The Moment
Reality TV just mixed its favorite ingredients again: romance, revenge, and a lawsuit.
Marciano Brunette, one of the faces of Vanderpump Villa, has sued influencer and The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives cast member Demi Engemann for defamation over her on-air sexual assault allegations. Then, just a day later, he hopped on Instagram with a Reel about, of all things, “getting even.”
In the clip, Brunette uses a trending audio that says, “Somebody do something to me, I’ll do something to them, this is common sense,” followed by, “So you believe in getting even? Hell to the yeah.” Subtle, this is not.
According to a civil complaint he filed, Brunette claims Engemann falsely painted him as a “sexual predator,” costing him reputation and job opportunities. He says what happened between them while filming in Italy was mutual flirting and a consensual kiss, and that she continued to contact him for months afterward – something he argues doesn’t match her description of assault.
On her side, Engemann, who is married to former NFL player Bret Engemann, said on her show that the physical interaction with Brunette was “unwanted” and doubled down in a confessional: “You never deserve unwanted touch … unwanted touch is unwanted touch.”
Brunette flatly denies any assault, calling the accusations “100 percent false,” and is now trying to fight it out in court – and apparently, on Instagram.
The Take
I’m going to say the quiet part out loud: when the words “sexual assault” and “defamation lawsuit” are already on the table, posting a Reel about getting even is… a choice.
Legally, Brunette is doing what many high-profile men have done post-#MeToo: filing a defamation suit to push back on public accusations. That’s his right. But culturally? Posting a revenge-flavored Reel right after filing is like walking into court in a “Team Petty” sweatshirt. It might feel cathartic, yet it does nothing to soften his image.
This case is sitting at the crossroads of three very 2025 trends:
- Reality TV as courtroom exhibit – The alleged “unwanted” interaction played out, at least in part, on camera, then got unpacked in confessionals.
- Influencers narrating trauma in real time – Engemann’s comments come packaged as empowerment: “You never deserve unwanted touch.” That’s modern self-help language, but it’s also now legal evidence.
- Clapback content as strategy – Brunette isn’t just denying the claims through his lawyer; he’s signaling to fans that he’s not taking it quietly.
The deeper tension here is one we keep circling as a culture: when someone says a touch was unwanted, and the other person insists it was mutual, the gap isn’t just about memory – it’s about power, ego, and how differently men and women are socialized to read “flirting.”
But whatever actually happened between these two, weaponizing the language of “getting even” around a sexual assault dispute is risky territory. It plays great for online stans, but in the court of public opinion – and the literal court – it can read less like justice and more like score-settling.
Receipts
Confirmed:
- Brunette has filed a civil lawsuit against Engemann, accusing her of defamation over sexual assault allegations made on her reality series, according to descriptions of the complaint from a December 2025 entertainment report.
- In that filing, he claims she falsely portrayed him as a “sexual predator” and says the fallout has damaged his reputation and cost him work.
- Brunette’s lawsuit describes their interaction while filming in Italy as flirtatious and culminating in a consensual kiss, and says Engemann continued to contact him afterward.
- Engemann stated on her show that the physical interaction with Brunette was “unwanted” and emphasized in a confessional, “You never deserve unwanted touch … unwanted touch is unwanted touch,” as aired on her series.
- Brunette posted an Instagram Reel using audio about “getting even” shortly after filing the lawsuit; the audio includes the line, “So you believe in getting even? Hell to the yeah,” as heard in the clip.
DOWNLOAD 32-PAGE DOCUMENT – MARCIANO BRUNETTE v. DEMI ENGEMANN & JEFF JENKINS PRODUCTIONS LLC – New lawsuit between The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives & Vanderpump Villa stars https://t.co/GwLaIF54jW Marciano says that while filming in August 2024, they kissed, now she’s claims SA. pic.twitter.com/tyywmjRxxA
— Paula Neal Mooney (@PAULANEALMOONEY) December 7, 2025
Unverified / Alleged:
- Brunette’s claim that the kiss and other interactions were fully consensual has not been adjudicated in court.
- Any suggestion that Engemann knowingly lied, or that her version is exaggerated, remains Brunette’s allegation, not an established fact.
- There is no public record here of criminal charges; this is a civil defamation matter based on what each side says happened.
Backstory (For Casual Readers)
If you’re not living in the reality TV multiverse, a quick primer: Vanderpump Villa follows staff working and flirting under the glamorous but intense umbrella of Lisa Vanderpump in a French estate setting. Marciano Brunette is one of the newer faces in that world.
Demi Engemann, meanwhile, appears on The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives, a show that blends Utah suburbia, faith, and influencer culture into one very bingeable cocktail. On her series, she discussed an encounter with Brunette in Italy, describing his physical contact as unwanted. That moment – and how each of them tells it – has now jumped from confessionals to court filings.
We’ve seen versions of this before: reality romance lines get blurry, someone later calls an interaction inappropriate or non-consensual, and suddenly that “spicy” storyline is evidence in a legal case. The cameras stop rolling, but the footage and the quotes keep working overtime.
What’s Next
From here, expect things to move on two tracks: legal and public.
On the legal side, Brunette’s defamation case will have to clear some big hurdles. He’ll need to show not just that Engemann’s statements hurt his reputation, but that they were false and, depending on how the court categorizes him, possibly that they were made with some level of fault or negligence. That takes time, paperwork, and very un-glamorous discovery.
On the public side, both have platforms to shape the story. Watch for:
- Whether Engemann issues any further statements outside the show, especially about standing by her “unwanted touch” comments.
- Whether Brunette keeps leaning into bravado – like his “getting even” Reel – or pivots to a more measured tone as lawyers get louder.
- Any footage or unaired scenes from the Italian trip that might surface as part of the legal process and then, inevitably, online.
The bigger question is what this does to the ongoing conversation about consent in reality TV. Are these shows finally going to tighten boundaries and policies, or are we just going to keep litigating blurry nights in gorgeous locations five seasons later?
Your turn: When serious accusations land, do you think it ever helps a public figure to clap back with “getting even” content, or does it almost always make them look worse?
Sources: Civil complaint and related court documents as described in a December 7, 2025 entertainment news report; Marciano Brunette’s Instagram Reel posted in early December 2025 using trending “getting even” audio.
Comments