Chrystal Chenery hints at reality TV's dark side

Chenery was one of The Bachelor's most outspoken contestants.

Outspoken TV star Chrystal Chenery has taken to Facebook to hint at a darker side to TV3 reality show The Bachelor NZ.

In a post, the contestant compared her time with Art Green on The Bachelor NZ to scripted drama show UnReal, currently streaming on Lightbox.

In UnReal, contestants on a Bachelor-style show are seen being heavily manipulated by producers to provide the show's drama, including fights, screaming matches and catty behaviour.

They're also micro-managed by producers into revealing personal information on camera that they're reluctant to reveal. In one scene, a producer messes with a contestant's prescriptions drugs, then encourages the teetotaler to drink.

On Facebook, Chenery linked to two UnReal trailers and said: "Oh so that's why none of crew spoke to us because they were setting us up! A nice glimpse into reality TV.

"That's why the girls and I are still friends... No one else can understand what we went through but us."

TV3 has been approached for comment.

Chenery was one of The Bachelor's most outspoken contestants, at one point revealing that fellow competitor Poppy had kissed Art Green when she told the girls she hadn't.

During Chenery's exit, she told Green - who went on to choose Matilda Rice as the winner - that she wanted to "punch him in the face" for kissing one of the girls in front of the rest of them.

In her exit interview with the Herald, Chenery said she was happy to have left the show when she did: "I was definitely happy to have my freedom back and I'm happy my journey has come to an end."

She went on to make it to the finals of Dancing With the Stars, which was won by Simon Barnett.

She also won praise for her fiery response to an explicit Facebook post made by radio DJ Dominic Harvey, which he later apologised for.

- nzherald.co.nz