t think any program where strangers are forced to live together and where you are not always recorded is safe. I also don’t think the way they cut and produce the program is safe, she says.
“It’s crazy”
Another participant, Awhina The boxessays the program needs a better review process. Her match had previously been charged with domestic violence, which was dismissed in court before filming began. However, the production faced criticism for not being aware of the previous allegations until after the show.
– In retrospect, it’s crazy. We are strangers sleeping alone in a bedroom the first night. There is no security, you are left to your own devices.
Furthermore, she says that physical intimacy is rewarded and seen as proof that the matched participants have a healthy relationship. She believes that this is done to an extent that feels “forced”.
– Every morning they asked “why don’t you have sex?”, she says.
The alarms from Australia come after that the British version of the show was stopped due to rape allegations. Three female participants have stated that they have been subjected to sexual abuse.
The suggestion: Do as in “Love island”
An anonymous attendee says she is not surprised by the UK outcry and that several women from the Australian version have had similar experiences.
– Women who were in my season were subjected to abuse. There was physical violence, assault and touching without consent.
– The solution already exists and it is spelled “Love island”. Cameras constantly rolling, everything is monitored. If “Married at first sight” genuinely cared about the participants’ safety, such a structure would already have been in place.
Testimonies are also shared that the production has de-prioritised the well-being of the participants. The program’s former producer Alexandria Funnell believes that “Love at first sight” operates within “an ecosystem of dysfunctional entertainment”.
The TV channel’s response
According to The Guardian, the production has taken measures and is investigating the environment surrounding the filming.
– The well-being of the participants is always of the utmost importance in the decisions we make regarding health and safety in the workplace, says a spokesperson for the television channel Nine, which broadcasts and has commissioned the programme.
