Splitsvilla 7 wrap: Mocking fat women is a-okay

The tortuous journey of Splitsvilla Season 7 continues with the fifth episode finally bringing out what we have come to love so much in reality television in India: abusive language, misogyny and more ridiculous tasks. The episode began with the boys having to choose one girl to partner with, draw some water from a well in a matki that has a hole in it, walk over an obstacle course (a glorified usage of the term, really) and then dump that water into a square container at the end of that course. The girls had to hold the matki and the boys had to carry the girls. It is at this point that Splitsvilla answers the question that might have been plaguing some: why is Jacqueline, a plus-size girl, included in a show where everyone else looks like they are a member of Anorexics Anonymous? So that we can mock her. Because, you know, fat girls are meant to mocked. Duh! [caption id=“attachment_1618641” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  A still from Splitsvilla 7[/caption] Mayank Pawar, the body-builder chose Jacqueline as his partner (he didn’t know he’d have to carry her at that point) and once he found out that he’d have to use his muscles, he whined and whined and whined. Boys and girls, let this be a lesson to you: buff doesn’t mean strong. From complaining that Jacqueline weighs 110kgs (we are told this at least 4 times by Mayank) to increasing her weight to 125 kgs (by Rishabh, because the camera added another 15 kgs, perhaps), the boys and the producers of the show don’t miss a chance to remind us that we must laugh at Jacqueline. We’re told she is “a sumo-wrestler” (Mayank, who is obviously a prince and a poet) and when Mayank has to lift her, we hear elephant noises in the background. And you thought Tuntun jokes were bad. As for the obstacle course, it’s just a log and a few tiles that the boys have to walk on. The way they complain about about it’s difficulty, you’d think they’re being asked to walk on the heads of starving crocodiles. Once this task was over, the girls had to choose one boy from the four who didn’t win and save him. Guess who is chosen? Mayank Pawar. Because hey, he carried the fat girl. The man and his muscles deserve a break. (Please note: this is sarcasm.) The one who was banished is Rishabh, who responds with what he thinks is cool menace: “Unki sabse badi mistake yeh hai ki woh mere dushman hai.” B-grade Bollywood, Rishabh’s your man. We’re not sure just what being banished means, however, since we’re told that Rishabh isn’t out of the game even though he isn’t really in it either. Then came task number two, known as Awesome Threesome. No, this is not a sex game and yes, it’s designed to be offensive. As Sunny Leone and Nikhil demonstrated, Awesome Threesome was a test of “boobie power”. The contestants in pairs of three (one boy and two girls) had to come together and carry a balloon and dump it in a can. Without using hands. The idea was a radical one to the contestants, who gushed about how “awesome” this task was. The one who doesn’t get to be a part of this task is Jacqueline, because a) to quote Mayank, she’s a sofa set, and b) she’s used abusive language (which is, apparently, the birthright of boys). In case you were feeling bad for Jacqueline, don’t. Later on in the episode, she and Apoorva were part of an ugly scene when they accused Ashwini and Sanjana of making out. There was a lot of beeping, and more beeping and some threats about a fight; all of which seems like a severe over-reaction. As Nikhil asks the ladies, “What’s the big deal?” Considering all that’s happened on this show, why do these contestants think their audience can’t handle a bit of smooching? There is some good news for all those who are appalled by the misogyny in Splitsvilla. In the next episode, it seems the boys finally face some violence. Disclaimer: Splitsvilla airs on MTV India, which is part of Viacom 18, a joint venture between Network 18 India and Viacom Inc. Firstpost is published by the Network 18 Group.