Take Me Out: Not as Classy as Everyone Thought...
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Written by Digiguide Grouch Potato / January 13th, 2012, 12:37pm
Paddy McGuinness hosting Take Me Out. Or a cheap tart's teapot impression convention.
It's been controversy a-go-go over at ITV's Take Me Out this week. The dating show, presented by Paddy McGuinness, is – if you want to be lazy when describing it (and I do) – basically 'Blind Date on acid'. The third series of the popular primetime show began last Saturday and is already hitting trouble. Quite a lot of trouble. Get ready for this...
It was uncovered this week that one male contestant, Aaron Withers, used to be a £50 an hour male escort. Not only was he a man-hooker, the West Country tarmac worker looks like Richard Hammond if he shopped in All Saints. Oh, and he was arrested for punching a woman in the face in a pub brawl a few years ago after she mocked his height (Withers that is, not Hammond). A real class act, eh?
Talkback Thames, who make TMO will apparently be 'reviewing vetting procedures' after the news emerged, a spokesperson said.
"During the application process we ask contestants to declare any convictions and background checks are carried out on each individual. Aaron's criminal record did not come to light."
Aaron Withers: No likey, punch you in the face and hit your boyfriend round the head with a pool cue.
It gets worse (and worse and worse). Aaron's date, Wen Jing-Mo claims that she slept with Aaron on their holiday date before she knew about his conviction for assaulting a woman and feels cheated. She said:
"He manipulated me just to have sex with him. He manipulated this whole situation. Not only has he made a fool out of me, he's got me cut out of the show - so I'm really p*ssed off... I feel as though I've been made to look like a total fool."
Did I mention that Wen used to be a prostitute too? No? Well, yeah. She did.
Keeping up with this...?
That's not it, though... There's been even more revelations in today's rags too. Contestant and glamour model Lucy Harrold has 'revealed' (arf) to The Sun that she takes part in online sex shows for cash when she's not being photographed half naked and getting patronised by pointy-eared TV presenters from Bolton. Talkback Thames bosses apparently know about Lucy's topless shoots but an ITV1 spokeswan claimed that they are 'not aware of any of her other work.'
AND earlier in the week, the front page of the red tops were covered in pictures from backstage parties held at the audition stage some months ago. Nearly 90 wannabe contestants were stuffed into a £4.5m mansion and went on to 'run amok'. Heh – 'amok'. You never hear that word in any other context, do you? What is 'amok' anyway? Isn't it some sort of Thai noodle dish? Anyway, what was I saying? Ah yes, Thai food. I am quite hungry, actually...
No – Take Me Out. That was it. That mansion. Apparently, thousands of pounds worth of damage was caused and there was, to coin some very Sun-ish phrases, 'romping' and 'sex acts being performed'. These don't sound like the sort of parties I go to, where it's mostly 'standing' and 'acts of getting annoyed at the bad music being performed'.
Young people running 'amok'. Not to be confused with an oriental cuisine.
A show insider said:
"These revelations are being taken extremely seriously. It is infuriating to be learning about a different scandal every day. Letting these types of people on to what is supposed to be an early evening family show is totally unacceptable. Things need to change - and fast.”
"The ITV brand is being dragged through the mud. The experienced people who are making these shows have been left in no doubt as to the level of disappointment and dismay here. They accept there are ways in which these scandals can be prevented. This whole incident has been extremely embarrassing."
It's particularly embarrassing for the network, as Take Me Out replaced The X Factor, a squeaky clean show that last year only had drugs, bullying and racism controversies.