0/5

Producer defends Married at First Sight casting choice

There is logic in casting a TV villain, and the ratings are proving it.

Reality TV shows live or die based on their casting decisions.

Nine’s Married at First Sight is copping plenty of attention, and a fair serve of criticism, for casting Dean who has displayed chauvinistic views. But he also brings the drama to the show, last night cheating on TV wife Tracey with Davina (screening on Valentine’s Day, no less!). The scandal is driving the show’s ratings higher each night.

Executive producer Tara McWilliams has told companion show Talking Married why Dean was cast. It’s an answer that could suitably apply to many TV villains.

“When Dean walked into the audition and said things like that … as a producer, I’m going, ‘This is fascinating; he comes with alternative views,'” she explained.

“They’re controversial views. And if everyone had the same kind of view on relationships, it’d be a really boring experiment and a really boring show.”

“We thought, this could be actually be a really fascinating part of the experiment.

“I didn’t find him overpowering, I didn’t find him dominating, I didn’t find him intimidating, or any of those things he’s been accused of being. But I found his views really controversial, and I thought, that’s going to be interesting,” McWilliams continued.

“But its only going to work – you’re only going to put someone like that in a show – if there’s someone that you can match him with … if we found someone we could match him with. Which we did.”

Meanwhile Michael Healy, Nine’s Director of Television has said, “Married at First Sight is now the number one program on both television and digital and is set to continue to dominate the national conversation.

“This is the second year where we have aired a super-sized Married format and it is clearly resonating with millions of Australians, who have once again been captivated by our couples’ search for love.”

Nine’s Chief Sales Officer, Michael Stephenson, said, “We have seen a strong reaction from advertisers to Married at First Sight because it is one of the most demographically pure shows on Australian TV.

“Our consistent performance in the key demographics in 2018 will once again be the marker of our success, and with Married at First Sight we have kicked off the year with a strong start.”

Talking Married airs on 9Life.

7 Responses

  1. Do I detect this as a lukewarm admission that a part of this “reality” show is actually contrived for ratings. I suspect nothing in television is left to chance where ratings are concerned and that the cheating is exactly as it was meant to play out. Well, the ratings are good and the producers can slap each other on the back and look their bosses in the eye and say; yessss! it worked!”

  2. I know the people that sign up for these shows know what they are in for but I really feel the comment Dean made to Davina saying Tracey wasn’t good looking was terrible to watch. How embarrassing for this poor girl. Bit funny how Dean kept trying to kiss Davina on their secret rendezvous but she kept pulling away from him.

  3. It’s obvious some of these matches are deliberately set up to fail, but that’s the risk these idiots take when they sign up for a reality show. There’s only one objective – to create ratings through drama and entertainment. Job done.

  4. Married At First Sight has done so well for Nine in the demographics and online catch-up (VOD), even winning total people this week now.

    Just a shame for them the Winter Olympics are on, because it’s giving their main rival huge wins overall in total people and demographics! Unfortunate.

Leave a Reply