Episode 2 - Wednesday 4 November at 9:05pm
We’re officially living in an outrage culture. It seems that barely a week goes by without someone getting publicly crucified in a torrent of angry tweets and media headlines, for real or imagined mistakes. ABC’s new series, Reputation Rehab will tackle public shaming head-on and break through the outrage cycle with comedy and empathy. Hosted by The Checkout’s Kirsten Drysdale and Zoe Norton Lodge, Reputation Rehab will find tarnished reputations and lovingly bring back their shine. Each week, the episode will begin with a deep-dive into an outrage story, or a person who has endured a public shaming. Kirsten and Zoe will consult a group of real people to find out how closely the heightened coverage aligns with their views. Through interviews, media analysis and stunts, Kirsten and Zoe will seek to rehabilitate the guest’s damaged reputation and provide a unique opportunity for transformation.
In this week’s episode we explore “Reality Villains”. In the space of a few weeks, Abbie Chatfield went from total nobody to “dirty slut” and “f**king gronk”, and all it took was a little stint on The Bachelor. As the first Bachelor villain to make it to the final, Abbie experienced a torrent of negative media coverage, abuse and death threats from viewers. So, who is to blame for the shaming - Abbie, the show or the viewers - and when Kirsten and Zoe meet Abbie, can they help her rebuild real life from the reality rubble?