Australia’s ultimate reality TV war continues to heat up

Australia's hunger for reality TV has never been bigger. See who is blitzing the war and who has lost their magic touch.

Australians love reality TV and the genre has dominated network’s schedules – and the ratings – in the two decades since Popstars and the first season of Big Brother.

It seems we love it even more in lockdown and experts suggest it’s because it gives people who are socially isolated some sense of social contact, albeit vicariously, with a bunch of familiar-seeming people who are able to regularly join us in our homes.

Unlike streamed content, where we’re all watching it at different times, broadcast reality TV enables a real-time community to happen, with viewers able to take part in an online discussion about the show in real-time.

Although watching people fall in love, renovate and buy houses can feel like an unreal, almost other world in the current circumstances, the genre does offer an important form of escapism.

Take the positive vibes of The Voice which are proving to be the tonic for a part locked-down Australia. The Channel 7 show has continued to reap the rewards of nabbing The Voice from Channel 9.

New coaches in Keith Urban, Rita Ora, Guy Sebastian and Jessica Mauboy and a new home on Seven have breathed new life into The Voice

The singing talent show premiered to its largest audience in five years, and has continued to back up that successful launch with a ratings renaissance averaging 1.18 million viewers in the three weeks since against Nine’s The Block and Ten’s Survivor. It’s also translating to YouTube views for the aspiring contestants. Adelaide’s girl group GNat!on smashed their audition, and also inspired plenty of repeat views with 50,000 YouTube streams of their performance of the 5SOS single Teeth. Eighteen-year-old cafe worker Arlo Sim’s rendition of My Mind by American Grammy-winning gospel soul singer Yebba, propelled the song into the top 10 of the Australian iTunes charts for the first time since its release in 2017 and scored more than 40,000 repeat views on YouTube in the 12 hours after the show.

David Knox, of blog TV Tonight, said The Voice’s optimism is just what the nation needs right now.

“Sometimes in TV the stars align, as they have for The Voice,” he said.

“The casting has been superb with stunning vocals and beaming, positive coaches. Even when they send someone home they manage to leave with some dignity and a smile on their face.” Although Knox cautions the true test will be how the singing contest fares now that the blind auditions are done.

Australian Survivor has risen to the ratings challenge in its Brains V Brawn season. Picture: Nigel Wright

While on Ten, Survivor, which took a mighty risk and launched against the juggernaut that was the Tokyo Olympics, has somehow managed to hold its own, drawing a solid average of 691,000 viewers. Perhaps it has secured its own immunity idol for this Brains v Brawn iteration.

The new location is certainly adding to its appeal. For the first time since its original (and slightly forgettable) season which aired on Nine in 2002, Australian Survivor has been filmed in Cloncurry, Queensland. After seasons of being marooned beachside in Fiji or Samoa, the landlocked Outback location has provided an interesting spin for contestants and viewers. Watching people scramble for votes is much more enjoyable than watching them scramble for toilet paper at the supermarket.

More likely, it’s a testament to its dedicated tribe of fans. Knox agreed, explaining Australian Survivor has a younger, loyal audience which is seemingly immune to the competition.

“The Outback shots are magic and bring an escapist element – and (Bankstown Labor Party president) George (Mladenov) is a wildcard character, disrupting the game,” he added.

While those TV shows have seen an uptick in viewers during the various periods of lockdown and isolation this year, it’s more a case of reality bites for others.

Host Scott Cam’s back, but the ratings aren’t.

Nine’s The Block has seen its audience diminish. It recorded its lowest-ever figures for a season premiere at just 747,000 viewers across the five major metropolitan cities, well down on previous seasons when it drew more than a million. It achieved its highest ratings for the year last Sunday, with 779,000 viewers thanks to a bathroom reveal.
This year’s Fans v Faves sees five teams renovate five family homes in a cul-de-sac in Melbourne’s Hampton. Returning to the reno reality is the divisive Mitch and Mark, and Ronnie and Georgia.

There’s been a switch in focus to building the drama and contention, rather than letting the natural pressure cooker of renos in tight time frames unfold. Promos indicate we’re also in for a big ol’ scandal this year – as one contestant puts it, “the biggest cheating scandal in TV history”.

Knox said this may have negatively impacted the usual ratings’ titan.

“The Block promos, as if borrowing from the MAFS playbook, have teased a world of conflict and fury,” he said, but adds the numbers might “benefit from the aspiration of its room reveals”.

Bachelor Jimmy Nicholson’s lovely but the show’lacks drama. Picture: Ten/Bachelor

But, it’s The Bachelor which has struggled the most. The flailing reality dating show has experienced its worst season yet in the ratings. Despite more than half of Australia being in lockdown and couch bound, the glitzy premiere just scraped into the top 20 shows with a dismal 482,000 people tuning in in metro markets. To put that into perspective, it was beaten by a repeat of ABC TV’s Hard Quiz Kids Special (502,000).

Of course, it didn’t help that Jimmy Nicholson’s quest for love was launched against the juggernaut of the Tokyo Olympics.

News.com.au James Weir, who’s renowned for his biting reality recaps, suggested the franchise was dead, asking “where were you when you found out The Bachelor franchise had died?”

EVEN host with the most Osher Gunsberg can’t save this season of The Bachelor.

“I remember exactly where I was and what I was doing. It was about halfway through Wednesday night’s episode, (host) Osher (Gunsberg) was making all the contestants take part in a challenge where they had to fashion superhero costumes out of Lycra leotards and a communal hot glue gun — and I had just gone into the bathroom to clean my exhaust fan.

The particular kind of boredom you feel while watching the latest series of the Channel 10 franchise is unique. It’s so tedious that, instead of watching it, I’d rather spend an hour teaching old people how to scan QR codes.”

Mamamia Outloud podcast hosts Mia Freeman and Holly Wainwright also dissected the demise of the once-popular series.

“My theory is that The Bachelor in America has gone from sensational, and for many seasons now, to high scandal,” Freeman said. “People are being awful to each other and it’s the worst possible behaviour. Channel 10 has always resisted that. They say it’s a love story which is a lovely idea but perhaps that hasn’t kept pace with what people want from reality TV.”

She also has another theory – the pandemic has killed it off. Freedman believes the only water cooler conversation currently is Covid.

“The only TV show we are all watching at the same time now and discussing are the (daily) press conferences,” she said. “The Premiers are the new Bachelors.”

Sadly, it seems love, sweet love is not actually what the world wants right now.

AIRING IN SEPTEMBER

SAS Australia (Seven)

OK, so this won’t warm the soul, but it will get the hearts racing. Last season was brutal and viewers can expect more ofthe same as 18 new Aussie celebrities - including musician Pete Murray, actor Dan Ewing and sportstars Alicia Molik, Jana Pittman, Sam Burgess, John Steffensen and Mark Philippoussis - are taking on one of the toughest tests of their lives. Elite ex-SpecialForces soldiers Ant Middleton, Mark “Billy” Billingham, Jason “Foxy” Fox and Ollie Ollerton put the recruits through a physicaland psychological tests from the real SAS selection process – on the most gruelling course ever seen in the UK or Australia.

Sam Burgess on Seven’s SAS Australia.

AIRING IN SEPTEMBER

Making It Australia (Ten)

Reality competition shows have long relied on crafty contestants, but it’s a somewhat different spin in this series where hopefuls, termed Makers, race against the clock to create their best handmade projects. The American edition, hosted by Amy Poehler and Nick Offerman, is a massive hit, with challenges including costume production and shed fit-outs. The Project’s Susie Youssef and comedian Harley Breen host our version. It’s a feel-good experience under the watchful eye of judges, paper engineer, exuberant Benja Harney and Game of Thrones production designer Deborah Riley.

The Masked Singer (Ten)

Guesses have already begun ahead of the third series of The Masked Singer Australia after the highly addictive reality show released its latest trailer, which revealed an epic blunder. The Mullet fell down at the end of their performance, the head of their costume completely fell off, revealing dark brown hair. The near miss sent fans into an absolute frenzy, with many taking to the comments under the clip to guess – AFL legend Robert “Dipper” DiPierdomenico, Comedian Dave O’Neil and Jimmy Barnes among the suggestions.

Jackie O on set of The Masked Singer.

Gogglebox Australia (Foxtel)

The recent Covid outbreaks in Sydney and Melbourne have forced producers to get creative for the 14th season of GoggleboxAustralia. Best friends Adam Densten and Symon Lovett will return to the format after a break of three seasons. Couple Mick and Di also return, as do Lee and Keith, besties Anastasia and Faye, foodies Tim and Leanne, surfing mates Milo and Nic, and the Dalton family.

Returns September 8

Adam and Symon from Gogglebox Australia.

Love it or List It (Foxtel)

The long wait is finally over with our favourite odd couple – real estate expert Andrew Winter and design guru Neale Whitaker- back on our screens next month. The pair once again help Aussie homeowners with one of life’s big dilemmas – to renovator relocate. While the show has tapped into our seemingly insatiable obsession with all things property, the chemistry between the boys is instrumental in its success.

Returns September 29

Foxtel's Love It Or List It is back. Picture: Foxtel / Alanna Jayne McTiernan

COMING LATER THIS YEAR

Big Brother VIP (Seven)

The original series is already done and dusted, but the nation’s longest running social experiment is far from over. It will be back for a second season, but this time, filled to the brim with ‘famous’ Australian and international faces who will enter the camera-riddled Big Brother house. There’s an assortment of controversial personalities from reality star and California Governor hopeful Caitlyn Jenner, former MAFS bride Jessika Power, infamous big brother Thomas Markle Jr., former NRL player Matt Cooper, Survivor fan favourite Luke Toki and actor Bernard Curry.