The Bachelor Australia alum Abbie Chatfield has shared her unsolicited opinion on why the Married at First Sight Australia 2022 cast is “jealous” of Domenica Calarco… and this was never going to go down well.
Despite being embroiled in her own controversy with Kyle Sandilands, the 27-year-old media mogul took to Instagram on October 18 to fan the already chaotic MAFS drama flames.
Abbie suggested the 2022 MAFS cast was “jealous” because they wished “their career had had the same outcome” as Domenica’s, with the latter being heavily scrutinised for her upcoming Dom’s Debrief video series.
But if there’s one thing we know about the Married at First Sight 2022 cast is they don’t back down from a fight (both in the ring and online).
While there is probs way more tea to come, here’s EVERYTHING that’s happened so far…
The Married at First Sight Australia 2022 Cast React to the Launch of Dom’s Debrief Online Series
In the upcoming online series, Domenica is set to FaceTime her former co-stars to “check-in” on their post-MAFS lives.
Several of the 2022 alum previously voiced their distaste for the show, and it wasn’t long before they took to the comment section of the trailer to reiterate it on October 18.
“The number you have called has been disconnected,” Jackson Lonie cheekily penned. “Please check the number and try again.”
Carolina Santos similarly made a missed call joke, noting that Domenica’s “number is blocked”.
“Devo [sic] that I missed it,” she added. “Chatting with you would be like a dream of mine.”
Domenica’s long-time on- and off-screen rival Olivia Frazer also put her two cents in about the new series.
“But producers don’t favour anyone, right?” she penned, rehashing past claims that producers have their “favourite” contestants.
Abbie Chatfield Reckons the Married at First Sight Australia 2022 Cast Are “Jealous” of Domenica Calarco‘s Success
While Abbie admitted she had claimed to “choose peace” and stay out of internet drama, it appears she couldn’t help but “just quickly” record a seven-minute “rant” on the latest in a very long line of MAFS scandals.
Abbie believed that the crux of the backlash against Domenica came down to jealousy.
The Masked Singer Australia judge theorised that while some fans believed Domenica must have done something wrong when the cameras weren’t rolling to get the entire cast offside, it was a lot simpler to explain.
She suggested that if anything problematic had occurred, one of the contestants would have leaked the news as an anonymous insider source to the major news outlets. We’re feeling a little exposed here, Abbie!
“What people don’t grasp is the level of jealousy people feel when they don’t get the same opportunities as someone else,” Abbie said.
“They start out on the same show, but they don’t get the opportunities that the other person gets. They don’t see why that person would get that [opportunity] over them.”
“It’s not a ‘well, there must be a reason why everyone doesn’t like her’. Yeah, the reason is they’re jealous. They wish their career had had the same outcome as Dom’s,” she said.
She recalled going through similar situations with her co-stars after her Bachie debut and subsequent online fame.
Abbie went on to accuse the MAFS cast of “ganging up” on Domenica and “bullying her online” by attempting to convince fans to “start to dislike Dom” and gain more attention for themselves.
Abbie Chatfield Responds to the Backlash Around Producer Favouritism and Domenica Calarco‘s New Online Series
The upcoming radio host also gave her legion of followers a brief understanding of how production decisions go down behind the scenes, and honestly, it kinda makes sense.
Hitting back at Olivia’s claims that the producers “favour” Domenica, Abbie explained that it’s not always your favourite people that will make “good TV” for the network.
“Of course, producers have favourites because they make their jobs easier because they are better talent,” Abbie said.
She explained the talent could have “more likeable, eccentric or more interesting personalities that lend to certain storylines”.
“People who get more air time and strong storylines tend to have careers after the show, both because they get more exposure and have a strong audience from the show, but also because they have an entertaining personality.
“So yes, producers have favourites, but it isn’t personal,” she said. “Producers are very smart and creative people who know how to make good TV. You could be a better or nicer person, but not be better TV.”
Married at First Sight’s Olivia Frazer and Carolina Santos Remind Abbie Chatfield That She Used to Be a Villain
Abbie’s current outlook on how producers operate is far from the sentiments she used to share about her “villain edit” online.
She’s had a slew of TV gigs since her initial Bachie debut, so it makes sense that she’s learned more about how showrunners really work behind the scenes over the years.
But that doesn’t mean her recent comments aren’t still more than a little contradictory. Olivia and Carolina weren’t shy about reminding Abbie of her past statements.
On October 19, Carolina – currently on a redemption arc of her own – took to her Instagram Story to respond to Abbie’s claims.
In true Carolina fashion, she started the video by acting as though she didn’t remember Abbie’s last name before asking: “Wasn’t that you who left Bachelor and copped a lot of hate and slut-shamed?”
“You turned it [the hate] around, didn’t you? And so did so many others like Jessika Power and Martha [Kalifatidis]. You don’t know tomorrow; you don’t know the future. Any of us could turn it around, too or all of us. Who knows?
“For somebody like you who went through hate same sh*t that we are going through to make such a comment that we’re jealous of somebody else’s success is beyond me.”
Carolina suggested that Abbie may have “ulterior motives”, which could be why she was “sucking up to Dom”.
She accused Abbie of “meddling in this situation” because she wanted more “TV time” like Domenica did on the show, telling the It’s a Lot podcast host: “That’s why I think you two are a perfect match!”
Olivia Frazer Slams Suggestions That She is “Jealous” of Domenica Calarco
Meanwhile, Olivia responded by sharing footage from an ABC mini-docuseries from 2021 called Reputation Rehab.
In the footage, Abbie introduces herself as “the villain from The Bachelor“ in the show that was set to uncover how the show had “trashed” her IRL reputation. Sound familiar?
Olivia took to her Instagram story and said she was “just putting this out here because Abbie has clearly forgotten what she once preached”.
Olivia continued in a longer written statement: “There’s no jealousy whatsoever. It’s a bit ‘WTF, why wouldn’t producers choose a different, more neutral cast member to host’ so that everyone could be involved.”
Olivia used Al Perkins as an example, and even Abbie had referenced him as seeming like a “good guy”. So they do agree on something! And TBH, so do we. 10/10 would watch Al doing interviews (but we digress).
“Instead, they chose who has beef with a lot of people, which resulted in less than half the cast wanting to be involved.”
Olivia Frazer Hits Back at Abbie Chatfield’s Suggestion That Screen Time Equates to Better Opportunities
Olivia also referenced Abbie’s “bizarre rant”, where she claimed producers choose people to have more “screen time” and future opportunities because they make “good TV”.
“I know people don’t love me, but I was a big part of that show. I was the villain; I was half of the big feud; I was half of the only successful match. You can call me a lot of things, but I was not unsubstantial on that show,” she said.
“I’ve seen some very concerning comments over the last 24 hours. If you think someone has more followers, it makes them a better person; then you need a reality check,” she added.
“Social media and reality TV are not real life and do not reflect someone’s value.”
Domenica Calarco Responds to the Married at First Sight Cast Calling Her “Violent”
Olivia also claimed she had no issue with Domenica taking the opportunities she has been given but rather with the producers for giving a “violent individual” more promotion.
“I don’t and won’t say anything bad about other individuals. I only critique the treatment of participants by MAFS producers. It’s unacceptable and dangerous,” she said.
It echoed the statement made by Jessica Seracino, who also alleged Domenica was “violent” during filming.
“I can’t believe I have to respond to this, but this is f*cking ridiculous,” Domenica said on TikTok in response to Jess’ accusation of “verbal abuse”.
“This boils my f*cking blood to no avail because I would never scream at a person or abuse them,” she said.
Domenica continued: “I’m sitting here shaking with rage right now and sweating because of the pure lies of this, oh my god [sic].”
@domenica.calarco I’ve had enough of being branded a ‘violent’, ‘abusive’ person. I’ve had enough. I never screamed at you when you were having a breakdown. STOP
♬ original sound – domenica.calarco
“Everyone was f*cking there, but of course, everyone who was there is going to say that I did this because they all hate me for some f*cking reason.”
Many fans in the comments admitted they had forgotten who Jessica was before making these claims.
Domenica hasn’t commented on Abbie’s statements; however, luckily (for us, at least), there are plenty more responses from the other MAFS cast.
Married at First Sight Australia’s Daniel Holmes Reckons Abbie Chatfield is “Washed Up”
It would be very difficult to argue that Daniel has more name recognition than Abbie after her numerous radio and TV stints.
But apparently, hell hath no fury like a reality star scorned, as the newbie boxer called her “washed-up”.
During an Instagram Q&A on October 18, Daniel explained why he dissed Abbie and told her to “zip it, dork”.
“She was just some chick that commented on a MAFS post that had nothing to do with her. She’s that washed-up chick from The Bachelor or something,” Daniel said.
He added: “She’s come in guns blazing on a MAFS post that she has nothing to do with. If you’re coming at us, I’m just going to throw heat straight back at ya.”
Daniel Holmes and Carolina Santos Claim Domenica Calarco Was “Toxic” Off-Screen
Carolina and Daniel may have split, but they still firmly agree on Domenica being a “toxic” person off-screen.
Daniel admitted he thought a “little catch-up” was a “cool” idea, but the producers had picked the wrong person for the job.
“It’s kind of unfortunate that they’ve chosen someone that, behind the scenes, didn’t get along with many people,” he said, explaining his “pride” wouldn’t allow him to go on the online series.
On October 19, Daniel shared several screenshots of Abbie’s rant video and called the Bachie alum “cooked” because she “has the strongest opinion on something she has absolutely nothing to do with”.
“Yeah, half the cast decided not to get back on TV and show the nation their life, potentially plug their businesses and win some new fans because they are too jealous?! Ya cooked,” Daniel wrote sarcastically.
He alleged that Domenica was “too toxic” when the camera wasn’t rolling, and they didn’t want to put themselves through that situation again.
Carolina echoed the same sentiment in her call-out video, telling Abbie that their choice not to appear on the show actually “says a lot”.
“We all chose to turn down the invitation to be part of this BS online chat with her because we all find her a toxic person that we don’t want to communicate with,” Carolina said.
“You said we are jealous and desperate for attention, but if that was the case, don’t you think we would have all said yes?”
Want even more goss? Listen to episode 223 of the So Dramatic! podcast with Megan Pustetto below!
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