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Strictly Come Dancing’s behind-the-scenes bullying scandal has shocked sitting rooms throughout Britain. The sequin-clad Saturday evening present, recognized for its salsas, spray tans and on-screen friendships, was seemingly the least probably collection to be mired in misconduct– then got here the allegations in opposition to the present’s skilled dancers Giovanni Pernice and Graziano Di Prima. The latter was fired for kicking his associate, Zara McDermott. The previous give up beneath an ongoing investigation into his alleged “threatening and abusive” behaviour. He denies all claims.
Though particulars of Strictly’s ever-evolving bullying saga dominated headlines in current months, the BBC dance competitors is much from the one actuality present to endure a contestant welfare dispute. Listed below are the opposite collection the place remedy of solid members has been questioned…
Dance Mothers
Abby Lee Miller turned often called probably the most ruthless dance academics on tv when she invited cameras into hereponymously named Pittsburgh dance studio to movie eight seasons of Dance Mothers. On digital camera, Miller relentlessly screamed at her college students (the youngest of whom was two years outdated), routinely mocked solid member’s appearances, ranked them in opposition to one another and, in a single occasion, threw a chair in a baby’s normal route.
In 2014, a mom of two of Miller’s college students, Kelly Hyland, claimed Miller was “abusive” and that Dance Mothers producers inspired unhealthy behaviour to spice up scores. Hyland mentioned her daughter Paige had developed anxiousness because of Miller’s behaviour and “youngsters on the present have been being subjected to abusive and illegal working situations.”
A California decide threw out the claims of emotional misery and the case was settled out of courtroom.
America’s Subsequent Prime Mannequin
Therapy of contestants on America’s Subsequent Prime Mannequin was referred to as into query in 2022 when a clip of decide Janice Dickinson calling the scale 10 mannequin Robynne Manning “fats” and “enormous” went viral. Quite a few contestants have beforehand spoken about their remedy on the present, with season 5 winner Lisa D’Amato revealing the expertise gave her “insane quantities of trauma” and season 12 contestant Aminat Ayinde likening the present to “psychological warfare”.
One other of the present’s judges, Miss J Alexander informed The Guardian in 2022: “Among the women acquired upset as a result of they didn’t make it.They have been competing with different women and just one woman can win. So now they really feel they didn’t get the help they wanted. However these women watched the present. They knew the method.”
Love Is Blind
In 2023, quite a few Love Is Blind solid members – who’d signed as much as discover their potential soulmate with out ever seeing their potential associate’s face till after they’d proposed – accused the present of psychological manipulation and made claims of brutal situations. A number of contestants, a few of whom remained nameless, informed Insider they filmed 20-hour days with minimal sleep, meals and water, whereas alcohol was always out there and manufacturing assistants have been urged to maintain their glasses topped up. Solid members additionally claimed the set was windowless they usually solely noticed sunshine after they went to the lavatory in a trailer outdoors.
Love Is Blind’s manufacturing firm Kinetic Content material mentioned in response on the time: “The wellbeing of our individuals is of paramount significance to Kinetic. Now we have rigorous protocols in place to take care of every individual earlier than, throughout, and after filming.”
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Love Island USA
Final 12 months, Love Island USA collection 4 producers Jasmine Crestwell and Alex Rinks filed a lawsuit in opposition to the present’s manufacturing crew claiming labour legislation violations. They alleged feminine Islanders have been pressured to “have interaction in sexual relationships” and producers “have been flippant with the idea of sexual consent”. In the meantime, Black contestants have been allegedly mistreated and “sabotaged” as they tried to “forge connections” on their quest for love.
A spokesperson for ITV America mentioned on the time: “We categorically deny the allegations and sit up for defending in opposition to these claims in a courtroom of legislation.”Squid Video games Korean-language drama Squid Recreation turned Netflix’s greatest collection of all time in 2021. Two years later, the streaming platform introduced an actual life model of the extraordinary competitors present, which noticed 456 abnormal individuals tackle painstaking variations of childhood video games with a view to win 4.56bn gained (£28.2m). Critics dubbed the idea a “dystopian nightmare”.
Contestants later filed a lawsuit claiming they suffered hypothermia and nerve harm whereas capturing the present within the UK, the place temperatures plummeted to -3C (26.6F). “Contestants thought they have been participating in one thing enjoyable,” Specific Solicitors mentioned in a press release. “These injured didn’t count on to undergo as they did.”
Netflix subsequently confirmed three gamers had required medical consideration however a spokesperson for Squid Recreation: The Problem denied a lawsuit had ever been filed.
Actual Housewives
Final November the Actual Housewives of New York star Leah McSweeney filed a discrimination criticism in opposition to Bravo claiming she was compelled to overlook her grandmother’s funeral because of the actuality present’s filming schedule. Her submitting additionally made allegations of a “rotted” office, which concerned copious quantities of alcohol and medicines.
Though Bravo didn’t reply to requests for remark, a manufacturing supply informed Vainness Honest that McSweeney had been supplied “no matter day or time” she wanted to be along with her grandmother. McSweeney’s legal professionals didn’t again down and this month informed Web page Six that Bravo “actually don’t care about their staff”.
The Unbiased has contacted Bravo for remark.
