IT’S A THORNY ISSUE
NI ROSE OF TRALEE SAYS CONTEST WAS ‘DISGUSTING ORDEAL’
A NORTHERN Ireland Rose of Tralee contestant has launched a withering attack on the famous Irish cultural festival
Down Rose Fainche McCormack accused organisers of treating entrants “like animals in a circus”.
In a hard-hitting post on the Rose of Tralee Facebook site, Ms McCormack, from Newry, said all had begun well: “The Rose of Tralee was honestly the most amazing experience of my life, until Sunday morning.”
But, proving the truth of the old saying that the sweetest roses have the sharpest thorns, she then savaged how the festival was run.
She said that the Roses did “not sign up for a cheap reality television show in which our emotions would be manipulated for entertainment purposes”.
“We did not sign up to be treated like animals in the circus and held in a room against our will,” she added.
“However, up until a certain point, the Rose of Tralee was the experience of a lifetime, every part of a little girl’s dream.
“It’s just a shame that television viewing numbers became more important than the truly amazing girls that got hurt and that now have to deal with the emotional trauma of the whole, quite frankly, disgusting and cruel ordeal.”
She said that the entrants were followed intrusively by cameras throughout the event, and contestants were asked inappropriate, probing questions.
She claimed one girl was quizzed about the colour of her underwear just before she went on stage.
“What’s acceptable about that?” Ms McCormack asked.
“None of us signed up for a cheap reality television show, and now, unfortunately, the Rose of Tralee is an experience I will never forget, for all the wrong reasons,” she added.
Ms McCormack was referring to Sunday night’s show in which the 65 hopefuls were whittled down to 33.
The girls were divided into two rooms — in one suite lucky Roses were told that they had made it through to the final stage of the competition.
While at the same time in a room across the corridor, 33 less fortunate Roses heard that their journey had come to an abrupt end.
The whole experience was captured on film by an RTE camera crew for the documentary The Road To The Dome.
Last night RTE said it “regrets” causing any Rose of Tralee contestants “upset” during the filming of the documentary.
The Republic’s national broadcaster has come under fire after several Roses criticised the way they were treated during filming.
Sydney Rose Brianna Parkins said: “We were barked at and told not to do anything to ruin the shot. It was all about getting the shot.
“I signed up for the Rose of Tralee, I didn’t sign up for reality TV. I was really disappointed.” A spokesperson for the Rose of Tralee Festival said: “The Road To The Dome was a new addition to the Rose of Tralee’s television coverage this year. It was commissioned by RTE and produced in co-operation and agreement with the Rose of Tralee committee. The 65 Roses were aware from the outset that they were being filmed at all stages in the run-up to the
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“In advance of the show going out on Monday evening the festival ( committee) were given the opportunity to view the programme and were happy with it.
“We regret that the Down Rose Fainche McCormack was upset at elements of the filming process for the documentary and RTE, and the Rose of Tralee Festival have agreed to review the process for next year.”
Festival executive chairman Anthony O'Gara ac cepted the Sunday morning segment was not handled well.
the sitive”.And ‘Rosehe agreedcull’ was filming “insen- of The Down Rose’s post has since been removed from the Rose of Tralee Facebook site.
Ms McCormack did not respond to a request from the Belfast Telegraph for a comment last night.
None of us signed up for a cheap realityTV show... I’ll never forget it, for all the wrong reasons