We all know how the story goes now with reality TV — nothing is as it seems. And on Married At First Sight (MAFS), this couldn’t be more true.
I’m an ex-reality TV producer who worked on shows like The Block, and was taught early on in my career how to make contestants cry. We were told to find the wound that hurts the contestants most, and pick at it until they bleed. Yep, it’s not the kindest job in the world!
I’ve been watching MAFS religiously and have seen the vicious public reaction Veronica Cloherty has received, but can’t help but feel like she’s been given the short end of the stick.
While her behaviour on screen has seemed to be dramatic and over the top, I’m miffed as to why her husband Eliot Donovan has been given a heroic redemption arc at the expense of Veronica.
In many of the arguments between the two, the bride’s temperament often goes from zero to 100. It feels odd that she’s suddenly yelling or becoming very defensive — almost like there’s parts of the conversation that viewers are missing.
The fact that Eliot says things like, “I’m sorry you feel this way”, makes me wonder what kind of language he’s using when the cameras are off, because everything about that line screams red flag energy to me.
Narratives can easily be created and crafted to sway audiences a certain way, and everybody is falling for the one about Veronica. For a woman to be painted as “crazy” and overly emotional is kinda sexist, and for some reason, it’s a storyline that MAFS never tires of. Instead of focusing on her heightened response, why aren’t we honing in on what caused that response?
She’s stayed relatively quiet since MAFS aired, apart from a rogue interview on the MAFS Funny podcast where she spoke out about the cheating rumours surrounding her and Dave Hand. They’ve been fanned by Jamie Marinos’ comments in the media and Eliot’s TikTok activity, but the actress revealed she’s been celibate for two years — which if true, all these parties would have known.
On TikTok, Eliot has been having a ball poking fun at Veronica and Lauren Hall’s expense, but it feels a bit icky to me. He’s compared Veronica to a “wife bot”, as well as one TikTok where he pretends Dave and Veronica are having sex next to him while Veronica’s voice plays over the top.
@not_eliotd When your wife bot malfunctions 🤖😔 #mafs #mafsau #marriedatfirstsight #fyp ♬ original sound – Eliot Donovan
Shouldn’t we be smarter than this by now? Just a few short weeks ago, we were all furious with Eliot and Adrian Araozou over their treatment of Lauren and Awhina Rutene.
Eliot made comments about wanting a bride under the age of 25, and said in his audition tape that he wanted someone with “feminine energy”. That’s opposed to “traditionally masculine” traits, which he defined as “having a really high-quality career and being in alpha and in control and stuff.”
Now, comments on Eliot’s TikTok praise the groom for being one of the “realest people” out there, while many slam Veronica and her behaviour.
Strangely, Adrian is also getting the same treatment, with people saying he’s “redeemed himself.” Are our memories that short? Don’t we remember how he treated Awhina and Cleo Rutene during Family and Friends Week?
@araz.twins Replying to @Jazmynn_ we needed a redemption and this was our turning point @Eliot Donovan #marriedatfirstsight #mafsaustralia #mafs #mafsau ♬ original sound – araz.twins
I can’t help but feel sorry for Veronica, who came into the experiment and was paired as a last-minute second match for Eliot. Instead of finding love, she’s faced with the wrath of Australia and an ex-husband who won’t stop stepping on her to gain more popularity and fame.
I’m hoping that as MAFS continues to evolve and develop, viewers will become more aware of the manipulative tactics used by producers behind the scenes. And let’s try and get rid of these “crazy female” narratives, yeah?
Lead image: Nine
