ABC is pulling Episode 2 of its new reality series “The Proposal” from the schedule, after a woman accused a contestant on the upcoming installment of being involved in sexual assault.
In a public Facebook post on Thursday, Wisconsin resident Erica Denae Meshke detailed how Michael J. Friday — a contestant on “The Proposal‘s” second episode — facilitated a sexual assault that took place when he and Meshke met for a Tinder date last November.
“One of the men pictured here was directly responsible for my date rape,” Meshke captioned a group photo of “The Proposal” contestants, later identifying Friday individually in the comments section. “After keeping this buried for nearly eight months, and seeing this man continue to succeed and not be held accountable for his actions, I’ve had enough. I’ve lost sleep, relationships, self-esteem, trust, and countless other things because of that night. And I’m done keeping it quiet.”
According to Meshke’s account, when she met Friday in person for the first time, he was accompanied by two men in their 50s, whom he referred to as friends. After pouring Meshke a drink, which she later realized had been drugged, Friday left the room and never returned. Instead, one of the older men brought Meshke to an apartment upstairs, where Meshke says she was assaulted for the next five hours.
“This man is the pretty face that is used as a lure to get girls into unsafe situations,” Meshke wrote of Friday. “I’ve heard so many similar bait-and-catch horror stories, and it’s sickening. Protect your fellow women, and keep trash like this accountable for their actions. Be safe. Be aware. Be cautious. And boycott #TheProposal.”
“An allegation has been made against a contestant on next week’s episode of ‘The Proposal,’” said ABC and production company Warner Horizon in a joint statement. “While the accusation was not related to the contestant’s appearance on the program, we take it very seriously. ABC and the producers of The Proposal are pulling the episode while this matter is under review.”
Created by Mike Fleiss (“The Bachelor”), “The Proposal” features 10 eligible daters in each episode who compete in pageant-style rounds to win the heart of a mystery suitor or suitress, whom they don’t meet until the end of the competition. A representative for “The Proposal” noted that Friday was eliminated in the first round of his episode.