Hayden and Sara prove reality TV’s not worth it

THE promise of winning tens or even hundreds of thousands of dollars on reality shows like The Block may be appealing, but what if you’re the designated “villains”, asks Katy Hall.

OF all the reality television programs you could go on as a contestant in 2018, there’s a lot to like about The Block.

It’s a relentless, sleepless, and backbreaking 12 weeks, sure, but at the end of it off you stand a pretty good chance — perhaps more so than on any other Australian prize-based reality shows — of walking away with tens or even hundreds of thousands of dollars. Even contestants of previous years who haven’t taken home as much as they’d hoped for (or in some instances nothing at all) have secured endorsement deals, paid partnerships and interior design careers following their series’. Not bad for three months work, really.

But like all television shows, every season of The Block has its “villains”, and this year that role has been allocated to Sydney couple Hayden and Sara.

In the weeks that have passed since the pair first appeared on screens, viewers have seen them walk off on one another, leave the show only to return within hours, claim the show’s expert panel of judges don’t know what they’re talking about, argue relentlessly with site’s foremen Keith and Dan, and swear so much they could make sailors blush.

Hayden and Sara spent a whopping $75,000 on their apartment’s ensuite bathroom, but the judges were’t keen. Picture: Channel 9

As such, the newlyweds are now not only highly unpopular with some Australians, but also highly recognisable. All of which would be of little concern to them if they were set to take home a gigantic paycheck at the end of it, but sadly, there’s every chance that won’t happen.

In fact, thanks to a downturn in the property market all the contestants are running the very real risk of going home with nothing, and the judges’ repeated criticism of the three-bedroom apartment Hayden and Sara created certainly won’t help. To add further insult to injury, their behaviour on the show could seriously impact their long-term futures, too.

As a seasoned construction project manager who boasts over 20 years experience, it’s hard to understand how it is that Hayden managed to annoy his hired trades so much they walked off site. Or failed to appraise the tax depreciation of his apartment correctly. Or struggled to deliver his project within its initial budget or on time, while other less experienced contestants managed to do both. And would you hire a tradie who took five goes to get a tap placement right? I wouldn’t.

Neither is Sara immune from what she’s described in a recent Instagram post as bad “editing” that has not “shown our relationship in its accurate form”. She works as a flight attendant — one of the most customer service heavy gigs going. Is someone who has been depicted as a short-tempered, combative and argumentative TV personality someone you’d want handing out your meal trays or pouring your drinks?

Carmine and Lauren were the designated villains of MKR in 2016, and she said the experience wasn’t worth it. Picture: Channel 7

But Hayden and Sara are far from the first reality show contestants to discover the fame and potential fortune may not be worth the effort.

For The Bachelor and Bachelor in Paradise alum Keira Maguire, it’s been one trade off for another. Yes she makes her living as an influencer and doesn’t have to work the 9 to 5 slog like the rest of us, but even her high life has its lows. Like, for example, her recent breakup with Jarrod Woodgate, which she attributed to him being unable to accept her career.

Earlier this year, My Kitchen Rules contestant and villain of her 2016 season Lauren Finelli says the experience for her was anything but worth it.

“I thought so many opportunities would come out of it … but who wants a villain to represent their brand?” she said on an episode of ABC’s You Can’t Ask That.

“You try getting a job when you’re plastered all over the TV and magazines. It doesn’t happen. People think it’s this glamorous world, I don’t think it’s glamorous at all. It was devastating.”

All of which begs the question: is going on reality television, and running the risk of being portrayed as villains such as Hayden and Sara, still really worth it?

Katy Hall is a writer and producer at RendezView.

Follow her on Twitter at @katyhallway.

Originally published as Hayden and Sara prove reality TV’s not worth it