Another season, another “scandal” for a flagship reality show from Noovo.
LikeDouble occupation and his trio McToxique, Love is in the meadow had to roll back the tape, erase a problematic contestant from a majority of episodes, and pick up the pieces to build a story as solid as a Case IH tractor.
This catastrophic remodeling, which appears in the first two episodes I saw on Tuesday, explains why the 11e season of the popular farmer-love reality show kicks off Thursday, at 8 p.m., two weeks late.
The fuss concerns one of the five suitors of farmer Anne-Sophie Paquet, 24, a cattle and poultry producer as well as a municipal councilor in Neuville, near Quebec.
In early January, several young women who met this suitor denounced his aggressive and harassing seduction techniques.
According to testimonies posted on the Facebook page of Love is in the meadowthis individual struggled with mental health issues and hunted down his “victims” for years under an array of fake social media profiles.
The production, which declined to comment on the case for this column, was backed into the barn wall, this Tinder Swindler had to be kicked out. But how ? Let’s not forget this crucial detail: this 11e season of Love is in the meadow was filmed in full last summer. And, yes, the friendly Anne-Sophie invited the problematic guy to live on her farm for a week. And, yes, this candidate progressed far, far in the adventure, he appeared in almost all group activities, I am told.
Solution to curb the crisis? Deploy the technique OD Martinique, which consists of cropping compromising images and tightening all shots. During the “speed dating” of the second episode, the camera only shows Anne-Sophie’s four acceptable companions. And in this revised and corrected version of reality TV, Anne-Sophie drafts only two candidates, the third having been ground in postproduction.
Host Katherine Levac only touches on the controversy at the end of the first episode, stating that the adventure will end well for Anne-Sophie, fortunately.
It’s a real shame that such a controversy has descended on the less nasty – and the most authentic – show on the small Quebec screen.
Love is in the meadow, it’s 17 couples formed since 2012, 29 babies created thanks to the magic of TV and singles still motivated to commit. No one signs up to pump up a) their lips, b) their biceps, or c) their Instagram follower count.
Moreover, Joé (the one who measures 6 ft 6 in) and Andréanne from last season recently moved to Beauce to start their ancestral farm there. Luka and Jay are still dating between Montreal and Issoudun, while Denis, who once courted Katherine Levac’s aunt, broke up with Nancy last spring.
Now, in this new chapter of Love is in the meadowthe two pivotal farmers steal the show from their three male companions, who are more withdrawn and embarrassed, let’s say.
Blonde Élisabeth, 24, from Saint-Gabriel-de-Rimouski, is moving air, and this golden cowgirl is looking for a partner who doesn’t write long letters. The brunette Anne-Sophie, described as the most hesitant participant in the history of Love is in the meadow, also presides over the Pont-Rouge public market, in addition to his political involvement and his work on the family farm in Neuville. Does he have time left on his schedule for a lover?
The guys, less exuberant, liven up less in front of the camera. Shy Bobby, 27, a bilingual English speaker from Howick, Montérégie, loves Christmas and cakes. He adores his three sisters and their eight children.
Marc-Antoine, 27, from Saint-Philémon, in Bellechasse, also has a crush on cowboy boots (or cape boots) and he favors “girls from good families”.
As for Guillaume, 38, from Rivière-Ouelle, in Bas-Saint-Laurent, he describes himself as a good guy who too often forgets himself to the detriment of others.
According to my moles, several producers are worried about the future of Quebec reality TV in light of the beatings taken by OD and Love is in the meadow. Because there is no way to be 100% sure that the competitors all have an irreproachable past before ending up on the air.
Obviously, the producers check the criminal background of their (future) participants, that’s the basis. But the acts of which the problematic claimant of Love is in the meadowor online insistence and harassment, were not reported to the police and were not charged.
This information resurfaced the day the face and name of the harmful suitor were revealed on the show’s official Facebook page. Alas, it was too late to get him out of the process.
the island of love at TVA experienced this same kind of situation when a shady competitor was reported on Instagram and TikTok.
In short, not only is love hard to find, as Marie-Ève Janvier sings in the credits of Love is in the meadowbut it’s also even more complicated to find one without stains or skeletons in the closet.