Someone’s in hot water here!
Two former MasterChef contestants have accused Gordon Ramsay of sexual harassment and physical assault, in addition to his harsh ranting we all know and love.
For the record, we’re not jumping to any conclusions, because these are VERY SERIOUS allegations.
The first contestant, Marie Porter, made the top 100 of the current season. She launched the complaints on her personal blog, and the producers say they’re without merit. Here’s what she claimed:
“Two of my MasterChef friends have had suicidal thoughts since coming back, as a result of the treatment out there. One friend was sexually harassed by the judges to the point that she had her lawyers get her edited out of the show completely. As part of it, one of the judges told her the only way he’d have an appreciation for her is if he was looking at her naked body! Two of my friends were physically assaulted, one by production, one by a judge. … I’m beyond disgusted … I’m livid.”
See? This is NO laughing matter. If the allegations are false, then it’s a very serious offense to launch them. If they’re true, well, we don’t have to tell you how awful we feel for those who were harassed — and the culprits should be dealt with!
Here’s what the other contestant, Playboy playmate Carrie Stevens, said in support — and she├óΓé¼Γäós also the contestant who asked to be edited out:
“Everything Marie says is absolute truth… I witnessed it.”
Her rep followed up with this:
“I can tell you that Carrie was not happy with the way she was treated on the show. She was grateful that when she requested to be edited out of the show, that they did kindly comply.”
We’re floored — because we LOVE MasterChef. We would never expect this kind of conduct!
Here’s what a show rep said:
“Contestants on MASTERCHEF are treated with the utmost respect and professionalism and we care tremendously about their well-being. The recent comments posted about the treatment of the contestants are completely without merit.”
If this goes legal, hopefully we’ll get some truth in EITHER direction! We’re stuck here not knowing who to believe quite yet — but you bet your asses we’ll have a few things to say when we get more info on what’s happened!!
[Image via WENN.]