Ex-Bachie star lashes out at Network 10

A former Bachelorette star has lashed out at Network Ten in a scathing post criticising their treatment of reality ‘villains’.

Bill Goldsmith was a contestant on The Bachelor and The Bachelor in Paradise where he says he was portrayed as a series ‘villain’.

He uploaded a snap to his Instagram alongside, Jamie Doran, who was this year’s Bachelorette ‘villain’ after town councillor Jesse was booted early on for being, well, the worst.

In the caption, Bill tore into the network they had both appeared on.

“Compared experiences,” he wrote. “Told him to not take sh*t from (network10) and (Warner Bros)”.

“Without people like us who they portray as whatever ‘characters’ they want, there (are) no ‘reality tv’ shows.”

Network Ten has not responded to Yahoo Lifestyle’s request for comment.

‘I felt chewed up and spat out’

Bill tells Yahoo Lifestyle that Ten and Warner Bros, who produces the Bachelor, were ‘controlling’ between filming of The Bachelorette and Bachelor in Paradise, and would threaten to withhold future opportunities with them if he didn’t toe the line.

“The networks didn’t want me to go to any events, out anywhere,” he said of his experience after The Bachelorette, adding he was threatened with his Bachelor in Paradise gig being cancelled if he pushed back.

“I’ll call them out on their shocking behaviour,” he says.

“I felt chewed up and spat out like they don’t even care about you.”

He says he bonded with Jamie over a similar experience ahead of what he says will be the ‘villain’s’ appearance on Bachelor in Paradise next year.

“The version we (contestants) all have in our heads of what happens when we film the shows vs. what’s shown on TV are worlds apart,” he said.

“I’m aware now that we are all just “characters” for their show (and they need and have the same ‘characters’ every year.”

New horizons for reality contestants after Seven suing

The explosive claims come after House Rules contestant Nicole Prince sued Channel 7 over the fallout from her ‘villain’ portrayal on the show.

Nicole, who appeared on season five of the renovation show, was found to have sustained “psychological/ psychiatric injury” because of her time on the show, with direct reference made to her portrayal as a ‘bully’ on the series and the ensuing social media commentary that appeared on Channel Seven’s Facebook page.

In the landmark finding, the Commission determined both that Ms Prince was a worker employed by Channel Seven, and as such was owed compensation for what was determined to be psychological injury she sustained while on the show and in its aftermath.

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