And just like that... MAFS is over

[mumofoneAloneandwell]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cp8pz1k4r2lo

It was coming. You dont get good reality TV without people suffering.

This news however is awful. Bloody awful.

I've never watched it, but i did always wonder, were they proper, legal marriages? So any assets became joint assets that then get split in a divorce like owned houses, pensions etc?

No, fake marriages.

That’s the only series I watched and I was so shocked at the general abuse, gaslighting and forced intimacy. It made me feel ill. I couldn’t believe that C4 were getting away with airing it.

I know one of the past contestant for MAFS Australia in real life. It is a mock marriage.

This!! I don’t watch it but my first thought in any case would be about the women not myself

Completely agree. It's been there in plain sight for a long time.

MAFs along with Love Island are money making and for entertainment purposes only. Vile programmes.

I think all the contestants have some sort of vulnerability about them. As in they are genuinely desperate for love and affection, or they want to be famous and to be able to have a large social media following so they can quit their day jobs.

A “social media” career isn’t sustainable in the long run.

I really do feel for the contestants that have been violated and sexually abused. They were probably promised all sorts of perks for doing the show but they’re left with trauma and regret. Horrifying.

Vets supervise abbatoirs because it is their bloody job you idiot.

The role of a vet includes safeguarding the health and safety of the food chain … being a vet isn’t about holding fluffy animals 🙄

Hmm not really throughout. If it was throughout you wouldn’t be getting the comments. That second post for example was shit. Referencing rape allegations and then in the same breath bemoaning the end of ‘good’ reality tv. Terrible tone, so you’re going to get pulled up on it. Again and again, that’s how it works.

ben Elton wrote a brilliant book called dead famous about reality TV manipulation- ahead of its time

On a programme where participants are coerced into intimacy?

There have been MAFS Australia contestants speak about the effect of the show on their mental health. Some of them
have had their careers ruined and been stalked, their homes vandalised and publicly abused due to their appearance on the show.

The mainstream media cover all of this up because reality TV is the only way they make money. Each season becomes more and more extreme.

I also seem to remember that one of the relationship experts resigns after a few seasons due to ethical concerns.

It is a horrific show that exploits the weaknesses and vulnerabilities of the contestants. I remember saying after one of the recent seasons (the only one I’ve watched) that it’ll take something truly awful to stop the show, such as a rape or suicide.

I hate this show and others like it so much.

Example of change. When Blind. Date started they couldn’t get anyone to go on it. Friend worked for Thames and was told she was appearing next episode.

Awful and not surprising. Blindingly obvious, amongst everything else horrendous - the fact they couldn't leave when they wanted to, because the other wanted to keep them there (?????!!!!!) was always Totally wrong.

Ive never watched this show because its not my thing Same with Love Island but i did watch the series of Celebs Go Dating that had Vanessa Feltz on there. Is Paul Brunson the same bloke that was on there?

I watched the Panorama show tonight. Those poor women. Sex should never have been a part of this show in any way shape or form. The contestants should have had their own bedrooms/apartments from the start. The blame lies with ch4, production and cpl? And the experts. It was them and all of them alone who constantly pushed the sex.

It’s just another example of how men think they own women once they are married.

My ex husband is an Asian muslin and as soon as we got married in his eyes I became his property, this was mostly influenced by his family.

I feel it’s the same with a lot of men though regardless of the culture or race (although it was the expectation in the country I lived with my ex).

With the growing popularity of the manosphere crap we are going backwards and I would never consider getting married again.

Even without marriage we see it on mumsnet constantly where women are breadwinners, pay for everything and do the majority of housework and childcare but their priority is still keeping men happy, they get away with cock lodging because they find women with low self esteem who have internalised misogyny and think it’s their job to keep a man happy.

I’ve been in that situation myself, I was working 60 hours a week with an ex who worked part time and I still felt it was my job to do the housework and put the tea on the table every night.
I have a lot of friends who won’t leave their children with their own fathers who “don’t want to babysit” or “won’t be able to cope”.

I’ve never watched MAFS but I think it’s a dangerous premise to offer marriage like it’s a prize to women who must be vulnerable and feel like they are inferior for not being married and settled and see this as an opportunity to secure marriage.
Unless it’s someone desperate to be on tv I find it worrying that someone would be happy to marry a stranger when it’s had such a low success rate. The men who take part obviously feel that they can’t meet a woman in a conventional way which would be a red flag to me.

I could have this wrong (It’s hard to give an informed opinion without watching) but the producers won’t have the contestants best interests at heart, they will just want to make good tv and have good ratings.

The women who took part have been failed and this shouldn’t have been able to happen once - never mind multiple times.

The whole thing makes a joke of marriage but does also highlight the mindset of the men who think once the papers are signed that they “own a wife”.

The speculation’s already started.

Is anyone suprised? Really?

It’s grim.

Once again, men demonstrating that they cannot be trusted not to rape, control and abuse women. Even on telly.

I think we need an immediate end to this kind of show.

It’s the problem with that type of reality TV it is first and foremost a TV show not the thing it says it is e.g. an experiment or a talent competition or a competitive game. It’s why celebrity version of things are better because they are people in the industry already.

The Drag Race will be next… there is no way that Ru Paul isn’t fucking every single one of them over in some way.

Past Mortem about the early days of social media bullying is great too,

So option 1 is going to to be raped, option 2 which you consider to be good is an acid attack.

How are any of those options a good thing?

You're right, there was a definite shift a few years back and suddenly they started asking about intimacy which was entirely new.

This.

Appalling, rapes, poor treatment, probably vulnerable people involved, but who cares eh, if it makes some great TV. Maybe they will bring out a reality hunger games to help viewers 'entertained'.