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Nine cuts ‘gay kiss’ from Australia’s Perfect Couple

Not so Perfect Couples? Nine got cold feet in the premiere episode of its new reality show, editing out same-sex kisses from its very first challenge.

acpChannel Nine may have cast two same-sex contestants in Australia’s Perfect Couple, but it got cold feet when it came to including a same-sex kiss in the first episode.

Instead the moment ended up on the cutting room floor.

As part of the first challenge in the reality contest, the men were blindfolded and left to identify their partner as all the ladies pecked them discreetly on the cheek.

To keep things fair, a blindfolded Dan was pecked on the cheek by a bunch of male models and his partner Robbie. Like the heterosexual couples, the kisses were quick and platonic as part of a frivolous game.

But when Nine aired the episode, the scenes with Dan and the male models did not appear.

Instead viewers returned from a commercial break to find the game over.

Reader Russell told TV Tonight: “Watched the first segment, ended with a mighty quick flash of the male models being asked to kiss the guy on the cheek and then an ad break. Expecting to see the boys turn after the break and they had decided to go straight to the results!? Funny how they showed each woman kissing each man on the cheek. But it was odd when reading out the results, they went to the gay couple and said he was person number two, but the audience had no idea because they did not show the gay kisses. Based on this, I had to switch off – if you are going to include a gay couple on a show like this, don’t skim over them, treat them as equally as every other couple on the show. Surely a kiss on the cheek is not that offensive to most viewers, geez. I’ve seen worse on either Footy Show.”

On Nine’s own website, Ed from Melbourne said: “I find it absurd that Channel Nine decided to hack out the “boy kisses” (Robbie and Dan) section of the cheek kissing challenge, when it was immediately followed by a promo for The Ugly Truth, featuring Katherine Heigl doing oral…. things to a hotdog. That’s screwed up. A couple of cheek kisses between boys – BIG NO. Girl performs *** on a hotdog – YES. Get real, Nine. So much for trying to shed the Cardigan Network image…”

A spokesperson from Nine told TV Tonight, “…programs are sometimes tweaked and edited prior to screening for a variety of reasons (eg: to meet time constraints). A few edits were made to what was on the preview disc of Perfect Couple.”

Some readers have also noted barely any inclusion of Robbie and Dan in on-air promos for the show. This week Nine has promos including senior couples talking about romance and marriage, despite the fact none appear in episode two. The show has taken some criticism for casting a predominantly youthful cast.

The excision of a same-sex kiss, which in this case was only a peck on the cheek, follows volatile headlines over a same-sex kiss on Home and Away this year, including claims it aired an edited version.

44 Responses

  1. Channel 9 are completely scared to death that all their investors will pull out, the advertisers will all cancel their accounts, there will be switchboard meltdown for weeks on end with people making death threats to the phone operators taking the calls, vandalism on the walls of the studios, cars, equipment, international dishonour and humiliation, ridicule by competitor television networks and so forth.

    Yes, given the high likelihood of all these things occurring and the razor’s edge corporate and personal risks involved, it is very easy indeed to understand why Channel 9 will show violence and explicit gore on television, but never love expressed between two males, at least not any that doesn’t ultimately end in the humilation and disenfranchisement of the protagonists, in both their fictional and real lives.

  2. Show the men kissing. A while back, Fairfax digital f’s smh.com used a photo of a kissing couple to illustrate a pience on romance: the photo was unremarkable apart from the fact that a couple of guys pashing.
    Along with most network TV, Nine is so rubbish these days, despite the ansence of Kerry P’s paternal (read conservative) presence…
    As for the excuse (minor tweaking because of time issues), forget it, Nine: You’re so history…

  3. if we were all the same life would be boring so move on, by the way what are the names of the songs that were playing in the background on the show that night

  4. It seems that Robbie and Dan will appear at the Equal Love rally in melbourne on Saturday speaking out for their support of same-sex marriage.

    Perhaps Channel Nine can redeem itself by having the couple’s public kiss broadcast on the nine news….

  5. This show need to be taken off the air. They should not have used a gay couple in this type of show. I see the rating are proving this already. I find it repulsive and out of taste.

  6. Why should anyone be surprised?

    This is the same network who did the infamous ‘Roast’ for Molly Meldrum a few years back.

    Full of off-colour homophobic jokes at Molly’s expense the whole show was an insult.

    This is 2009 – a new century. Guys kissing other guys is no longer shocking except for those of a prudish persuasion who love being shocked of course.

  7. Channel Nine need to get with the times. They’re gay, big deal. It’s funny, a network that’s launching Go! next month in a bid to grab a slice of the youth market (who don’t really care if someone is gay or straight) and prove to us how refreshing and progressive they’ve become just gave us a taste of how backward they really are. Good on ya, Nein. Fail 😛

  8. Oh grow up Channel 9 … you really cannot do anything right these days can you … what ever happened to the days when you were the best … oh, that’s right, Kerry Packer died and the channel went to the dogs!
    Jack!

  9. @Chloe, WIN are not the ones who are back in time (apart from them not having updated the news theme music) they only rebroadcast the shows. They are not the ones who cut the kiss.

  10. Channel 9’s equivalent to ‘Token’ ? (South Park) … on that note .. where are the Aboriginals, Asian .. and other ‘minorities’. What a pack of wallies at 9!

  11. If they are cutting this kiss then cut out all the kisses. These days everybody should be allow to be themselves. I am straight and have no problem seeing people who are love each express themselves. I am just jealous that they have something that I don’t have, someone thats make me feel happy.

  12. @Paull: it is not the issue that people “want” to see the kiss just for the sake of it, it’s just that it brings to light an issue of the show inflicting some level of homophobia

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