MAFS contestant spreads fury over *that leaked photo

Boy oh boy! The Married At First Sight (MAFS) drama is in full force this season and there is no sign of it slowing down.

Last week it was revealed on the Channel 9 hit reality show that Olivia, one of the contestants, found an explicit image of fellow contestant, Domenica Calarco. She then allegedly shared this around the group before awkwardly bringing it up at a dinner party days later.

MAFS is known for creating most of the show’s drama through carefully scripted storylines and edited clips, but this one seems to come straight from Olivia’s poor actions.

The image was allegedly sourced from OnlyFans without the consent of Domenica, sparking fury from the other contestants as well as the public, with calls for police to take legal action.

A question raised, is this revenge porn? Or a deeply miscalculated action by Olivia, as she claims the image was already on Twitter – a public forum, as opposed to the private OnlyFans.

In response to the drama that unfolded at the aforementioned dinner party Oliva claimed, “it was just such a nothing moment – I didn’t think it was a big deal. When I say honestly there was no malice, it was just information that was dropped in my lap and thoughtlessly shared because I didn’t think it was a big deal.”

Many think this is merely a divergence of blame and being unable to take accountability for her poor actions.

Viewers took to social media leaving comments of outrage and hate, leaving #MAFS2022 trending on Twitter. Others showed disappointment after seeing Olivia has turned off comments on her Instagram, as well as the official MAFS Instagram account doing the same for posts of her. Putting my PR hat on, I would applaud this move to prevent further backlash or misinformation as the matter goes to higher judgment with police inquiries. Social media can be a vicious place as we have learnt over the years, and it seems Nine is following Ten’s lead from this year’s The Bachellorette, in which the contestants’ social comments were turned off for the duration of the show. The network has a duty of care for its participants and this is one small step to counter the intentional scripting and editing in which many disagree with.

Nevertheless, the drama on this show continues to shock the Australian public, often raising the question as to why this show is still allowed to air, but hey, *ratings*. While the success aids Nine’s numbers, what can be said about the damage to its reputation?

If Olivia plans to pursue any career in the public eye after all this, as many reality stars do, it would take a powerhouse PR team to turn this one around.

By Grace Drummond – PR & Influencer Coordinator at InsideOut PR and #AsSeenOn