Threats, twisted words made us into ‘villains’, say reality TV stars
It’s billed as reality television but it’s anything but say former SA contestants in the wake of a landmark court ruling against Channel 7.
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South Australian reality TV stars have lifted the lid on how series producers use “bullying and scare tactics” to create drama, in the wake of this week’s landmark ruling ordering Channel 7 to pay compensation to a former House Rules contestant.
It comes as entertainment lawyers warn reality TV stars could be in for a big payday with one high-profile contestant firing a warning shot, saying she is seriously considering legal action over what happened to her following a stint on Married At First Sight.
During the week, the NSW Workers Compensation Commission found in favour of Nicole Prince, who claimed her negative portrayal on House Rules in 2017 affected her mental health.
Ms Prince’s compensation claim stated her mental health issues, which include depression and post-traumatic stress disorder, were caused by Seven’s “systematic isolation of myself and encouragement of bullying by co-competitors”.
Former South Australian stars on Australian reality shows, including Married At First Sight and My Kitchen Rules, say these methods are nothing new and that TV broadcasters and production companies have “manipulated and threatened” contestants for years, all in the pursuit of ratings.
Adelaide’s Jennifer Evans and Leigh Sexton were crowned 2012 My Kitchen Rules champions, but it was her “poison tongue” which had the whole country talking.
Dubbed “Princess Jennifer”, her bitchy remarks about other contestants’ dishes made her one of the Australia’s most polarising TV personalities and led to dozens of online hate groups dedicated to her.
Ms Evans said her words on the show were often “twisted around” by strategic editing and, at times, she felt “bullied and forced” to make controversial statements by producers.
“The emotional damage was brutal. People attacked me on social media, they called me dumb and stupid,” said Ms Evans, who now runs a cafe in Sydney.
“I think it was fun for them (producers) to make me the villain.
“If I had my time again, if I knew people were going to write those things about me, I wouldn’t have gone on the show.
“And after the show, they (producers) washed their hands completely of me.”
Ms Evans said it took years for her to recover from the emotional toll inflicted by her appearance on MKR and, soon after the show aired, she and husband Wayne moved to Thailand for three years. She hopes the new ruling will force change in the way reality TV shows are produced.
“They (networks) should also provide more tools and more support (for contestants) during and after filming a show.”
Former Married At First Sight contestant Jesse Konstantinoff said producers threatened to edit his scenes “badly” unless he followed the narratives they wanted to develop on the Nine reality show.
“They use scare tactics to keep you in line,” said Adelaide-born Mr Konstantinoff, who was matched with Perth’s Michelle Marsh on the show last year.
“It wasn’t too bad for me but I saw how bad it was for a few other contestants. They’re forcing people to do things they don’t want to do and then it gets to the point where they had to send one of the guys to Bali because he was getting so many death threats.”
Reality dating show darling Ali Oetjen was portrayed as a “lovelorn and clingy” Adelaide real estate agent when she starred on the inaugural season of The Bachelor in 2013.
Ms Oetjen said while it might have been unflattering, the portrayal was fair and reality contestants shouldn’t blame anyone else for how they’re presented on screen.
“The whole of Australia apparently fell in love with me because I was real. I was portrayed as clingy, because I was,” said Ms Oetjen, who failed to win the heart of bachelor Tim Robards but was named The Bachelorette last year.
She and her choice from the show, Taite Radley, are still going strong.
“Me being clingy was me being young and vulnerable, raw and real, and who I was in that environment.
“For those that get portrayed as something they’re not happy with, they may have to take a look at their actions and words.”
The commission’s landmark decision, which found Ms Prince was legally an employee of Seven despite her contract with the network explicitly stating there was no employment relationship, is set to have far-reaching ramifications.
Broadcasters and production companies are now open to similar workers’ compensation claims, with former Married At First Sight star Tracey Jewel revealing she’s been bombarded with phone calls from lawyers who suggest she has a strong case against Channel 9 and production company Endemol Shine Australia.
Ms Jewel said she suffered severe mental health issues, including post-traumatic stress disorder and anxiety disorder, after her stint on reality TV.
Entertainment lawyer Yasmin Naghavi said she had been expecting legal action: “This decision has the potential to open the floodgates for similar claims.”
“This decision, if upheld, has the potential to open the floodgates for not only similar claims, but also in relation to whether contestants are employees for tax or superannuation purposes or otherwise pursuant to the Fair Work Act.”