Carlo Boszhard is accused in the Volkskrant of facilitating transgressive behavior. “This is manipulation and intimidation to boost the viewing figures of RTL 4.”
We are being bombarded with it on RTL 4: Married At First Sight and the many promotional items about it in the ‘journalistic dependent’ RTL Boulevard. But is this Carlo Boszhard show completely clean? Johan Derksen has long been very critical of this ‘immoral’ program in which people marry complete strangers.
Act of desperation
Psychologists Vittorio Busato and Wim Bloemers now express this in a major opinion piece de Volkskrant their concerns about this TV show. According to them, marrying a complete stranger goes too far. “These singles are encouraged to do this act of desperation because they are supposedly ‘scientifically responsible’ linked to each other.”
And who are those four scientific cupids? Well, not scientists anyway. “What is really bad about the format of Married At First Sight is that the four are not scientists at all: they do not have a PhD or are employed as researchers by a university.”
Misleading
According to Vittorio and Wim, you cannot do this. “The fact that these expert scientists supposedly promise participants their prince or princess dream in the name of science is downright misleading and reprehensible.”
Even if they were scientists, it would still be misleading, they write. “There is no scientific research that shows that people who promise each other eternal loyalty at first sight have a serious chance of a successful marriage.”
Success rate
Vittoria and Wim also point out the extremely low success rate. “The fact that the ‘experts’ do not recognize that they are simply wrong and with their ‘guidance’ to make those marriages successful is not only a shameful but also a scientific mortal sin.”
They continue: “What is happening here is manipulation and intimidation to boost RTL4’s viewing figures. In fact, let’s just call it transgressive behavior.”
Major research
According to them, it is time for a major investigation into the Carlo Boszhard show. “Would the makers and producers of Married At First Sight dare to conduct an independent study into the mental well-being of the participants in recent seasons? Or did they have to sign a declaration of silence?”
They conclude: “We dare to predict that this will result in an alarming amount of emotional damage and other suffering.”