ITNTW: MAFS – The reality TV show that lacks reality

With the return of one of Australia’s most popular reality tv shows, Married At First Sight, the speculation and drama has already begun with cheating rumors sparking in the first episode. 

For anyone unsure what ‘Married At First Sight’ is, it’s simply as the title says, a social experiment where experts match two complete strangers together who get married… at first sight! With this year showcasing the 10th season, we’ve had plenty of drama over the last 9 seasons but this season has heated up very quickly. 

The media has already blown up, with speculation that one couple matched on a dating app, Hinge, before they got married. Coincidence? I don’t think so. 

There is another male contestant who has recently been spotted in a photo kissing a girl that was a wedding guest at his MAFS wedding. 

The first episode brought the heat with one contestant, Harrison, being called out for having a secret girlfriend at home during MAFS, which he of course denied. This week, voice notes of Harrisons MAFS bride, Bronte, has been leaked where she admits to knowing he had a girlfriend before they even got married. Does this prove that the show is scripted?

So our question is, is there any reality to this reality tv show? Or are the contestants paid to cause drama to get more people to watch the show? Either way the ratings for MAFS are through the roof, with the show going international a few years ago, coming out with a UK version. 

Looking at it from a PR perspective, the continuous drama, neverending rumors, wife swapping and cheating speculation has successfully blown the show up making more people want to watch it as more people talk about it. Snippets of the show are being used all over social media, sparking interest and creating conversation about how ridiculous some of the contestants are.

However there is annoyance from viewers as they find the show unauthentic and the show’s purpose – ‘matching two compatible individuals to fall in love’ has been clouded by neverending drama. The experts on the show have also been heavily criticized for allowing cheating and wife swapping to happen on the show as it promotes toxic relationships. 

Whilst there is lots of press out there on MAFS, not all of it is good. Perhaps it’s time for MAFS to put the real back in reality and start focusing on proper matchmaking instead of drama. 

By Tilly Powell – PR & Influencer Coordinator at InsideOut PR and #AsSeenOn