Petition calls for TVNZ to pull FBoy Island after contestant controversy

A petition calling for the controversial TV show FBoy Island to be pulled has been launched after revelations a contestant was charged with suffocating a woman.

Wayde Moore appeared in court last year. He admitted to police he lured the woman to his home because she was drunk and he hoped to have sex with her.

Moore then covered the woman's mouth and nose to keep her quiet when she called for help. He was found not guilty of the charge of suffocation.

Although TVNZ announced on Monday that Moore would be edited out of the show, a campaign is now calling for the network to drop the show completely.

More than 1000 people have signed the petition, which features an open letter to TVNZ chief executive Simon Power.

The group behind the petition, Project Gender, said TVNZ's decision to air it was "dangerous".

"In your show, 20 young men vie for the attention of three women who must decide if they are 'nice guys' or 'Fboys', meaning men who act as if they're entitled to sexual encounters and who often use manipulation to have sex with women."

Moore told the Herald he did not mention his court case to the production company, Warner Bros, because he wasn't convicted. His criminal record check produced a clean slate.

TVNZ this week told the Herald contestants were asked if anything in their background could have adverse consequences for the show, production company or network.

TVNZ local and commissioning deputy content director Nevak Rogers said HBO Max created the series to attract a large-scale younger audience and the US version has been picked up by the likes of the BBC for that very reason.

"Our strategy for TVNZ+ is to grow our relevance to rangatahi in Aotearoa and FBOY Island NZ is a part of that plan."

She said beyond the provocative title, the show is a light-hearted look at modern-day dating.

"It puts the power in the hands of the three female contestants, who find themselves with 20 potential suitors – 10 are self-proclaimed 'nice guys' looking for love, and the other ten are self-proclaimed 'F Boys'. "

Rogers said unlike other dating shows, the contestants don't have an opportunity to share their beds.

"For each female contestant there is $50k on the line – if they select a nice guy, the new couple both get the money.  If they instead select an FBoy, it's up to him whether he splits it, or takes the $50k for himself."

She claimed Fboy Island was also not dissimilar to an offline version of the digital dating world.

"Potential matches come thick and fast, and there is often little information supplied to make an informed decision.  It's a format that will feel familiar to many – particularly 18+ audiences," Rogers said.

"Post-production is near completion and the contestant in question will no longer significantly feature in the show or its promotion. Due to the nature of editing, he may still appear briefly in group, wide or background shots, however, he will not be prominent in the series."

Gender Project wrote on the petition that, as a broadcaster, TVNZ has a responsibility not to perpetuate stereotypes that have a "high likelihood of harming women".

"Simon, you're better than this, TVNZ is better than this. Sort it out, Simon. Pull FBoy Island NZ today," the message reads.

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