If you’ve ever been bored and scrolled through channels, chances are you would have come across First Date Australia. It’s an addictive watch that always ends up with you at least recognizing it one person and thank heaven that you never ended up going on a date with them. Only me? OK, move on.
However, one contestant has criticized the show for framing her in a rather tasteless light.
While watching her episode in the air, Sydney strip club leader and businesswoman dana rae discovered the bartenders on First Date Australia came up with some pretty vicious comments about her behind her back.
“I just felt like the servants were unfairly mean to me and were trying to show me in a bad light,” Rae told Pedestrian.TV.
Channel Ten made this big deal on their Instagram and in the show about how the waiters / waitresses were there to be a ‘friendly face to guide you with the first date unrest’.
“I did not realize that mine was laughing at me and talking about me behind my back as I was just drinking my drink and waiting for my date.”
The bartenders off First Date Australia coming up with quitte comments is some of the show’s shittick, but usually they just make little light-hearted jokes and get on with their day.
“Is she just smiling to herself?” said one of the bartenders on the show.
“She’s pretty scary,” said another.
Friends, aren’t you supposed to give us some casual entertainment while we watch these (mostly) awkward dates happen? Such an absurd TV situation does not need to be sprinkled with critical comments. I’m here to see people spilling wine while laughing.
Rae went to TikTok to express how she felt when she saw these negative comments aired on national television.
@baby_bardot #firstdatesaustralia #realitytv
♬ original sound – baby bardot
“The irony is that in the section I said how I would like to be with someone who has no judgment over appearance, and where openness is the key for me, as I am often judged unfairly on my appearance, then it goes straight “to the waitress. looks at me and says ugly, ‘is she just smiling to herself? … she’s pretty scary’, as if to mock me and make me look stupid,” Rae told Pedestrian.TV
“Of course I smiled to myself, I was nervously filmed for TV and wondered how my date could be. I do not understand how scary I could sit there and smile.
“I just feel like in this time, women should support each other and lift each other up, not make fun of each other, especially when I did nothing to justify ugly comments.”
It’s a pretty disgusting move to put someone in a negative light just to create a false narrative for a show, especially from a program with such low stakes as this.
Pedestrian.TV has approached Channel Ten for a comment.