Alvin Quah is backing up Tully Smyth after the Big Brother star called out what she saw as ‘sexism’ on The Traitors Australia, suggesting the women struggled to have their voices heard.
After episode three aired, Tully shared footage on Instagram from a challenge which saw contestants carrying a heavy raft up a mountain before players were progressively removed from the task. Henry Nicholson suggested “ladies first” when deciding who should step out, effectively reducing the women’s chances of winning a Shield.
During the episode, Tully could be heard arguing that the whole group should have a say in who received the Shield, rather than allowing the louder male contestants to dominate the decision-making.
On Instagram, she described the experience as one of her “top 5 horror movies”, listing “sexism” and “trying to get a word in” among her frustrations. Fellow contestant Cosima De Vito backed her up, commenting: “What a messed-up day.”
In an exclusive interview with Chattr, Alvin spoke about whether The Traitors was a ‘sexist’ environment where women’s voices weren’t always heard.
“Where Tully is coming from — and I completely can relate — it’s almost like every time Tully would say something, she would get cut off, or someone else’s opinion would override her,” he said.
“It’s hard when you’re in a game where you are trying to put your opinions forward and trying to present a case when you’re getting either shut down or ignored. I can totally sense that frustration.”
Alvin admitted that he found it ‘upsetting’ hearing about Tully’s experience. “I see where she’s coming from, and that’s sad. It’s upsetting when we are in the 21st century and we still have women saying these things. It’s really upsetting.”
He went on to allude to a double standard on The Traitors between the men and women’s ideas being heard by the group. “Did I get the same thing? No, I didn’t. And whether or not it’s because I’m a man and she’s not, I don’t know,” he said.
Alvin struggled to ‘connect’ with the men on The Traitors Australia
Alvin shared with Chattr that he found it easier to connect with the women on The Traitors. “I don’t have the same connection with the twins or AJ as I did with Keira, Kirby and Tully — I gravitate more towards women anyway in my social circle because I like talking to them,” he said. Mood!
“I didn’t get a lot of camaraderie or mateship from some of the boys in the group… with some exceptions.”
In the interview, he agreed that the twins, Josh and Luke Packham and Ian ‘Dicko’ Dickson were quite dominant over others on the show. “Most of us have been in the public eye for a long time — there are a lot of egos. There’s a lot of like, what about me? It’s my turn to talk!” he said.
“If you put a bunch of celebrities in a room like that, it’s bound to happen.”
The Traitors airs Tuesday and Wednesday on Channel 10 and 10Play.
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