Explosive claims of racism have emerged from The Real Love Boat Australia 2022, nearly a year after the series went to air.
Drama from the first (and quite possibly last) season of the Channel 10 dating series has resurfaced, as reported in episode 316 of the So Dramatic! podcast.
Host Megan Pustetto first reported that So Dramatic! had obtained a video of one contestant, Katie Langford, laughing as she played the didgeridoo. In Indigenous culture, it’s widely considered disrespectful for non-First Nations people to play the traditional instrument.
The photo was shared by her co-star, Darnley, Saibai and Yidinji woman Sari Thaiday, who captioned the post with a tongue-in-cheek statement: “Blak queen Katie.”
Speaking to So Dramatic!, Sari said she never intended to share the photo of Katie. However, after Katie’s behaviour towards her during The Real Love Boat, she decided to expose her for being “nasty”.
“I never once called her called a racist prior to any of this occurring,” she explained. “It was only after the fact that I decided to bring that up.
“People had basically asked me and said, ‘Is she a racist?’, and I basically just relayed all the information and I said, ‘Make your own minds up’.”
What happened between Sari Thaiday and Katie Langford on The Real Love Boat Australia?
According to another contestant, Katie allegedly “cried to producers after being paired as a roommate with a First Nations contestant”.
“It was our first day of production when we were boarding the ship and us girls had known each other for like two hours total,” they explained. “The producers assigned us our rooms and Katie was to room with Sari.
“We barely knew each other at this point and production didn’t let us speak to each other off camera then about an hour later Katie was balling her eyes out to one of the producers.”
Approximately 20 minutes later, producers allegedly told the contestant they had “made a mistake” and Katie was to share a room with Moana Berryman.
“Sari couldn’t possibly have done anything to make Katie not want to room with her because it was literally day one and all we had done was share a silent car ride to the ship terminal and sit in a green room not speaking to each other,” the contestant added.
“Katie also called Sari a ‘torry’ instead of Torres Strait Islander.”
The Real Love Boat‘s Katie Langford addresses racism allegations
When contacted for comment, Katie told So Dramatic! that the didgeridoo photo was from 2014 and was taken at a time “before a lot of education”.
“It was a gift from an elder to a friend of mine,” she said. “Though the photo is less than ideal I can confirm I’ve never played a didgeridoo as I’m aware of the rules around it.”
Katie also said her request not to room with Sari on The Real Love Boat “had nothing to do with her heritage or race”.
“It was purely a difference of personality,” she explained. “Sari was on board for less than a week and the ‘other contestant [who spoke to So Dramatic!] absolutely understands how the situation played out and is looking for her five minutes of fame.”
Katie continued: “Everyone involved knows it had nothing to do with race, and honestly during filming the only person who ever mentioned race was Sari. To be honest, I’m tired of having to defend myself over something that didn’t happen and is completely made up.”
She also confessed that since Sari posted the photo of her, she has “been sent multiple death threats and been told that [her] family is in danger” as a result.
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