Alert – Australian TV show gets ‘derailed’ by ‘gross’ sex debate – as viewers slam the controversial comments made about women on the shock series

SBS program The Feed has been slammed by viewers after it was ‘derailed’ by a ‘gross’ debate about how many sexual partners a woman should have. 

The episode, titled Men Debate Masculinity, saw six men weigh in on issues surrounding gender roles, domestic violence, and the male identity. 

But it quickly devolved within minutes when they were asked if ‘having lots of sexual partners is tied to your status as a man’—leaving some viewers disgusted.

While most agreed men didn’t need many sexual partners to be masculine, some of the panellists were quick to bring up their views on the ‘body count’ of women. 

Clayton Harrop, a self-proclaimed hypnotherapist and performance coach, said he believed a woman with a ‘high body count’ had a ‘chink in the armour’. 

‘I don’t like the idea of a super high body count in women if I am completely honest,’ he said.

SBS program The Feed has been slammed by viewers after it was ‘derailed’ by a ‘gross’ debate about how many sexual partners a woman should have. Pictured: Clayton Harrop

‘I personally believe that the lower a woman’s body count, the better for her, and her future partner,’ he continued.

Clayton went on to boast he had ‘slept with my share of women’ and insisted he doesn’t ‘look at a woman any less because of it’.

However, he confessed he wouldn’t want ’20 other men to be able to say, “Yeah I have been with her bro.”‘ 

‘It’s a chink in the armour that directly affects every other area of our life,’ he said.

Dean Wells, who got his controversial start on Married At First Sight in 2018 and is now engaged to Beauty and the Geek star Aimee Woolley, agreed and added he found women who had many sexual partners ‘unattractive’. 

‘I am not going to try and break it down on an intellectual level, but I just find a chick that has been with way too many guys, unattractive,’ he said.

The episode was around 43 minutes long and saw a myriad other controversial debates between the men.

Clayton, Dean and Chris Katelaris represented the conservative side of the panel, known for their inflammatory online posts about gender-related issues. 

Dean Wells, who got his start on Married At First Sight in 2018 and is now engaged to Aimee Woolley, said he found women who had many sexual partners ‘unattractive’

Meanwhile, well-known advocates Tarang Chawla, Mitch Wallis and Jeff Kissubi represented the opposing progressive side of the debate.    

The episode has garnered significant backlash online, with many slamming SBS for platforming controversial views for ‘rage bait’.    

Women’s safety advocate Mia Findlay shared a video that called out the network for failing to host a productive conversation about men’s violence and misogyny.

‘What was this episode intending to achieve, other than virality, clicks and rage bait?’ she asked on Instagram.

‘It just underscores the continued lack of seriousness in having informed, effective conversations about men’s violence and misogyny in this country.’

Other viewers online agreed with her sentiment, with one person writing: ‘The rage bait worked. We, women, as the collective, are enraged.’

‘These men are so old to be talking about body count. I thought this was high school talk,’ said another.

‘Men still talking about “body count” as if that matters. It’s so gross,’ someone else added.  

‘I am not going to try and break it down on an intellectual level, but I just find a chick that has been with way too many guys, unattractive,’ he said

The episode, titled Men Debate Masculinity, saw six men weigh in on issues surrounding gender roles, domestic violence, and the male identity. Pictured L to R: Chris Katelaris, Dean Wells, Mitch Wallis, Clayton Harrop, Tarang Chawla, and Jeff Kissubi

‘Knowing that more people will see this type of red pill… regurgitated rhetoric, and believe it to be true. Makes me retract from the world even more,’ commented one.

‘I saw some of this clip first thing in the morning and it made me feel awful. Stop platforming these men and their… backwards ideas towards women. Do better @thefeedsbs,’ yet another said.

Tarang, one of the panellists, has since come out to say the debate was often ‘derailed’ with controversial remarks. 

‘The space of online coaches, podcasters and men’s health advocates has an underbelly that often blames women or says controversial things for clout,’ he told news.com.au on Thursday.

‘I didn’t go on the panel to debate for entertainment. I went to discuss the realities of masculinity and because my sister, Nikita, was murdered by her partner, and too many men still don’t take that seriously.

‘If even one man who watched starts to question the culture we’ve built, then it was worth it for me to be there despite the personal cost.’

Tarang became an anti-violence campaigner after his sister Nikita, 23, was horrifically murdered by her husband in a jealous rage in 2015. 

SBS has since released an official statement addressing the backlash the company has received on the episode. 

‘The Feed Debate invites content creators with significant reach and who have different viewpoints on a topical issue to come together in a forum and discuss that issue,’ the statement said. 

‘Like all our content, The Feed Debate is subject to the SBS Code of Practice, which states that SBS will share a diversity of views and perspectives, and requires our news and current affairs programs to provide balanced and impartial coverage.

‘The six panellists who appeared in The Feed’s ‘Masculinity’ debate were informed in advance that the program would be fact-checked and edited to fit The Feed’s debate format, and were also told there would be a diverse range of views represented. 

‘We appreciate the participation of all the panellists who were willing to share their perspectives.’