It’s arguably one of the most controversial reality TV formats of all time, but there’s a reason we can’t stop watching - and now Married at First Sight NZ is officially returning to our screens.
Warner Bros. Discovery ANZ has announced today that the New Zealand version of the global hit is coming to Three and ThreeNow in 2024, and the hunt is on for Kiwi singles looking for love.
Warner Bros. Discovery’s senior director of commissioning Vicki Keogh says it’s exciting to be bringing the “incredible format” back to our screens.
Brett and Angel from the first season of Married At First Sight NZ. Photo / Supplied
“It promises not only the suspense, drama, and emotional rollercoaster that fans have come to expect, but this time will have a strong Kiwi twist balancing humour and heart to deliver to a New Zealand sensibility.
Following the international format, MAFS NZ is described as a “social experiment” where singles put their love lives into the hands of relationship experts to match them up with marriage partners.
They’ll walk down the aisle and meet for the first time at the altar, before moving in together, undergoing a series of relationship-building challenges, and meeting each other’s friends and families before deciding on their final vows.
The Kiwi version of the show was axed in 2019 after three seasons on air, with the announcement coming just days after MediaWorks announced they were selling Three - now part of Warner Brothers Discovery ANZ.
The show had seen a ratings decline that year, with 120,000 tuning in compared to 170,000 in 2018.
MAFS is known for its explosive group dinner parties.
The debut season of the show saw participants agree to legally binding marriages, but the following year saw the couples take part in non-official ceremonies to simplify the process.
Experts Stephanie Dowse and Tony Jones took away “quite a few lessons” from the famously catty first season, they told the Herald in 2018. It’s not yet clear who will be on the panel of experts for the 2024 season.
“[There were] lessons from some of the good things, just as much as the negatives that happened,” Jones said at the time.
“Brett and Angel – what did we do right there, and what did they do right, more importantly, and how can that be replicated again this year?
“I think that’s what most people want. There is certainly a small portion that loves the drama and loves the negativity, but I actually think Kiwis really connect with authentic people and increased maturity.”
