IT was the Saturday night juggernaut that had us all shouting “No Likey, No Lighty” at our tellies.
But while viewers saw glitz, glamour, and budding romance, the reality behind the scenes of was a cocktail of “,” “exhaustion,” and backstage meltdowns, according to a former star of the show.
Former contestant Jordan Arnold revealed what really went down on Take Me OutCredit: Unknown
Jordan joined the hit show back in 2012Credit: TikTok/@jordan.arnold.radio
Jordan Arnold, who starred on the show in 2012, has lifted the lid on the hit.
She took to TikTok to share what really went down when the cameras stopped rolling.
Jordan was just 21 when she joined the “Flirty 30” back in 2012. While she hoped for love, she quickly found herself being moulded into a TV “character.”
She revealed that producers would pigeonhole the girls to fit specific tropes.
Despite not feeling body-confident at the time, Jordan was branded the “” of the group because she was “blonde and curvy”.
“They put me in a lot of really tight bandage dresses, which definitely wasn’t my style,” she says in a series of tell-all TikToks.
“I really hated wearing those dresses.”
She added that if a girl had pink , she’d be forced into a “punk rock” look, regardless of how she actually dressed.
Standing behind a podium might look easy, but Jordan reveals it was a physical and emotional marathon.
Filming could last up to five hours, with the girls forced to stand in towering high heels the entire time.
The pressure cooker environment led to “tantrums and meltdowns” among the contestants.
There was also the constant fear of the “cut.”
Jordan claims girls felt pressured to be “ditzy” or “silly” to ensure they stayed on the show. “
She explained that being cut was the “constant threat” they faced for not entertaining.
According to Jordan, Paddy McGuinness is the ultimate pro.
“Is Paddy McGuinness ? The answer is a resounding yes,” she gushed.
Jordan said he was “friendly, chatty” and “pleasant” to all the cast and called him a “gentleman” to work with.
One of the show’s biggest secrets was the mysterious Isle of Fernando’s.
While it sounded like a paradise, Jordan confirmed what many fans suspected…it was just Tenerife.
And getting there wasn’t exactly a romantic getaway.
After being “whisked backstage” the moment they got a date, contestants were shipped to Gatwick and flown out on separate planes so they wouldn’t see their match before the cameras were on.
Jordan said Paddy McGuinness was a gentlemanCredit: TikTok/@jordan.arnold.radio
Jordan eventually bagged a date with a lad named Ryan, but wasn’t exactly a fairytale, describing the trip as one of the “most awkward experiences” of her life
Interestingly, Jordan wasn’t the only one from her era to find a spotlight.
She revealed that one of the lads on her series was Chris Williamson, who has since ditched the dating shows to become a massive global podcast star with Modern Wisdom.
While Jordan looks back at her younger self and asks “Who was that?”, she insists that despite the politics and the sore feet, the girls formed a “proper sisterhood”, at least until the cameras turned off and the “wee fallouts” began!
Eze Chidiebere Paul
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