With scandals, fights, takedowns and tea on the daily (both on- and off-screen), it’s safe to say that 2022 for Australian reality TV drama has certainly been… uhm, a lot. Like, A LOT!
From arguably the wildest Married at First Sight yet to a seemingly wholesome renovation series that somehow produced some of the juiciest drama of the year – 2022 has been an absolute sh*t-show (in our humble opinion).
But never fear! While our fave reality TV stars are busy gift-wrapping sponsored MLM teas and regifting unwanted PR boxes, we’ve collated the top five biggest scandals of 2022.
MAFS MADNESS!
Married at First Sight Australia’s NUMEROUS OnlyFans scandals
It’s honestly hard to believe it’s been less than a year since we watched in horror as Olivia Frazer passed her phone around to expose Dominica Calarco’s OnlyFans account.
The now infamous nude photo scandal unfolded during the second-last dinner party of MAFS 2022.
At the time, Olivia claimed her friends had Googled the Italian bride because, apparently, that’s what you do if “someone smashes a glass in your face”.
She reckoned they just stumbled upon her OF photos but paywalls exist, babes!
It (rightfully) caused YUGE controversy, with other OF creators, sex workers and feminists slamming the “slut shaming” behaviour.
Seriously, that sh*t has gone down as Aussie reality TV lore and things will never be the same.
But this drama was not even close to being over!
Married at First Sight’s Olivia Frazer and Jackson Lonie launch OnlyFans accounts
Just months after MAFS aired, Olivia (read: Max Markson, probs) decided to monetize all the hate she received by launching her own OnlyFans. Yeah, the irony wasn’t lost on anybody.
After Olivia and her (now ex) boyfriend, Jackson Lonie made their own accounts on the adult-only app, Domenica decided it was her time to shame *cough* – sorry, SHINE.
MAFS‘ Domenica Calarco shares her thoughts on her co-stars’ OnlyFans accounts
On June 9, Domenica appeared on the Kyle and Jackie O Show and quickly informed the radio hosts that she’d actually seen one of Olivia and Jackson’s NSFW collab videos.
“I’ve seen it and I tell you what, I need bleach in my eyes,” she said. “I need bleach all over me.”
While Domenica claimed that “babe, it’s on the internet,” Jackson was soon looking into legal action against the radio show for spreading the images, which were (shock horror) also behind a paywall.
Domenica has also put her two cents in about other MAFS stars’ OF accounts, each time falling back on the argument that they had “slut shamed” her on national TV and allegedly continued to defame her throughout 2022.
MAFS Jackson and Olivia break up months after he was caught (on camera) cheating
We kind of brushed over the whole Olivia and Jackson break-up earlier – but let us tell you, it was a scandal in itself!
There was trouble in paradise after So Dramatic! released exclusive footage of Jackson kissing a woman (who was not his girlfriend, Olivia) while visiting his hometown in May.
He was filmed party pashing with Melbourne tradie Hannah Hughes, who honestly took the media sh*tstorm in her stride. Hell, even she’s launched an OnlyFans account since she graced headlines in late May.
Chatting exclusively to So Dramatic! the morning after the kiss, Hannah confirmed that the pash took place at Lava Lounge, in Melbourne’s southeastern suburb of Berwick.
@hanhughes23 ♬ original sound – Hanhughes
It was soon revealed that plenty of other women had also hooked up with the TV groom since he finished filming the show, while he was still dating Olivia. Big yikes!
MAFS Jackson Lonie and Olivia Frazer officially break-up
It was never officially confirmed that the cheating scandal sparked Olivia and Jackson’s breakup several months later. But look, it can’t have helped!
On June 1, Jackson and Olivia dropped an awkward AF video addressing the cheating allegations, with the TV groom admitting he had “f*cked up”. At the time, they claimed that they were still together.
They continued to fend off the countless split rumours, especially after Olivia jetted off on a solo trip to the UK just weeks later.
It wasn’t until August that they confirmed the split, suggesting they had only just decided to part ways. But as reported by So Dramatic!, a source that knows the pair reckons they broke up after Jackson cheated in May.
Since then, both Olivia and Jackson have hinted that there was more to the break up in the neverending slew of Instagram Live Q&A sessions. Seriously, somebody needs to put a child lock on their phones or something…
BACHIE MAYHEM!
Konrad Bien-Stephen reportedly cheats on Abbie Chatfield with Megan Marx
Konrad Bien-Stephen may have been a season favourite on The Bachelorette, but we would argue that his relationship with Abbie Chatfield launched him into household name status.
Their relatively short-lived romance had fans gushing at the progressive couple, with many impressed by how healthy their open relationship appeared.
So, it shocked everybody when rumours emerged that the loved-up duo had parted ways because of a cheating scandal.
Konrad had jetted over to Argentina to film for The Challenge Australia, and whispers that he’d hooked up with another The Bachelor franchise alum soon came to light.
How could he cheat in an open relationship? To put it simply, ethical non-monogamy relies on open communication.
If Konrad had hooked up with somebody without Abbie’s knowledge while they were together (aka a filming location where they weren’t allowed their phones), he would have a one-way ticket to Cheater Town.
After months of waiting, fans finally saw the scandal with their own eyes. In one of the most anti-climatic TV moments of the year, Konrad was filmed making out with Megan Marx in the spa.
Did Konrad Bien-Stephen really cheat on Abbie Chatfield?
But thanks to a well-timed announcement from Abbie, reality TV fans discovered that she and Konrad had actually split up months before the scandal and the news was yet to be made public.
He was later rumoured to be in a relationship with yet another The Challenge co-star, Jessica Brody.
In a huge blow to fans who still shipped the couple together, Konrad recently showed his support for The Challenge Australia co-stars Megan and Brittany Hockley after the latter “slut-shamed” his ex-GF! Totally smooth segway….
Abbie Chatfield was slut shamed by Brittany Hockley and that’s just the start of this (seemingly neverending) late 2022 scandal
Just like a sh*tty Kris Kringle perfume from Chemist Warehouse with no gift receipt, the feud between Abbie Chatfield and Brittany Hockley was the December surprise that absolutely nobody asked for.
And yep, the stench lingered way longer than anybody expected it to.
On December 13, Abbie blasted radio shock jock Kyle Sandilands and recent co-host Brittany for offensive comments they made about her during an interview with rapper Yung Gravy on The Kyle and Jackie O Show.
Abbie criticised her fellow Bachelor alum for “upholding patriarchal standards” while labelling Brittany a “pick me girl”.
Brittany apologised for her “misogynistic tone”, claiming she made a mistake because “the nature of live radio is unpredictable and often unplanned”.
But soon after, Brittany’s Life Uncut co-host Laura Byrne and Megan Marx (yeah, Konrad’s hot-tub hookup partner) took to Instagram to fan the flames by criticising Abbie for hosting the upcoming reality show FBoy Island.
They suggested it was hypocritical for her to host a show that appears to “encourage men to lie to women and manipulate their emotions”, considering she’s a staunch advocate for abolishing misogyny.
Taking to Instagram in response to backlash over the new gig on December 15, The Masked Singer judge reiterated that FBOY Island isn’t degrading like some of her critics have assumed.
In the Insta Story, the 27-year-old said the calibre of people hitting back at her was “interesting” as she’s previously called out Laura for being a long-time “mean girl” and Megan for being “ableist“.
The back and forth between Brittany, Abbie, Laura and your neighbour’s best friend’s second cousin (just kidding!) has been intense, and most recently, Life Uncut fans have officially joined the (cursed) chat.
As reported in episode 239 of the So Dramatic! podcast, Laura and Brittany have been censoring their own fans who have tried to have an educated discussion with the two Bachie alum.
That’s where we’re up to as of writing. But honestly, we won’t be surprised if this drags into 2023. *Sigh.*
LOVE ISLAND BREAKUPS AND MAKEUPS!
Tina Provis and Mitch Hibberd‘s break up crushed our souls and Love Island Australia 2022 stepped on the remains
Love Island Australia winners Mitch Hibberd and Tina Provis became quick fan favourites after they locked eyes in the villa in 2021.
But it was a short-lived romance in the outside world, breaking up just months after the grand finale.
Tina wrote on Instagram at the time: “It’s with a very sad, heavy heart that I tell you guys, Mitch and I are no longer together. I’m so devastated to be sharing this news with you and I am still processing the situation.
“Sadly, this was not our time and we agreed that the best decision for us right now is to part ways.”
An hour following Tina’s post, Mitch shared his own statement to Instagram.
“Out of respect I would like to let you know that Tina and I have decided to end our relationship,” he penned. “It’s obviously extremely shattering and a very emotional time for both of us.”
But reality TV couples break up all the time… So, what’s the big scandal?
Mitch had reportedly hooked up with his OTHER Love Island romantic interest Emily Ward just days after his split with Tina. That’s gotta hurt!
As reported in episode 150 of the So Dramatic! podcast, a source had spilled to host Megan Pustetto that Tina was P*SSED. She later confirmed on TikTok that Mitch and Emily had 100 per cent engaged in some post-show coitus.
However, as reported in episode 237 of the So Dramatic! podcast, a source close to Emily explained that there’s more to the love triangle than everyone thought.
“[Emily] got permission from Tina [to hook up with Mitch]. She legit made sure everything was okay before anything happened. But then Tina made out like she was shocked,” our insider told host Megan Pustetto. Yikes!
Just when we thought the #Titch saga was finally over, they both appeared on Love Island Australia 2022, to the chagrin of everybody just trying to watch the new season.
Unsurprisingly, they were drawn back together while in the villa. And shock, horror! They didn’t last IRL again.
Mitch was soon rumoured to be dating another 2022 islander, Layla John. Deja vu, much?!
THE BANANAS BLOCK SEASON!
The most scandal-filled season of The Block Australia EVER
The Block Australia contestants may not be quite as vicious as other reality TV stars, but that didn’t stop the 2022 Tree Change season from having scandal… after scandal… after scandal! And we were there with our popcorn in hand every step of the way.
Seriously, we haven’t seen that many racism red flags since the early 2000s!
Before the 2022 season even started airing, we were hearing whispers about two contestants quitting just two days into production. Who would have thought Elle Ferguson and Joel Patfull‘s “un-Australian” departure was just the tip of the iceberg?
But admit the seemingly endless slew of cheating allegations and a raging case of cultural insensitivity, one truly shone above the rest.
It’s a scandal that shot The Block to the top of our list… Probs because everybody was accusing the man of a literal crime.
That’s right; we’re talking about Adrian Portelli.
The Block finale drama involving ‘mystery millionaire’ bidder Adrian Portelli
Viewers were first introduced to Adrian as he went head-to-head in a brutal bidding war with Danny Wallis for House Five during the November 6 finale.
The fierce competitors drove the final sale price to record highs, which sparked “dummy bidding” rumours.
Viewers have questioned why bidder Adrian only showed interest in House Five, especially after Blockheads Omar Slaimankhel and Ozman “Oz” Malik described Adrian as “our boy”.
Omar and Oz’s final auction result saw a profit of $1.58 million, with a reserve of $4.08 million, meaning that they sold for more than a whopping $5.66 million.
Adrian – who has purchased several multi-million dollar properties in the past for his charity fundraisers – immediately hit back at the accusations on his Instagram Story on November 7.
But since his initial statement, the philanthropist became a lot cheekier with his rebuttals. He posed for a selfie with Omar and Oz just days after the incident, asking reality TV fans whether it was “too soon?”.
And putting “dummy bidding” rumours to bed once and for all, Adrian purchased Sharon Johal and Ankur Dogra’s house from The Block on November 11.
Ahhh the reality TV drama in 2022 has been chef’s kiss!
Want even more goss? Listen to the latest episode of the So Dramatic! Daily podcast with Megan Pustetto below!
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