And just like that... MAFS is over

Even in the early series I was stunned that so called certified therapists and psychologists were endorsing the project, there was little regard in my book for the potential psychological harm caused. The Australian version was completely whack in regards to both the matching and the wellbeing of the contestants. My father loved it and I really suffered being forced to watch to maintain rapport with him while caring for him as I knew a lot of it was edited and staged and frankly insulting to my intelligence.

I have a huge problem with TV psychologists/therapists. They appear to get away with crossing professional (as well as publicly making dubious assertions around the data of a topic) lines in a way they just wouldn't be allowed to in private practice. This really stood out during the Letby saga. I think regulations need to be tightened around their ethics and conduct in the media and I really hope any therapists involved in this program around the time these women were sexually assaulted are called to explain themselves. And if misconduct is found, their licences need to be revoked.

Because most certainly a lot of the pressure on these women to continue in the program when they were uncomfortable would have been a result of disappointing the 'experts'. A sort of 'white coat syndrome'. The experts are telling them it is good to have sex to make the project work, increase bonding and telling them the science says, making them doubt themselves in a way they wouldn't if the advice had come from a non- professional. But the variables and conditions of the so-called 'experiment' aren't as closely controlled as they would be in a real experiment.

It reminds me of old psych experiments on coercion a lot of which are deemed highly unethical now.

In any case, it's a total misuse of professional authority.

A terrible situation. To think the audience was enjoying it unaware. How vile.

All need to be held accountable. Producers, therapists, perpetrators.

As for Reality TV, it cannot die fast enough. I doubt it will though.

Sorry but that's not specific enough. It's too subjective. We are talking about at what point a woman stops being responsible for a man failing to pull out. Obviously a lot of women thought they were at this stage but weren't, so if we are going to determine the point at which a man and not his female partner is responsible for his dick, we need something concrete. Try again.

God, some of the comments here are discussing. 'What did the women expect' and we're apparently brainless morons for watching this stuff.

Long enough to have a good idea of his background, trustworthiness, and degree of control. (And “pulling out” requires control.)There’s a reason why there is normally a period of courtship before marriage.

Isn't that the point of the edit function? You can only do it for 10 minutes or so.

I loved BB at first. I stopped watching it when they got rid of the live feed. Remember that?

The live feed showed everything, then I would watch the 9pm show and the edit skewed everything that had actually happened.

The year I stopped was when the edit made an older woman, Carol, look like the "mother" of the house while the live feed showed she was a controlling bully.

They got rid of the feed for the next one and that was me done.

How long must a woman know a man before he is obliged to keep to an agreement to pull out?

Woman's Hour had something on this earlier. The contestants who sign up for these are all bound by Non Disclosure Agreements and it's a grey area as to whether they count as employees during these shows. By any definition this looks like there is stuff all Care of Duty from the production companies.

I know someone who's an aspiring actor/ singer / celebrity in waiting who's had some low level features in papers on lifestyle items. Quite a lot of the contestants are signed up with talent agencies so there's also questions for other branches of the entertainment industry as to how well they were vetting the people on their books

The first reality programme I remember, and I'm very old, is Big Brother when they were normal people rather than the carousel of people who seem have agents and are referred to as stars. The only thing I watch now is Traitors, if that's a reality programme, all the rest are just casting couches for a load of wannabees.

You're blaming the woman?

Exactly. False equivalence.

This was exactly my first thought when I read that. Did she then go on to FORCE him?

People are allowed to WANT sex @TidyRaven, But that’s not issue here. I honestly can’t believe anyone would compare these two situations.

What? She didn't attack your tone, she attacked your whataboutery and deflection to something totally irrelevant.

Did she rape him?

Okay, but what is your opinion on what I have said rather than your opinion on the way I've said it?

Whataboutism rears its head.

As it invariably does when the issue concerns violence against women.

👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

I really like it when people exploit the horror of rape to increase the blame they place on women for it. It's so clever, the way they try to twist it so that they can't be accused of minimising rape as a crime, but they can then use that heightened horror to villainise women and victims even more for it.

Ha, I lied.I loathe it and it's not clever at all, but it's still fucking disgusting.

What about one of the women last series who kept throwing hissy fits because her husband didn't want to sleep with her

What happened to the women is awful but I do hope it's the death knell for these crappy reality shows and some decent programming may happen.

If it kills reality television that would be no bad thing.

I really feel for the women involved. I wouldn't be surprised if there were more victims tbh. Time will tell.

Worked for me for 40 years. But then I wasn't married to a rapist. Victim blaming is never a good look.

I watched this series and he was a real creep and controlling etc. However, I feel this has made her look really stupid.
The pull out method is ridiculous. What about pre cum and STI’s? It’s not guaranteed she wouldn’t get pregnant. He shouldn’t have finished inside her but they’re both to blame. Going on TV and coming out with this IMO is embarrassing. Also, she can say no to sex altogether…. She isn’t saying he forced her into it.

Also younger less educated people seeing this will think the pull out method is a good idea…

And Polly and Adam where he was constantly pushed to have sex with her. Ros and Arthur on the series before that where she was constantly pushed. Both sexes have been coerced on this show by being in such a bubble with so called experts joining in the coercion!