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“I’m not a bisexual or a lesbian or anything like that.”

Viewers criticise The Bachelor for using sexual orientation as a reality secret.

Barely a week after TEN won praise for a Neighbours same-sex wedding, the network has been criticised by viewers for teasing sexual orientation as a reality secret.

Last night on The Bachelor Brooke Blurton, 23, told Nick Cummins, 30, she has previously had relationships with both men and women.

But the exchange was preceded by network promos across the week about a big secret in an episode with a “human lie detector” and body language expert Steve van Aperen.

“I’ve been honest with Nick …about most things. But there is something I want to share with him that I haven’t yet. It’s definitely a big part of my past,” Brooke teased last night.

“I’m worried what Nick might think of me.”

When it was explained it came with all the Reality tropes of tense music, dramatic looks, and a cliffhanger commercial break.

“There’s something that I really want to tell you,” Brooke told Nick. “I’ve been waiting for the right time because I feel like it is something big and it is something you should know.

“I’ve had four relationships. I was with a guy for three years … uh, this is really uncomfortable for me to tell you but I’ve also had two relationships with women.

“But I’m a big (person on) who you are inside.

“For me, when I was in those relationships I looked beyond what they were as female. I really loved them for who they were as people. You know what I mean? I’m not a bisexual or a lesbian or anything like that. I’m a big lover of people of who they are. And I just really don’t want to be judged on it.”

She went on to explain she now wanted to be with a male.

“I want to have children. For me that’s a powerful thing.

“And that’s not the only thing, I feel more sexually attracted to men,” she said.

Nick indicated he had no problem with her past.

“Who am I to judge? At least she knows now what she wants,” he said.

But many fans took to social media to express their disdain for the way it had been promoted and constructed into a reality twist. Last week a promo teased Brooke would reveal “something big,” it was accompanied by Nick’s quote, “I didn’t see this coming.”

In 2004 Seven screened Playing it Straight in which a single woman was presented with men vying for her affections, but only half of whom were heterosexual.

https://twitter.com/NinaAshfield/status/1039831191791136768

https://twitter.com/_katiekendall_/status/1039827073131458560

https://twitter.com/joshua_fox/status/1039826670553686016

14 Responses

  1. She called it a secret, the channel called it a secret, its a personal story about how she sees her sexuality and that’s about that. She is not there to be spokesperson for anyone else apart from herself. Bravo to her.

  2. Imagine how titillating this would be for some boring suburbanite grandma though, are young people really watching this tripe? Ok i admit i watched some of the Bachelorette with Sophie Monk because i have a huge celeb crush on her though lol, but even it did not make a pathetic ratings attempt like this.
    Shame on her for trying to claim not to be a ‘lesbian’ or ‘bisexual’ as though she is above that, i get the whole fluid or non binary thing but its really insulting to people who do identify as that.

  3. Lets put this in perspective. Any contestant who degrades themselves by going on the batchelor/bachelorette has little dignity or self wealth.

    A heterosexual admitting having an homosexual experience is hardly controversial in 2018. Each to their own.

    I like many have better things to watch than seeing a bunch of attention seeking desperados fighting for their 15 minutes worth of fame.

    1. Nobody’s outraged about her having had relationships with women, they are unhappy with Channel 10 promoting it as if the secret that she had was negative – just like the way you’ve written ‘well done to her for owning up’ which suggests she has something to be ashamed of or has something to apologise for by having had same sex relationships.

  4. I don’t watch the show (no point since Rosie Waterland stopped recapping) but saw the promos watching Survivor and my gossip self was very interested in the secret. When I found out I thought oh god, is that all?! Very dull secret and if a potential partner was put off by that then they are not worth dating. And now knowing the secret, the publicity for it was gross and offensive.

  5. Though I don’t agree with how TEN just went for the big ratings story, I think it would’ve been worse if they ended up together and then the past lovers or whatever came crawling out of the woodwork and sold their sensationalised stories about her to DM or No Idea.

  6. Unfortunately Ten has finally caught up to Seven and Nine with the hyper-sensationalised promo. And sadly they work!

    As for Brooke, I’m not sure if it was an issue of editing, but it did give the impression that it was something negative. Thankfully in this day and age it would be no problem for her to say that she was exploring her sexuality at the time.

  7. Yet more over reaction with faux outrage from the clickboard warriors. I saw a couple of promos and discussed with my daughter… “she’s still married?, got 2 children? were my questions. The reply nah, she’s been bisexual. Is that it? Yeah..” Typical reality promo to build something up out of nothing, no different to any other non-story

  8. I watched it and thought this is true life. Many women and men have had an experience like this. Welcome to the modern era. At least we can speak up now unlike the dim dark ages. Good on her for her brave honesty.

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