In the many years that theIsland of the Famous airs is the first time that a castaway decides to clash head-on with the production, accusing it, among other things, of something very serious, that is, of having led him to forcibly abandon the game. It is the case of Francesco Benigno, that atIsland it officially held out for just two weeks. On April 16, through a communication spread on the program’s social channels, theIsland of the Famous in fact he made it known that Benigno was no longer one of the castaways in the race: «Following inappropriate behavior prohibited by the regulations, Francesco Benigno was excluded from The Island of the Famous»is the message that began to bounce first on Instagram and very harsh accusations against the production, who at first seemed to want to encourage him to retire.
Francesco Benigno atIsland of the Famous
«I didn’t retire. I was picked up yesterday byIsland after a verbal argument with one of the contestants because he was upset that I had nominated him. I was picked up with an excuse, I was taken to the resort and they told me that I had to leave the game because there was something, they said, that I had done. But obviously I didn’t. The strong powers of Mediaset and Banijay decided that I had to be eliminated, but they can’t give us an explanation”, said Benigno who, not happy, also specified that from Banijay Italia, the production house ofIsland of the Famousoffers of money would arrive to buy his silence. «The production made offers to me, to my wife and to my agent, for money and not to ask for penalties. This is strange because if I had done something against the contractual agreements you wouldn’t propose to give us money. They asked me to make a video where I said I wanted to retire because I missed my wife but I’m here, fierce, I want to win thisIsland and I would win it… They argue that there are strong images. I told him to broadcast them, but obviously these images aren’t there, they’re just excuses.”
«The things that disqualify you are: swearing, insults, homophobic phrases or fights with your hands. Anything that is verbal and does not lead to arguments with hands is not disqualifiable. I didn’t do anything”, reiterated Benigno one last time, speaking of real intimidation: «Production is threatening me, they have been threatening me since last night, telling me that I have to take a flight today to go back to Italy. Against my will. They told me that if I don’t take a flight today they won’t pay me for the return ticket or the hotel. They are constantly threatening me.” Hence the official response from Banijay Italia through a press release: «Banijay Italia reiterates that the exclusion of Francesco Benigno from The Island of the Famous occurred as a result of inappropriate behavior prohibited by the program regulations, rules accepted and signed by himself. The statements released by Benigno through his social channels are to be considered offensive and harmful, as well as without any foundation». At this point the best path to take would be only one: show any offending images during the new episode to explain why Benigno is no longer in the race. Hiding the dust under the carpet and avoiding talking about the topic after all this ambaradan would fuel doubts and mistrust in the public that reality television absolutely cannot afford.
Tags: Island Famous Francesco Benigno reality forced abandon program responds
