"I realised that if this is the start of what the public is going to think of me, it's bad," Sandra Rato says. Photo / Supplied via News.com.au
"I realised that if this is the start of what the public is going to think of me, it's bad," Sandra Rato says. Photo / Supplied via News.com.au
Imagine trying your luck as a contestant on a reality TV series in the hope of finding fame, fortune, or even the love of your life.
Instead, you end up as the most hated person on TV.
That's been the surreal reality in Australia for an ever-growing band of cast-offs from programmes like The Bachelor, Married At First Sight and Big Brother, spurned television hopefuls who feel the person on screen bears little resemblance to who they really are.
Filmmaker Gena Lida Riess tracked down several of these ex-contestants for the documentary short Creating A Monster, an illuminating look at what feeds the reality TV beast - and what happens to those it spits out.
Several of the ex-contestants Riess interviews speak of the stomach-churning moment they realised they were the villains of their respective shows - usually not until they sat down to watch the first episode, surrounded by their excited loved ones.
Sandra Rato, the most controversial contestant on season three of The Bachelor, breaks down as she describes that painful viewing party.
"After the show aired it was extremely awkward ... my family couldn't believe what just happened. It was really emotional. I realised that if this is the start of what the public is going to think of me, it's bad," she says.
Model David Witko was a contestant on the first season of The Bachelorette, and was asked during the casting process if he'd done modelling work overseas. When he confirmed he had, his persona was set in stone: David Witko, Zoolander wannabe.
David: International Model. Source / Channel 10 via News.com.au
"That's what it was, 'David the International Model'. I was like, 'You bastards," he says.
Even the music cues for his arrival on the show seemed to denote that the next Bachelor vying for Sam Frost's affections was - to put it bluntly - a bit of a w***er.
"The first moment I stepped out of the car, the music went from [romantic] twinkles to hardcore bass. [I thought], 'Okay, this is not good.'"
Like Rato, Witko was surrounded by friends and family as he watched it all unfold.
"That was the first moment I thought, 'These guys can make anything happen'. The people watching it with me were like, 'David, you are literally f***ed.'"
Unreal TV
Married at First Sight contestant Clare Verrall last year proved one of the most controversial contestants in recent Australian reality TV history, her ill-fated pairing with Jono Pitman making for car crash television.
After the season aired, Verrall repeatedly slammed producers, labelling the programme "an absolute s***show."
In Creating A Monster, Verrall reveals that she was given just 24 hours to decide whether or not to appear on the programme.
Clare and Jono: Happily ever after? It soon went downhill. Photos / Instagram, Supplied via News.com.au
"I thought, 'What's the worst that can happen?' I now know what's the worst that can happen."
She described the show as "more manipulated than fabricated," with those behind the scenes working to ensure her quickie wedding would be filled with nasty surprises.
"They ask you what car you'd want, what flowers you'd want - then give you the exact opposite to try and upset you and freak you out."
Bachelor contestant Rato caused ructions early in her season when she asked the other contestants who they weren't getting along with - a question she says producers insisted she ask on camera. The query soon led to a full-blown fight.
Sandra (left) made waves when she asked her fellow contestants who they weren't getting on with - a question she says producers fed to her. Photo / Channel 10
"That argument, that stupid one question, basically was the entire episode ... and I couldn't be like 'The producers told me to ask that'."
After his dramatic exit from The Bachelorette, Witko says "it literally felt like the whole of Australia was against me."
He quickly grew tired of well meaning friends and family asking him if he was okay.
"Of COURSE I'm not okay - there's people trying to kill me online. A publication saying I'm the most hated man in Australia? Yeah, I'm okay - not."
Alex 'Boog' Roe of Big Brother season 10. Photos / Supplied
Alex 'Boog' Roe, a contestant on season 10 of Australian Big Brother, managed to survive her stint on the show without being typecast as a villain - but says producers were pushing her to fulfil a certain stereotype before she was even on air.
"They wanted to cast me as that 'sporty bogan' girl. They went through my Facebook photos and found a picture from a dress-up party and wanted me to wear it on opening night. I was like, 'That was a dress-up party, I don't look like that normally!' They were like no, that's what we want you to look like walking in."
So why do it?
Roe says she can identify a common yearning among her fellow reality TV contestants - and it runs deeper than a desire for fame and fortune.
"Everyone that goes on a reality show isn't settled in their life. I think maybe they're looking for something a bit exciting, they're a bit bored with their life. I know I was," she says.
Alex 'Boog' Roe (right), mid-fight with Big Brother winner Tim Dormer. Photo / Channel 9
Also interviewed in the film, speaking on condition of anonymity: A psychologist hired by reality TV shows to assess potential contestants' mental capacity to endure what's thrown at them.
She admits she has qualms about the ethics of participating in the industry, but says she does her best to ready contestants for the prospect they may be portrayed negatively on screen and in the media.
"In some ways I'm amazed at how people always think they're ready for the onslaught ... but they're actually not."
Making the film
A self-confessed reality TV addict, Creating A Monster director Riess says she's "always been conflicted" about her obsession, sensing that contestants were manipulated and taken advantage of to serve the purpose of her entertainment.
Even so, she admits she had preconceived notions about each of her documentary subjects.
"Because I watched their respective shows, I guess I thought I wouldn't sympathise with them as much as I did. I came into the film believing, to some extent, they reap what they sow. However after getting to know them, my approach changed and that surprised me," she says.
Riess says that, despite the visible risks, the lure of reality TV notoriety will always have an attraction for some.
"If your aim is to have a quick shot at fame, I would say reality TV is definitely the answer. However, there is often a cost.
