The Bachelor Australia has attracted criticism for how it portrayed bisexuality in it’s most recent season.

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Contestant, Brooke Blurton’s sexuality was advertised as a huge dark secret that she needed to reveal to Nick.

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This left viewers accusing Channel Ten of biphobia and bi-erasure.

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Claire Sadler reports...

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B: Welcome to the Bachelor insider guide.

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CS: After a week of Network 10 heavily promoting Brooke’s big secret fans were offended when it was revealed she was bisexual.

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B: How will Nick respond “it is something big and it is something you should know” when Brooke reveals her secret “this is really uncomfortable for me to tell you but like”.

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CS: Jamieson Kay from the UWA Pride department has explained the issue with advertising bisexuality in this way.

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JK: It frames her coming out as bisexual as this massive secret and how they have framed it there is sort of like that implicational undercurrent of shame.

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CS: Miss Kay was also frustrated with the way the Bachelor used Brooke coming out for views.

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JK: The idea that people’s sexuality is for public consumption really commodifies the privateness of sexuality and it just makes a spectacle really out of coming out of the closet when it’s not something that’s a spectacle and it’s actually something that is really private.

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CS: Some on the streets have strong feelings about this representation of bisexuality.

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VPS: (1) They made such a big issue of it like it was a massive secret when really it wasn't an issue at all (2) While I appreciate that the Bachelor had bi representation it was super disappointing that the advertisement made her coming out like have a negative stigma around it because it made her seem like bi people themselves are a negative in society, which is super unfair in my opinion (3) I also thought it was going to be her having a child or something because that was how intense it built it up to be. I think it was all just to draw in the views and that being bi shouldn't really be a means to design an advertisement like that because it’s not that big of a deal.

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CS: Nick Badger’s response to Brooke coming out was also criticised for stereotyping bisexuality as a choice.

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B: Out of both your experiences what do you feel is right for you?

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CS: Miss Kay was concerned about the implications of portraying bisexuality as a choice.

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JK: Framing sexuality in itself as a choice is quite problematic because it really reinforces this norm especially that bi people have to choose a side when in reality it’s this own sexuality.

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CS: Nicholas May from the Pride Network here in WA was not phased by the way Brooke’s bisexuality was represented.

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NM: Majority of the time it is better than having no portrayal at all.

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CS: Despite this controversy The Bachelor Australia continues to have high ratings.

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This is evidential that the representation of Brooke’s sexuality has had little impact on the show’s success.

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B/A: Claire Sadler with that report.