Nine’s new date left at the altar
IT SEEMS more and more likely that reality dating shows and the Nine Network have fallen out of love with each other.
For many years Farmer Wants A Wife and Nine had a successful union but the network dumped the boys in favour of girls last year for a new dating show, When Love Comes To Town.
The show focused on city girls getting on a bus to meet two local boys but it didn’t last long. Just one season.
Now Nine is about to launch Married At First Sight, which is another dating game although there’s no exchanging vows at the initial meeting because that is unlawful in Australia.
There is a petition calling for the show to be dumped but what should have set alarm, and not wedding bells, off at Nine was the number of contestants who turned up for an audition and then turned their back on the show.
Nine asked for applications for a dating show and then, when desperate single men and women rolled- up with their hearts on their sleeves and smiles on their faces, they were told the truth.
“Production company Endemol initially advertised for people to take part in a dating show,” a Channel Nine spokeswoman said. “After first round interviews potential contestants were given a full brief of the show and then able to choose to stay involved or move on.”
A large contingent of wouldbe brides and grooms chose the latter option, a source with knowledge of the show said, a suggestion which Nine has not denied.
The series involves eight singles taking a leap of faith, putting their fate in the hands of three relationship experts to begin a life of happily ever after with their perfect partner. They have to wait at least one month to stand at the altar for a real wedding because of the Australian Marriage Act, which Nine was aware of when it tookup the Dutch format.
So instead couples undergo a commitment ceremony for the sake of the production.
“In order to comply with the Australian Marriage Act ( 1961) which requires one month and one day notification, a marriage in law was not conducted,” the Nine spokesman said.
“Each participant embarked on a commitment ceremony with a wedding celebrant with all due intention to commit fully to this union for the duration of the experiment.
“At the end of the experiment they are given the option to continue with the relationship or go their separate ways.”
Nine’s director of programming and production Andrew Backwell said while it is a “noisy show”, the Australian public should view it as a documentary rather than a regular reality TV program. “The expectation is that it’s going to be trashy reality TV,” he said.
“This is an observational documentary and it’s 100 per cent real.”
Married At First Sight will air soon on the Nine network.