Spanish 'Big Brother' contestant forced to watch footage of fellow housemate 'raping' her as she lay passed out in bed
'Gran Hermano Revolution', the Spanish version of popular reality TV show 'Big Brother', has come under heavy criticism over how producers handled an incident where one of the contestants was sexually assaulted in the house.
Not only did they sweep it under the rug, but they also informed the victim, Carlota Prado, by showing her the video footage of her being sexually assaulted, according to the BBC.
The assault took place more than two years ago, on November 4, 2017, after contestants had partied with alcohol. Prado, who was extremely inebriated, is led to her bed by José María López, with whom she had been having a relationship.
When López tried to initiate intimate contact, Prado declined and told him, "No, I can't" and then collapsed on the bed. Despite her objections, López is accused of penetrating her as she slept in an assault that is said to have lasted five minutes.
The show then cuts to the next day when he tells her that he had "taken care of her" after she had too much to drink. However, in the afternoon, it was announced that López had been expelled from the house for "intolerable behavior".
Prado, who is still unaware of what happened to her the previous night, is then led to the diary room, where "The Voice", known in 'Gran Hermano Revolution' as the "Super" showed her images of the assault, much to her dismay.
"Please, Super, stop now, please," she begged, as the diary room replayed the events. In another clip of the scene, she threw up twice before breaking down in tears and asking for medication to help her relax: "My heart is beating like crazy."
In the ensuing conversation, The Voice assures Prado that the images and the video will not be seen by anyone and that the organization "does not condone this kind of behavior."
While she argues that she does not want to see a psychologist and just wants to talk to her fellow contestants, she's only let out of the room when an executive producer and a psychologist enter to take her off the set to a nearby hotel.
Representatives of Zeppelin, the production company that makes the show, reported the assault to a police station. However, Prado decided not to pursue charges at the time and returned to the show five days later, though she has now changed her mind.
This past October, the judge investigating the case concluded that there was evidence López had committed the offense and recommended that the case head to trial.
López has denied the allegations, with his lawyer Antonio Madrid insisting that his client "spent the night looking after Carlota when he realized she was drunk" and that there was no evidence of any crime.
Taking to Instagram, Prado thanked everyone for their support and said, "For the first time, I don't feel alone. And this converts automatically into love. This converts automatically into generosity for anyone going through a situation similar to mine."