tv

"I know you all probably want a feminist rant." Abbie Chatfield on her third reality TV rejection.

On Tuesday night's episode of I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here!, we saw the boys' club in full swing. And it was gross.

First, a quick recap: At the start of the episode, we learned that Abbie spent a couple of hours in comedian Ash Williams' sleeping bag.

Not long after, new camp mate Alli Simpson arrived and Ash's tune changed very quickly. The 38-year-old told the other men he regretted spending time with Abbie, because he'd rather hit on Alli.

Watch: If a man lived like a woman for a day. Post continues below video.


Video via Mamamia.

He said Alli - who is 22 and in a relationship - arrived "one day too late".

"Yeah it's very tough because in all seriousness, like, [Alli] is way more my type," Ash said.

By this point, most of the other men in camp had joined the conversation, telling Ash he was in a 'tough spot' and 'in pole position'.

"So this morning, I was sitting by the fire and I said, 'Last night’s cuddle was good.' I said, 'You know, maybe we could do that again,'" Ash explained, to collective groans.

ADVERTISEMENT

The scene cut to co-hosts Dr Chris Brown and Julia Morris, who had a perfect response.

"What I loved about that conversation was the unquestioned assumption that it's Ash's choice to make, as though the romantic success with Abbie and Alli was just a foregone conclusion and they have no choice in the matter whatsoever," Julia mocked.

Among viewers, Ash's comments were also met with universal backlash. 

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT

Later in the episode, the 'boys club' antics continued, with the men probing Alli for details about her relationship status and asking if she wanted to see Ash's abs.

Alli said she'd actually been seeing someone, so maybe the men should avoid discussing hooking up with a woman without knowing if she's actually keen. Women have agency, etc. etc.

Back to Abbie, who is well-loved for empowering content, calling out problematic bulls*** on reality TV and social media, and just generally being a feminist queen.

This is probably the part where you'd imagine we'd outline whatever kickarse message she had following the episode, about how the boys' club antics are inappropriate and indicative of a culture where women are seen as props.

And while that is true, Abbie's response didn't cover that.

ADVERTISEMENT

It was still kickarse, but in a different way. 

Abbie acknowledged that right now she couldn't give her followers the kind of rant they expected.

"If you think your love life is bad, imagine consistently being second best on national TV," she captioned a story.

Of course we remember that Abbie was, as she puts it, 'dumped on a rock in Africa' by 2019's Bachie Matt Agnew, and last year we saw her rejected by Ciarran Stott on Bachelor in Paradise. In hindsight, not a loss, but that wouldn't have made it hurt any less at the time.

Image: Instagram.

ADVERTISEMENT

Image: Instagram.

Image: Instagram.

ADVERTISEMENT

Image: Instagram.

ADVERTISEMENT

Abbie then addressed Ash's comments about Alli arriving 'a day too late'.

"Yeah super funny. Super good. Sorry for trapping you with 'bad timing'," she wrote.

"Sorry you asked me to stay in your bed and then again the next night.

"Love feeling like charity work."

She went on to say her self-esteem had taken a hit and watching Ash's comments felt like a "kick in the guts".

"Being completely honest regarding tonight, I know you all probably want a feminist rant about locker room talk and boys' club and stuff," she continued on Instagram.

"But to be frank, I'm just hurt. And I feel like I was spoken about like I am an inconvenience and easily discarded."

Image: Instagram.

ADVERTISEMENT

Image: Instagram.

ADVERTISEMENT

Abbie said that, of course, this had nothing to do with Alli and asked that none of her followers "trolled anyone".

And while Abbie's 'rant' was different from many of her past ones, it served up an equally strong message.

As open as Abbie is about her life, and as articulate she has been while dismantling patriarchal crap in the past, she's still human.

And humans aren't always going to be super articulate in the face of hurt, or want to respond with a powerful takedown right off the bat.

Honestly, we often just need time to process what it is we're going through.

And then when we've done that, the boys' club doesn't stand a chance.

Mamamia has reached out to Channel 10 and Abbie for comment.

Feature image: Instagram.