'Bachelor in Paradise' is under fire for queerbaiting viewers
Viewers are not happy with Australia's version of Bachelor In Paradise, calling out the show for queerbaiting.
Given the general lack of LGBTQ romances onscreen, queerbaiting —wherein television producers hint at non-heteronormative relationships for buzz and shock value, but fail to depict actual relationships — is a concern among audiences .
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In the case of Bachelor In Paradise, the first and only bisexual contestant on the show, Megan Marx, is shown in a early promo seemingly kissing another woman, Elora Murger, after Marx talks about how "absolutely gorgeous" she is.
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
Alas, it turned out on Tuesday night that Marx was kissing a male contestant, Thomas Perras, who happens to have long, brown hair like Murger.
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
And you bet people weren't cool with the shameless promotion.
Look, @BachParadiseAU is not that important but it's humiliating to get excited and then tricked, and feels shit to know it was done so shamelessly and deliberately to promote the show.
It leaves LGBTI people feeling excluded and like the butt of the joke again. #queerbaiting https://t.co/f5ACVSwEmx— Sally Rugg 🏳️🌈 (@sallyrugg) April 18, 2018
Love you guys, but queerbaiting is really not cool and makes queer viewers feel like shit. Be better. https://t.co/doIKIYCh8t
— Jules LeFevre (@jules_lefevre) April 17, 2018
The Bachelor producers queerbaiting us and Australia eating it up:#BachelorInParadiseAU pic.twitter.com/6rigvoIwGo
— Melanie Jones (@MelSpellsTells) 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
Poorly played, #BachelorInParadiseAU. And Megan has been such an articulate asset to the Bachie franchise, speaking openly and with confidence about her sexuality ... No doubt opening a lot of minds.
This does a disservice to her truth too. https://t.co/CINWFdp70A— Danielle Binks (@danielle_binks) April 17, 2018
all of australia was queerbaited by channel fucking 10 #bachelorinparadiseau
— brittany (@brittarabena) April 17, 2018
Since first appearing in the fourth season of Australia's version of The Bachelor, Marx has been open about her sexuality and lamented that people didn't take it seriously.
"Being bisexual or sexually fluid, people automatically think it is a publicity stunt," she told the Daily Telegraph last May.
"Look at some of the most famous people in the world, people like Kristen Stewart or Cara Delevingne or Amber Heard. They’ve all struggled with this where they have a relationship with a woman and people question it."
Network Ten, which airs Bachelor In Paradise, is yet to respond to the criticism.
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