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One of the Roses has accused the festival of 'manipulating and bullying' contestants
THE DOWN ROSE has accused the Rose of Tralee Festival of “manipulating and bullying” the participants for the purpose of a fly-on-the-wall documentary.
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Fainche McCormack has spoken out about the filming of Road to the Dome, which was aired prior to the contest on Monday evening.
The Roses were filmed at all stages in the run up to the finals, including the selection process where the 65 Roses were whittled down to 32 for the live shows.
In a post on the official Rose of Tralee Facebook page, McCormack said her emotions had been “manipulated” for the purpose of the programme:
Facebook / Down Rose Centre Facebook / Down Rose Centre / Down Rose Centre
“I could go on for days about the many ways we were manipulated, bullied and mistreated,” she continued.
Facebook / Rose of Tralee International Festival Facebook / Rose of Tralee International Festival / Rose of Tralee International Festival
In a joint statement, RTÉ and the Rose of Tralee Festival said all 65 Roses were aware of the filming from the outset, and the festival was happy with the finished programme.
However, they have agreed to review the filming process ahead of next year’s contest:
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