SBS's live discussion following the conclusion in the confronting First Contact documentary series opened with a bombshell.
Alexandra "Sandy" Clifford, infamous for her anti-Aboriginal diatribes and for quitting the series part way through the second episode, was a last-minute no-show.
In the only direct reference to the glaring omission, host Stan Grant said "Sandy couldn't be here tonight", before moving swiftly along.
This was despite the fact SBS had touted the Insight special as featuring all participants from the series.
In its pre-publicity the network stated: "After a journey of conflict and discovery, Sandy, Trent, Alice, Jasmine, Marcus and Bo-dene will be reunited and joined by Indigenous people they met and a studio audience."
A spokesman for the show refused to elaborate on Clifford's reasons for staying away, and messages to the show's producers weren't returned.
Viewers quickly took to Twitter, using the hashtag #SBSfirstcontact, to supply their own reasons for Clifford's absence.
Clifford, a mother of five from Newcastle, provoked a storm of protest after she said Aboriginal people "burn down" houses they are given and are mostly alcoholics.
"If you think that's racist, I don't f---ing care," said the pugnacious 41-year-old on the first episode of the three-part show, in which she and five other "ordinary" Australians toured Aboriginal Australia.
Despite Sandy's glaring omission, the Insight special made for powerful and at times emotional viewing, with each of the participants variously admitting how much they had been changed by their experience.
Trent, a 28-year-old policeman from Western Sydney, said he squirmed when saw his interview prior to embarking on the trip.
"I said some pretty terrible things at the start and watching back episode one it was confronting to see yourself saying those types of things," he said. "I've certainly taken it back into my workplace."
Jasmine, 33 from Brisbane, said she had been changed "100 per cent".
"It took me a long time but I got there," she said, adding that she had not been racist but "ignorant".
Bo-Dene Stieler, a Melbourne supermarket worker also revealed just how much she had been changed by the experience, apologising to Marcus Lacey, a traditional owner and community leader from East Arnhem Land, for her lack of respect.
There were powerful contributions too from campaigners June Oscar, Sharyn Derschow and Redfern community leader Shane Phillips.
"The personal connections always trumped the ignorance," said Stan Grant, neatly summing up the experience for at least five of the participants.
