Harried at first sight - be warned

Chris Mansfield after winning a scooter race at an Auckland bar last year. Last week he was axed from reality show Married At First Sight amid domestic violence allegations. Photo / Doug Sherring

Editorial

The footage of Married at First Sight NZ contestants Chris Mansfield and Aimee Collins has been consigned to the cutting room floor after allegations emerged from his past.

Despite having a warrant outstanding in the US for a domestic violence complaint, Mansfield was apparently able to breeze through the entry checks for MAFS - a New Zealand criminal record check, a psychiatric assessment - and be deemed fit to participate by a professional psychologist.

After the Herald revealed Mansfield's history, MediaWorks said he would no longer feature in the series due to premiere tonight.

Former Married At First SIght contestant Chris Mansfield. File photo / THREE

"We were shocked to hear of the accusations made against Chris Mansfield, which we looked into immediately upon learning of them," MediaWorks said in a statement.

"At this time, Chris had already left the experiment and was not required for any further production commitments."

Background and police checks were made before he was accepted on the show, it said, but because Mansfield had failed to disclose the police investigation into him, he would be cut from the programme before it goes to air.

"All our participants are required to confirm they have no undisclosed convictions of any kind and have never been investigated by the police for any criminal activity, but not then convicted.

"Under privacy law it is not possible to obtain information about any charges or outstanding warrants, international or otherwise, an individual may face.

"Chris Mansfield did not disclose these allegations at any time and in light of the accusations that have been made against him, his storyline will no longer be part of the Married at First Sight NZ 2019 series."

The high-rotate "love will conga all" trailer for this schlock - sorry, experiment - features people in wedding garb dancing wildly around in circles while blindfolded. Comparisons with the network executives in charge of vetting are inevitable.

This tawdry episode should serve as a warning to all and anyone thinking about getting involved in such a venture. The network should be better at checking participants; applicants should be on notice their skeletons will not remained buried; and anyone opting into such "experiments" should be wary of who they could be paired with.