JOH’S BACK!
Desperate to save House Rules, Seven’s golden girl is being lured back to the show
She was the House Rules host that ensured the renovation reality show was always riding high in the TV ratings week after week.
And now as the new season’s ratings plummet to an all-time low, Seven has never felt Johanna Griggs’ absence more, and according to a source the network is doing everything they can to get her back. “Everyone at Seven absolutely adores Joh,” a source tells Woman’s Day.
“They’ll do anything to get her back.”
Johanna, 46, made the shock announcement in July last year that she was retiring from her hosting gig on the show in order to concentrate more on 7Sports.
However, after the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games were postponed, it meant Joh’s talents were relegated to her short appearances on Better Homes & Gardens, leaving a giant hole in what was once one of Seven’s pillar programs. At the time of her resignation from reality TV, a source revealed to Woman’s Day that Joh, as an ambassador of mental health charity Beyond Blue, struggled with the “manufactured drama” of the show, which sees contestants pushed to the limit.
“It might not return next year, but if it does, they’re going to do everything in their power to get Joh involved in some capacity,” says the source. “Producers will have to look at the format though if they’re to persuade Joh to come back.”
RIVALRY
One person who will no doubt be unsettled by the news of Joh’s possible return is current host Jamie Durie, 49.
“It’s no secret that there was some career rivalry between Joh and Jamie, especially when Seven really pushed Jamie forward last year,” says the insider.
“It’s hard to imagine a world where Jamie and Joh are co-hosts.”
Since its premiere, House Rules: Sky High, fronted by Jamie and newcomer Abbey Way, 29, has failed to make a big impression in the ratings.
Most shocking of all, earlier this month it was even taken off-air and replaced by a US special based on the Netflix documentary series Tiger King.
‘They’re going to do everything to get Joh involved’