Pop CultureApril 24, 2017

They need more support than Spanx: A therapist on the The Bachelor NZ and mental health

Guest writer

The Spinoff’s in-house therapist Ms X returns after reading a concerning article about The Bachelor NZ contestant Claudia Hoskins.

On Sunday morning, a reality TV article filed under the Entertainment section of the Herald caused me to fire off more “wtf” texts than I usually do. The Herald quoted a Woman’s Day article in which The Bachelor NZ contestant Claudia talks very frankly about a past relationship that went tits-up when she found out her partner was cheating on her.

Claudia talks so frankly and openly (something I believe is generally a good thing to help destigmatise mental health issues) that I learned all about how she had driven her car into a pole, momentarily not seeing a way through after discovering that her partner had cheated on her. She received extensive injuries – 19 broken bones, a punctured lung and damage to her spleen and liver – and spent two weeks in hospital.

Claudia Hoskins meets Zac Franich on The Bachelor NZ

Next I learned what her mental health diagnosis was and about her subsequent treatment. “We discovered that relationships are a real trigger for me,” said Claudia, “and typically I either feel really strong love or really intense sadness.”At that I personally felt triggered enough to send an evacuation chopper to get Claudia the fuck out of whatever tea light-decorated prison she is currently being detained in probably just north of Albany.

Just as I was about to dial emergency services and scream “RED ROSE DOWN” I read that Claudia has “started learning dialectal behaviour therapy, which teaches you to take control of your thoughts and emotions, and in turn make rational responses…I now know I have the tools to handle another situation like that a lot better.”

This was a relief because, as a therapist and as an oxygen-dependant human shaped mammal, I felt like I had stopped breathing for the previous 200 words. But as I lie here taking deep breaths in an effort to stop myself completely freaking the fuck out, what I really need to know is this: did MediaWorks and Warner Brothers do due diligence on Claudia’s ongoing mental health?

To be clear: as I’m not Claudia’s therapist I don’t want to make an armchair diagnosis as to whether she should have been allowed to appear on the show. But I do want to know specific things, namely what support is available to her? And I don’t mean Spanx in this case. I mean hot and cold running therapy.

Season Two’s Bachelor Jordan Mauger claimed he felt manipulated by producers

Because, in related news, on Friday we read that last year’s Bachelor Jordan felt burned and manipulated (that’s something of an understatement: he basically sounds like he got all the TV STDS and no antibiotics) by the producers – and this was someone who had worked in the TV industry before. Jordan actually received death threats from grandmothers (Spoiler: not his own)

If Jordan, who as the ‘star’ should have been afforded more choices than most, felt like he got roasted and toasted by the whole experience, then where does that leave Claudia? Please let someone with actual clinical experience, about five litres of Rescue Remedy and a Warner Bros business card assure me that she is going to be left relatively unscathed by whatever happens next.

Don’t get me wrong, I don’t think that having a mental health episode should naturally exclude you from the abundant opportunities – both good and bad – offered by an appearance on reality TV. The good stuff being a tooth whitening commercial and the bad being JayJay and Dom, obviously.

The Bachelor Zac Franich has opened up about his depression in the past

Many of us will experience depression or anxiety or some kind of mental health issue during our lifetime, as The Bachelor Zac Franich himself admitted to on the show. And if not us, then someone close to us will. I do think if we talked about our mental and emotional health in much the same way we discussed diabetes it would be better across the board, but I have some specific concerns about Claudia’s situation.

Specifically, are the producers recognising their duty of care in relation to her? Because Claudia has been pretty upfront about her past experiences, and I don’t know if I would have been as candid. There is just something in the whole situation that makes me feel worried. Worried as a therapist and worried as a viewer.

A spokesperson from the network responds:

Like all contestants, Claudia underwent comprehensive screening with a psychologist before she was able to participate on the show, and all parties agreed Claudia was fine to participate. Both the network and production take duty of care very seriously. If at any stage there are concerns about the physical or mental health of a contestant the appropriate measures are taken. The support of a psychologist is available to all contestants during production and while the show is on air.

Ms X responds to the network:

Where to get help:

Lifeline – 0800 543 354

Suicide Crisis Helpline (open 24/7) – 0508 828 865 (0508 TAUTOKO)

Depression Helpline – 0800 111 757 – this service is staffed 24/7 by trained counsellors

Samaritans – 0800 726 666

Youthline (open 24/7) – 0800 376 633. Text 234 for free between 8am and midnight, or email talk@youthline.co.nz.

0800 WHATSUP (0800 9428 787) – Open between 1pm and 10pm on weekdays and from 3pm to 10pm on weekends. Online chat is available from 7pm to 10pm every day at www.whatsup.co.nz.

Healthline – 0800 611 116

For more information about support and services available to you, contact the Mental Health Foundation’s free Resource and Information Service on 09 623 4812 during office hours or email info@mentalhealth.org.nz

The Bachelor NZ airs Sundays at 7pm and Mondays at 7.30pm on Three

Keep going!

Pop CultureApril 24, 2017

What can we expect from Married at First Sight New Zealand?

Tara Ward

Staff writer

How will Three add some Kiwi flavour to the unmissable televised trainwreck that is Married at First Sight? Tara Ward has some suggestions.

Ladies, drag that net curtain off the window. Fellas, you might like to wash and condition your facial hair, because a new reality tv franchise is about to hit our shores in a Cyclone Cook scale of idealised romance and bitter disappointment. Speak now, or forever hold your peace: it’s time to say ‘I do’ to Married at First Sight New Zealand.

This past season of MAFS Australia was a must-watch. Ten couples met their potential soul mate for at the wedding altar, and every episode burst at its seams with a compelling mix of runaway brides, fascinating singles, bizarre wedding guests and even — gasp — couples falling in love.

If you thought romance was dead, then you’d be right. The singles are matched by a trio of ‘experts’ — psychologists and psychotherapists — who select the couples based on the potential for good television millions of years of science. It’s such a technical process that the experts need a plate of Gingernuts on hand at all times. Science, may you always use your power for good.

Science is all good and well, but what will Three add to this bewitching trainwreck of a reality franchise to give it a distinctly Kiwi flavour? I pulled a chair up to the buffet table of love and scienced up a few of my own suggestions.

1) Accept that everybody in New Zealand knows everybody

Forget bungy jumping off the Auckland Harbour Bridge, the revelation that The Bachelor NZ host Dominic Bowden dated one of the Bachelorettes was the most Kiwi thing to ever happen in the history of New Zealand reality television.

This Jono and Ben clip captures the potential struggles of a MAFS NZ. Maybe Three should rename the show ‘Married at Third or Maybe Fourth Sight’ or ‘Married at First Sight To Some Bloke My Cousin Pashed At Her Best Friend’s 21^st”.

2) Replace the ‘Stay’ or ‘Leave’ cards with ‘Yeah, definitely’ and ‘Yeah, nah’

3) Include some quintessentially Kiwi ‘experts’: #1 The Prime Minister

Just whose clammy hands will carry the slippery weight of this experiment? My vote’s for the PM, who’s been married for yonks and understands exactly what makes a good Kiwi bloke tick, i.e. spaghetti and pineapple pizza. Plus he’s an expert on Dipton, and frankly there aren’t enough of those to go around. Winner winner, spaghetti dinner.

It’s also election year and what better way to speak to the values of a nation than star in a contrived reality show about two strangers getting married? John Key would have been all over this shit.

4) Change the bride and groom dinner parties to “ladies, a plate”

Can someone bring a nice cheese and pineapple hedgehog? Asking for a friend.

5) Embrace the MAFS stereotypes

The hypnotic power of MAFS lies in its unlikely pairings, meaning we can sit back and watch oil and water mix until we spontaneously combust from the science of it all. You are all cordially invited to witness the country bumpkin from Eketahuna wed the swanndri-hating Ponsonby social climber. The experts call it ‘science’, I call it ‘a shitstorm’.

6) Expert #2: Holly from The Café

Like a breath of hot air from a benchtop convection oven, Advertorial Queen Holly would bring pizazz and passion to the panel of experts, plus a really good deal on an extendable window cleaner as a wedding gift. I don’t think she’s a psychologist, but I’m pretty sure she has a deal to buy a degree for $29.95 + P&P and get a PhD thrown in for free if you ring in the next 15 minutes.

7) Include some unusual honeymoon locations

If I see another romantic Queenstown getaway I will vomit into my glass of Gibbston Valley Pinot Noir. How about some alternative honeymoon escapes for the couples, like freedom camping next to Gore’s giant trout, sitting in traffic on the Northern Motorway, or enjoying a candle-lit tour of the DEKA sign in Huntly?

8) Include some well-known brides and grooms

My pick: Chris Warner. He’s been married so many times he won’t suffer any nerves, knows a good cliffhanger when he sees one, plus he can probably recycle one of his wedding speeches. Minimal effort, maximum impact.

9) Expert #3: Louise Wallace from Real Housewives of Auckland

Journalist, actor and regular Auckland housewife, Louise Wallace doesn’t take anyone’s shit. She’ll dive deep into the steaming waters of MAFS sexual attraction and squeeze the couples until their emotional juices run dry, leaving only a tiny puddle of pith on a faux-leather couch.

Bravo, Louise, that’s exactly what I want in a reality show: pith, and plenty of it.

I’m in love with the shape of you, MAFS NZ. I thought science just eradicated disease and created explosions, but who knew it made strangers fall in love and/or hate? Now excuse me while I chuck some baking soda into a MAFS NZ test tube of hopes and dreams and watch it explode all over the nation.

Casting for Married at First Sight NZ is now open, apply here

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