Viewers were teased with what they thought would be a same-sex kiss on Bachelor in Paradise. | Photo: Network Ten
Just weeks after being celebrated for starring the first openly queer contestant, Bachelor in Paradise Australia is under fire for queerbaiting viewers.
Bachelor in Paradise is a reality show which bring former contestants together from The Bachelor and The Bachelorette. The contestants are sent to a tropical location to try and find love with each other.
In the lead up to the latest season, Network Ten which airs Bachelor in Paradise, teased audiences with a clip of bisexual contestant Megan Marx kissing a brunette with long hair.
‘She’s absolutely gorgeous, she’s definitely my type of girl,’ Marx said in the promo, while footage of fellow contestant Elora Murger played.
That’s when the promo clip then cut to the steamy hot tub kiss.
Many presumed Marx was kissing a female contestant, but it last night’s episode the mystery brunette turned out to be Canadian contestant Thomas Perras.
Here’s the part of the promo where Channel 10 deliberately cut together Megan talking about Elora with her kiss w/ a long-haired brunette, to make it seem like they were going to deliver a same sex couple. Turns out it was Thomas. Queerbaiting at its finest. #BachelorInParadise pic.twitter.com/ywKqzC0YUb
— Jenna Guillaume (@JennaGuillaume) April 17, 2018
Queerbaiting
People watching the last night’s show were not happy with Network Ten for teasing a potential same-sex kiss in the promo. Viewers were quick to accuse the network of queerbaiting.
One of the definitions of queerbaiting is the ‘practice to hint at, but not actually depict, a same-sex romantic relationship between characters in a work of fiction, mainly in film or television. The potential romance may be ignored, explicitly rejected or made fun of.’
People are mad
Viewers were mad that Network Ten used Marx’s sexuality to lure in a bigger audience. Many LGBTI people were disappointed they’d been given a false hope that they might see a queer love story on commercial television.
so the ‘bisexual’ relationship on #BachelorInParadiseAU presented in the promos is actually just a megan and a guy with long hair. bisexuals such as myself love queer baiting!!! we love it so much it makes us feel so validated !!!!!
— evie (@yeevz_) April 16, 2018
So Thomas gets a fair go on the show by being brought back but the rest of us got queerbaited 🙃#bachelorinparadiseau
— Eliza Berlage (@verbaliza) April 17, 2018
I WAS ROOTING FOR YOU, CHANNEL 10. WE WERE ALL ROOTING FOR YOU #BachelorInParadiseAU pic.twitter.com/IHKwtQH7I1
— amy✨ (@aryagendry) April 17, 2018
Lol way to set up the sneak peak ads to look like Megan kissed Elora.. @channelten that’s pretty shitty to advertise queerbaiting it would have been nicer if there was actually some same sex couples #BachelorInParadiseAU
— Krystal Birch (@birchyyk) April 17, 2018
We done been baited 🙃#BachelorInParadiseAU #queerbaiting
— Emma Kirby 🌈 (@DrEmmaKirby) April 17, 2018
@oshergunsberg @BachParadiseAU you need to explain why you queerbaited the viewers, and why you naught it was okay to do that. #BachelorinParadiseAU
— Sabina roundhill 🌈 (@sabinaroundhill) April 17, 2018
OMG MEGAN IS KISSING A WOMAN!
…A BEARDED WOMAN!?
Oh no wait, that’s right Channel 10 just queer-baited us for 2 months.
Soz. #BachelorInParadiseAU pic.twitter.com/aHzmDV2NwB
— Mark (@markp_) April 17, 2018
Reminder that the initial promo literally pretended that a dude with long hair was a girl so that they could play on Megan’s bisexuality without actually validating it just for viewers I’m MAD #BachelorInParadiseAU pic.twitter.com/N1Hwnf1djw
— GRACE (@GraceGarde) April 17, 2018
