Ten has been accused of using a contestant’s sexuality to sensationally attract viewers in a promo for Bachelor in Paradise.
Several viewers took to Twitter, including Buzzfeed Australia editor at large Jenna Guillaume, to label the promo as ‘queerbaiting’.
Ten's teaser featured a “lesbian kiss” between contestants Megan and Elora to hype up excitement for last night’s episode.
The show's pre-season promo had hinted at a same-sex hook-up, with the openly bisexual Megan Marx shown kissing another mysterious, long-haired contestant.
The promo also showed Megan referring to Elora as “absolutely gorgeous” and “definitely my type of girl”.
Tuesday night’s episode, which attracted an audience of 660,000, revealed the long-haired cast member to be Canadian contestant Thomas Perras.
Some viewers criticised Ten for misleading LGBTI viewers, with several expressing disappointment they are still “underrepresented” on mainstream TV.
https://twitter.com/JennaGuillaume/status/986193955619463168
https://twitter.com/GraceGarde/status/986193146550865920
https://twitter.com/yeevz_/status/985815197779558400
https://twitter.com/markp_/status/986193396787167234
https://twitter.com/tianaashleigh/status/986193098047873024
Ten has been approached for comment.
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