NZ DATING SHOWS
For those missed by Cupid’s arrow
If Cupid doesn’t aim his bow at you tomorrow, there is a slew of locally made dating shows for you to indulge in — or perhaps even enter — this year. Filming for Heartbreak Island is underway in what is described as a stunning secret tropical location abroad. Sounds like Fiji to Spy.
Season one and two were screened on TVNZ 2 but now the third season has moved over to Discovery, who say it is really upping the ante, so viewers can expect to see a bigger and bolder version of the show, with a distinctly glamorous, international vibe.
Among the New Zealand cast members will be love hopefuls from as far and wide as the US, the UK and Australia. Harry Jowsey and Georgia Bryers won Heartbreak Island together in 2018. Jowsey then headed to Hollywood to try his luck as a serial reality TV show contestant.
He succeeded. In 2020 he appeared on Netflix dating show Too Hot to Handle and last year on MTV’s Match Me if You Can.
With 4 million Instagram followers, Jowsey is the poster boy for how to milk the global reality dating scene. In the land of PR spin, he made headlines last weekend with speculation he was dating Khloe Kardashian — a rumour she quashed.
Radio personality Mark Dye hosted seasons one and two of Heartbreak Island and Spy hears former The Edge radio host Clinton Randell is the hot bet to host season three.
It’s the first show Discovery is creating for a digital offering only on the ThreeNow platform. With international talent, Discovery’s global platform reach and maybe a guest appearance from Jowsey, our local dating hopefuls may indeed find love and/or a large International Instagram following.
Over at TVNZ, there are two dating shows this year, the first The Ex Best Thing, which is also currently filming. The show follows ex-couples as they attempt to find each other a new romance. The show has been spotted filming at Groove Bar in Kingsland. Owner Bailey Mackey is also chief executive and founder of Pango Productions, which is producing the show. Mackey headed down to Queenstown last week and TVNZ confirmed to Spy that the show is now in the final stages of filming in the South Island tourism mecca.
A perfect couple for the show’s niche are former lovebirds Max Key and Amelia Finlayson. A few weeks back Finlayson was asking her Instagram followers if she should go on a reality show. Keys hasn’t revealed recently if he is dating and producers might have a hard time convincing him to break away from his property ventures. If A-list couples are where the show is heading, a former high-profile rugby player, might make the show too. Spy hears rugby lads are often seen at Groove Bar. Mackey is on the board of the New Zealand Rugby Football Union and there have been strong media murmurings he should become the next chairman. Singles or future influencer wannabes are in with a chance as TVNZ’s second dating show is yet to film, or be titled or even formatted.
But, like Heartbreak, it will be filmed on a tropical island. Again, we guess Fiji. Spy hears it’s an international format. In the casting call, the show is looking for sexy singles hoping for real romantic connections with a massive cash prize up for grabs.
We think it will be a Love Island format on steroids.
Former Shortland Street star Shavaughn Ruakere is hosting. She told Spy late last year that dating shows were her guilty pleasure. “I love watching how quickly people can form real-life feelings for each other when they’re in a pressure-cooker situation.”