WITH GUY DAVIS
I ALWAYS thought people turned to television to escape reality — a wise strategy, given the state of reality in 2017.
But no! It appears that when we pick up our remote controls, it’s reality we’re out to experience, albeit the kind that’s carefully manufactured and manipulated by TV networks and series producers.
In 2017, reality TV was more popular than it had been in some time, and even though ratings were down on a few popular veterans and a couple of heavily-hyped shows turned out to be non-starters (hands up who recalls Yummy Mummies), the format kept on keeping on.
Of course, there were shifts in the landscape. Competitive cooking wasn’t quite as hot as it used to be, for instance. But home renovation remained a winner, and the eternal search for that perfect romantic partner attracted more attention than it had previously.
So before we boldly stride into 2018, let’s take a quick glance back over our shoulder at who was keeping it real in expedition that becomes a journey filled with danger and lust. (MA, Pivotonian) reality TV this past year. Married at First Sight GETTING jilted by your partner on your wedding day can happen to anyone, regardless of how long a couple has been together – cold feet are tricky that way.
But being dumped by someone you meet for the first time at the altar? Well, that’s more likely than not.
And that’s just what occurred on Nine’s Married at First Sight, when after a seemingly happy wedding ceremony, Lauren did a runner on new husband Andrew as the two made their way to the pub.
Reunited in front of the camera a few days (and a hundred or so text messages) later, Lauren bounded in laughing, declared the situation “awks!” and gave her explanation for splitting – something to do with her uncertainty about Andrew’s feelings towards kids.
Needless to say, things didn’t pan out for these two.
I don’t know, it’s almost as if getting married at first sight isn’t the wisest move someone looking for love can make! (Someone looking for media attention, though? We highly recommend this course of action for them.) The Bachelorette WE do love someone who has trouble getting their own way at times, and that’s why jill-ofall-trades Sophie Monk won her share of hearts this year with her looking-for-love appearance on Ten’s The Bachelorette.
Monk cleverly realised that audiences may be getting bored with the polished wannabes who traditionally star in such shows, and instead presented herself as a charming hot mess who occasionally put her foot in her mouth.
When it came to crunch time, though, Monk stayed on point, keeping the audience on the edge of the couch as it came down to lovestruck Jarrod and cashed-up Stu.
“What I’ve realised is that with love, you’ve got to think with your heart,” she told Jarrod. “In my head, you’re everything I’ve been looking for, absolutely everything, but my heart belongs to someone else.” The Block AS if couples racing the clock and balancing the books to turn a renovator’s delight into a dream house wasn’t enough to get one watching Nine’s The Block, the long-running show seems to be relying increasingly on contestants with plenty of, um, personality.
So this year we had Ronnie and Georgia, professional ‘house flippers’ from Perth, who were all too eager to pull pranks on their fellow Blockheads, including one where it seems Georgia’s foot had been injured by a rogue nail.
They didn’t win The Block outright but they got the next best thing – a gig on Nine where they’ll “provide advice, tips and inspiration to the Nine audience across TV and digital platforms”. Can’t get much more 2017 than that, eh? Australian Ninja Warrior I MUST admit, I was not really that excited about Australian Ninja Warrior on Sunday nights, mainly because that’s fish and chips night at my place and I already feel guilty enough scoffing down potato cakes without absurdly fit people on my screen, poking fun at my lack of muscle tone and definition.
However, I did find myself