Cassandra Mamone has been labelled “savage”, “vile” and a “mean girl” as furious viewers go in to bat for fan favourite Niranga Amarasinghe.
The Adelaide jewellery designer, 34, had reluctantly accepted a date with the Bachelorette alum Niranga, making it abundantly clear how little she wanted to be there.
Rocking up in a T-shirt and denim shorts, Cass was quick to comment to the camera that she was “only there for the free food” before putting Niranga down several times both to his face and in a vicious on-camera confessional.
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When it came time for the Paradise standard fire-throwing lesson segment of the date, Cass mocked Niranga, laughing while repeating they were “just friends”.
Sitting down on the couch following the uncomfortable moment, Niranga — who had been exchanging friendship roses with Cass, giving her foot massages, and fetching her drinks whenever she asked throughout their time together on the series — finally took her to task.
“I don’t want to continue in Paradise and pretend to be something we’re not … have affections for each other when we don’t. So I think it would be wrong to continue giving friendship roses,” Cass had said to Niranga.
“And I respect that … But, like … respect goes both ways. Like, you know, you’re always wanting something,” he responded carefully.
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“Like, what am I wanting? I don’t get it,” Cass responded tersely.
“You sit there like a little princess … I give you foot rubs like you ask, you know … And the day before, you’re like, ‘Oh, where’s my drink?’ You know?,” he said of Cass’ confusing behaviour over the past few days.
Raising her voice, Cass said in response: “Move on, then. Move on to someone else. Like, I don’t get it.”
To the camera, she ripped into him further: “This bloke. Like, why are we here? Why are we here?
“You know, at this point all I really care about is that there’s olives on this date. That’s all,” she said, grinning.
Over on Twitter, viewers were quick to call out her nasty behaviour — defending Niranga, whose witty one-liners and sweet persona have secured him a fan favourite during his second appearance on the franchise, after Angie Kent’s season of The Bachelorette.
One said they felt “uncomfortable” by how Niranga was treated and portrayed in Paradise as one of the few non-white people cast.
Cass — along with Ciarran Stott — has emerged a villain in the Bach world spin-off after flying under the radar in Matt Agnew’s season of The Bachelor.
Her treatment of Abbie Chatfield in the first two episodes did not go unnoticed, nor have her snide comments about fellow female contestants.
Tonight, she made several cruel comments about another fan favourite — Brittney Weldon — calling her “weird”, “rude” and labelling her “no competition” when it came to pursuing new entrant Jackson.
Cass ultimately gave Jackson her rose, despite previously telling Brittney she wouldn’t, and sending Niranga, Jamie and Gilly home.
Sunday night’s episode promises to explosively air the fallout from the sneaky move.
Bachelor in Paradise continues Sunday night from 7.30 on Channel 10
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