Married at First Sight Australia fans are calling for a boycott of model Brook Crompton after a recent dinner party episode in which he returned to the show and launched a verbal attack on the other brides. The episode, which aired despite viewer outrage, has been condemned as one of the worst reality TV moments in recent memory.
Crompton, who had previously left the experiment, made a surprise appearance and proceeded to spew arbitrary hatred at the other contestants. The behaviour was so extreme that Crompton later apologised on Instagram, stating: 'This behaviour is not a reflection of who I am at my core and I hope that Australia will one day see this.'
The incident has drawn comparisons to other notorious reality TV moments, such as the racial abuse of Shilpa Shetty on Celebrity Big Brother in 2007, and the violent 'fight night' on Big Brother in 2004, which prompted viewers to call the police. Love Island's second series also featured a physical altercation between contestants Malia and Kady that led to Malia's ejection.
Ex on the Beach faced criticism for its first episode, which showed contestants reacting with extreme emotional distress to the surprise appearance of former partners. Meanwhile, America's Next Top Model has been re-evaluated after a Netflix documentary highlighted instances of models being forced to have teeth pulled out and subjected to racist comments.
Viewers have questioned why the MAFS Australia episode was aired at all, especially given that a season of The Bachelorette in the US was pulled after footage emerged of the lead violently attacking her partner. The episode has sparked a wider debate about the ethics of reality television and the responsibility of producers to protect participants.
