A few days before the launch of the second season of the reality show the island of love on TVA, a candidate was fired from production after he became the subject of numerous criticisms on social networks.
“Even if all islanders were subjected to criminal background checks without disclosure, the allegations report [jeudi] very seriously. Productions Déferlantes and Quebecor Content have made the decision to end Adam’s career for now, ”the production team announced on its social networks Thursday night.
He had just revealed that morning the birth of the first five candidates to fly to Las Terrenas, in the Dominican Republic, to find love there.
Their presence with Adam, 22, from Mont-Saint-Hilaire, quickly raised a wave of public discontent. Within hours, criticism of him multiplied on Instagram and TikTok. Many women criticized his behavior as “poisonous” and “dangerous”, saying they had been “harassed” by the young man.
Productions Déferlantes and Quebecor Content preferred not to include Adam in the adventure. Her image was removed in the process on the show’s website and social networks.
In an email sent to To be necessary On Friday, the production team insisted on its strict approach to assessing candidates ’backgrounds, which included other“ research on social networks ”items. In addition, each candidate is required to meet with a psychologist for an evaluation during the selection process.
It was determined that because the recordings had not yet begun, Adam’s departure “had no effect on the broadcast of the show”, which will begin April 18 on TVA’s airwaves.
Not the first, not the last
This is not the first time a candidate on a reality show has seen his or her participation questioned in this way. Last fall, Alexandre Patry Poirier was also the subject of criticism on social networks when viewers discovered his presence in the edition ofDouble work in Western Canada.
From the first days, the production team itself observed his “aggressive” nature and had to intervene to call him to order, before he was included in real TV.
“I’m not really surprised that viewers of reality shows reveal toxic, violent behavior or sexual assault about a candidate,” said Mélanie Millette, professor in the Department of Social and Public Communication at UQAM . He even believes that we need to get used to it.
Since the first wave of the #MeToo movement, he said, society has sought to deconstruct toxic rules and abuses of all kinds that have long been “allowed, hidden, even normalized.” It has now become a reflex for many to turn to social media to denounce such abusive behavior.
But we should not view these criticisms as “a simple culture of cancellation aimed at condemning a candidate”, determines his colleague at the School of Media at UQAM Stéfany Boisvert. “It’s more of a social engagement on the part of the audience that wants to alert the broadcasters, the public and make sure other candidates don’t experience problematic situations. We, after all, talking about movies that focus on dating. »
According to experts consulted with The duty, the rise of criticisms from audiences should lead producers to review their candidate selection methods. “That might encourage them to spend more time for research on social networks, or for psychological evaluation, which is often done very quickly,” Ms.ME green wood.
However, even in a more rigorous process, it is impossible to see everything, to predict everything, he agreed. So it is necessary to accept unexpected events that can bother castbut also to design the fact that the public now has active participation in the selection of candidates, in its own way.