I am an avid MTV Reality Show Watcher. As much as people love to make fun of Teen Mom (1 and 2), Jersey Shore, Real World, and the Challenges, I watch all of them. Every week. Especially the Challenges.
Teen Mom inevitably shows domestic violence, and prefaces and ends each episode with a help line for those viewers who may be suffering also. Jersey Shore exemplifies the worst of young adults with their excessive binge drinking and sexcapades. And Real World and the Challenges are infamous for the sexual harassment. Both the show and the challenge have the same set of rules for castmates. No drugs, no violence. Committing either sin is automatic exile from the show (although you're still in the pool for later challenges). At least one rape occurred on air (behind bathroom doors), and one still alleged sexual assault apparently on camera, though never aired.
And that second instance, after the victim filed a lawsuit, I guess MTV got nervous. Originally their contract for any show states that non consenual touching resulting in STD's or pregnancy may occur and MTV is not liable (although apparently should you actually become pregnant due to consensual or nonconsenual sex, you're automatically kicked off the show). So really even if Tonya's telling the truth, she'll have a hard time winning, having signed that contract.
Nobody likes bad publicity. Not even MTV who can call every claim baseless, and show the contract everyone willingly signed to not sue over sexual harassment or assault. So now it seems the rules have changed.
Last night, on the Challenge, MTV sent all the castmates to a club (as often they do to stir up drama), and lo, an incident happened. Honestly, all I saw was Mandi dancing, and then a black box covering her breast that had apparently popped out. Turns out a cast member named Vinny had untied the back of her shirt, to make the whole thing drop. Vinny never denied doing this, and while he worried he'd get kicked off the show, that was the closest he came to seeming apologetic about it.
He voted Mandi into the elimination duel the next night.
But enough about what an asshole he is, I honestly didn't expect him to leave. While I don't remember an exactly similar incident in previous seasons, I'm almost certain there have been enough sexist talk and bikinis coming off, and grabbing, that I'm sure things at least that bad have happened on the show. So when Vinny expressed his anxiety about leaving to Mark, Mark agreed MTV doesn't allow it.
WHAT?! Since when?? Not to say I'm not happy about it, I am, of course, but happily surprised that indeed, Vinny was kicked off the show (still without apology). Goodbye, and Good Riddance.
More importantly, Hello. To MTV's apparently new zero tolerance policy to sexual harassment (and presumably, hopefully, assault). Although they've never been good at sticking to past precedents, I do believe this is a big step in the right direction for the network. Physical abuse and substance abuse have long been punished; finally MTV is recognizing that sexual abuse is equally harmful...to the network, and more importantly, the cast.
By MTV now recognizing this as grounds for dismissal, it makes it more likely that the viewers (I'll admit most of them are young and impressionable) will see it as something dangerous. Something to avoid. For right now, I'm not concerned with the rationale involved in young boys when they decide not to rip the shirt off a girl. For now, I don't need them to be thinking about how they need to respect women. Right now, I just want it to end.
And finally, MTV is helping to do just that.
End Sexual Harassment.
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