Search This Blog

zondag 20 januari 2013

'Take Me Out' contestant slams 'bullying' producers


A contestant on Take Me Out has claimed that producers of the ITV1 show pressured her into pairing up for a date.

Naomi Hewston, who was selected by student Troy for a date in Isle of Fernandos, Tenerife last week, will appear on the Paddy McGuinness-presented show this evening.

However, she told The Sun that she only kept her light on because she felt she would be axed by show bosses otherwise.

"I felt very bullied. They encourage you to make a complete idiot of yourself. It was very manipulative and I feel like they've taken advantage of me. I think it's very fixed," Hewston said.

"The producers kept asking if you were going to turn it off and you just felt pressured to please them.

"I was worried about being taken off the show if I didn't play by their rules. Nobody wants to be kicked off the show, as you'd worked so hard to get on there."

The 25-year-old, who sings in a band with her twin sister, continued: "Troy was nice but we had nothing in common. We filmed it in December and I've not spoken to him since."

Hewston also slammed the filming of Take Me Out: The Gossip for ITV2, saying that she was "utterly humiliated".

"They edited things in, it is very scripted. They took my date away and told me to pretend I was upset," she claimed.

"They told him to talk to other girls and filmed me looking dejected. Because I'd had so many free drinks I went along with it but I've seen what they've done with the editing and they've made me look an idiot."

A spokeswoman for Thames, which produces Take Me Out, told the newspaper: "We strongly refute claims that we tell contestants how to act or respond. We don't encourage them to drink alcohol and turning a light off is up to individual choice."

The show was mired in controversy last year when contestant Aaron Withers was revealed as a former male escort with a conviction for assault. His date Wen-Jing Mo also admitted to being a £200-an-hour prostitute.

Despite this, the show was renewed for another two series in August.