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Ex-Reality stars spill on life in the spotlight

Ex-contestants are quizzed on whether short-term fame was really worth it all.

Former Reality TV contestants have spoken about their time on shows including The Bachelorette, Australian Idol, My Kitchen Rules, MasterChef Australia, Married at First Sight and Sylvania Waters.

Three pieces last week were published by The New Dailynews.com.au and TV Week, all which came with varying degrees of whether they were worthwhile experiences, selective editing, duty of care. post-show careers and whether they would do it all again.

Lee Elliot found the love of his life on The Bachelorette with Georgia Love back in 2016.

“I actually loved it,”  he told news.com.au.

“Throughout this whole process, we didn’t get to know each other by how many mutual friends we have on Facebook, or looking at Instagram.

“We genuinely just met and fell in love the old fashioned way, and I’m old fashioned too.”

But “international male model “David Witko was cast as the villain pitched in 2015.

“It got to the point I thought there was nothing for me in Australia anymore,” he told news.com.au.
The Bachelorette really, really, heavily impacts on people’s futures.

“I got to the position where I thought, that’s it, I’m going to have to leave the country.”

Lauren Finelli, 34, was also cast as a villain in My Kitchen Rules with her husband Carmine. With her sights set on a media career, or at least a product line, Lauren felt being truthful was the way to go.

“I wanted airtime,” she told TV Week, “and I was going to get it.”

But when no media opportunities came her way, she struggled to find any work.

“I wouldn’t even get to the interview stage,” she says. “You know what it’s like. Go to Google, ‘Let’s suss her out. Oh, shit – that’s who it is.'”

Elena Duggan (pictured) who won MasterChef in 2016, remembers being hit in the mouth when uncorking champagne.

“It felt like when someone throws a ball in your face and you can’t help but cry,” she told The New Daily.

“I turned around for the nurse, but it just showed me walking away like I was having a meltdown. Never showed the champagne, just showed me crying.

Laurie Donaher from Sylvania Waters told The New Daily, “I don’t think we acted at all. Maybe we should have. We just carried on as if it was our normal life.

“All these other reality TV shows these days, they’re all acting right from the start. It’s all an act. I think they think they’re movie stars or something.”

Would he turn back the clock and do it again? “I think my wife would probably say no. I might say yes.”

You can read more on their experiences and more at The New Dailynews.com.au and TV Week.

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