60 Minutes Australia's Face Donation Story Deeply Disturbed Viewers
"60 Minutes" is known for bringing audiences hard-hitting stories presented by dedicated journalists. There are plenty of haunting "60 Minutes" episodes that leave audiences in tears and thought-provoking installments that challenge our worldview, covering topics that range from jaw-dropping to awe-inspiring and everything in between. There's even an Australian counterpart to "60 Minutes," though it has no affiliation with CBS. Since the stories told on "60 Minutes Australia" are usually meant to inform a broad audience, the episodes are generally easy to follow. Still, the series does feature unusual tales from time to time.
Even though the show is still interesting and evocative, some "60 Minutes" viewers can't help but notice the show's unfortunate decline over the years. After so many years on the air, it makes sense the show's quality varies from episode to episode. Not every episode is a tear-jerker or features a story that has the viewer on the edge of their seat. However, some have pointed to a specific "60 Minutes" episode from Australia that made more than one person uncomfortable.
Jarring subject matter and ambiguous editing result in an odd segment
In 2012, Richard Norris received a life-changing face transplant. The donor face, including the jaw, tongue, muscles, skin, nose, teeth, and eyelids, came from a man named Joshua Aversano, who died in a car accident the same year. Three years later, the Australian counterpart to "60 Minutes" aired a segment that showed Richard meeting with his donor's sister, Rebekah Aversano. In theory, it's a full-circle moment that honors Josh's sacrifice and allows Rebekah to see her brother's face again. Unfortunately, the segment, which has over five million views on YouTube, put some viewers on edge.
"That was so creepily put together. It felt more like 'To Catch a Predator,'" said Reddit user u/blowmonkey. Even though it was a seemingly happy event, many were unnerved by Richard and Rebekah's encounter. "I don't think they had a cringy choice of words, but that still made me cringe," wrote user u/Becauseimbetter. Aside from the odd editing, audience members were taken aback as Rebekah tenderly stroked her dead brother's face. "Idk man, even without the creepy editing and narration, the whole touching the dead brother's face thing gave me a weird feeling," added Reddit user u/crustillion. Some viewers thought that the exchange even seemed scripted. "I refuse to believe that this isn't the trailer for a Lifetime original movie," commented a now-deleted user.
Viewers were disturbed, and this situation could have been easily avoided with a different approach to editing and direction.