High-profile reality TV shows to feature Tasmanians in coming weeks

A string of high-profile reality TV shows will feature Tasmanian contestants in the coming weeks.

TASMANIAN reality TV fans are in for a treat with high-profile shows set to feature local contestants in coming weeks.

Launceston twin sisters Kimmy and Rhi will be flying the flag for Tasmania when the new House Rules series hits screens in April, with the 31-year-olds hoping their “twin-tuition” will give them the winning edge.

Launceston twin sisters Kimmy and Rhi.

Kimmy works as a probation parole officer while Rhi is a barista and part-time cake maker with some interior design experience. But the identical twins have no renovation experience.

Meanwhile, foodie fans will spot some familiar Tasmanian faces in MasterChef: Back to Win as Ben Milbourne and Sarah Clare return to the kitchen to battle it out for $250,000.

Ben Milbourne.

Sarah Clare.

And a 44-year-old winemaker called Nick from Deviot, in the state’s North, will be searching for a soulmate in the new series of Farmer Wants a Wife.

The show claims to have created more happily-ever-afters than any other dating show, with nine marriages and 20 babies in Australia, and 147 marriages and 280 babies worldwide.

Farmer Wants a Wife contestant Nick from Deviot in Tasmania. Picture: CHANNEL 7

These latest reality TV hopefuls are part of a long line of Tasmanians who have shot to fame in loungerooms across the nation.

In the past few months alone we’ve seen Tasmania’s Shane Gould return to screens for Survivor All Stars after winning the series in 2018, while Tasmanian model and waitress Jessie Wynter appeared on Love Island.

Of course our foray into reality TV stretches back much further with plenty of memorable moments over almost two decades — who could forget seeing Cambridge fish and chip shop owner Reggie Bird win Big Brother in 2003 or Glenorchy mum and daughter Robyn and Katie Dykes shedding a combined 86.6kg to take home $200,000 in the 2013 series of Australia’s Biggest Loser.

University of Tasmania media school lecturer Dr Gemma Blackwood said watching “comfort TV” is therapeutic and helps provide a sense of connection, which is particularly important given current social distancing measures.

“Reality TV captures our attention for a range of reasons but it often provides us with an escape from reality,’’ she said.

“It often has larger than life characters, a simple premise and very clear heroes and villains.

“It’s comforting to watch shows with an uncomplicated sense of right and wrong, especially at the moment when there is so much uncertainty and a lot of stress about the future.

“Reality TV provides us with an alternative to the bleakness of, well, reality.’’

MasterChef: Back to Win starts on April 13 on Ten. House Rules: High Stakes starts in April on Seven, with Farmer Wants a Wife (also on Seven) due to start in the coming weeks.