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On the set of My Kitchen Rules: The Rivals, ovens aren’t the only thing getting hot. Two MKR contestants were reportedly filmed by a Channel 7 cameraman while getting naughty on a couch – but here’s the thing: Buzzfeed reported that the filming was non-consensual and not covered in the MKR contract, and that it was kept and made available without the couple’s permission. YIKES.
Wait, What Actually Happened On The MKR Set?
In this new season of MKR, contestants are staying in two rival houses, where there are stable cameras placed around to watch them. Channel 7 reckons that recording the contestants in their sex act was allowed, because their contract states that there are stationary cameras around the house.
However, Buzzfeed reported that actually, it was a cameraman who recorded the sex act – not one of the stable cameras around the house. And to make it creepier, he was secretly recording them from behind a railing, and they didn’t know he was there.
The contestants told the cameraman to delete the footage, and he said he would – but then he gave it to Channel 7, where a bunch of staff allegedly watched it months later. The footage was also readily available on their network servers.
A Source Told Buzzfeed News That People Watched It And Cheered, And The Quotes Are Super Gross
Buzzfeed’s expose on this is stellar – and one of the most disturbing aspects of this story are the quotes by sources they interviewed.
According to the source, “It was mainly just the men laughing and discussing the footage… It was then revealed that someone had apparently deleted the footage from the system and everyone was really upset because people wanted to watch it.”
So, a bunch of men in an office were watching a woman get penetrated on camera, without her consent, for fun? How is this allowed?
“They were cheering on [the male contestant] and it was acknowledged it was gross and invasive footage but it was there for their gratification,” the source told Buzzfeed News.
The source also said there was a discussion to do with legal issues around the footage, but a Channel 7 producer said they could “do what they want” because the contestants had signed a contract.
So, What’s Next?
This situation is obviously well and truly messed up. The female contestant is likely humiliated and terrified at the prospect that a bunch of men in an office watched her have sex and cheered – it’s gross and I can’t imagine what she’s going through.
This isn’t the first time Channel 7 has treated its contestants badly – just recently, a previous contestant sued them for psychological damage and won.
We’re waiting for updates to see what happens next.
