Twitter jokes fly as #theridges debuts

Sally and Jaime Ridge's TV3 reality show debuted last night, causing a flurry of Twitter activity. Photo / Dean Purcell

Hyped reality show The Ridges debuted last night to overwhelming derision, and many turned to Twitter to poke fun at New Zealand's newest reality TV stars.

The first episode of The Ridges, a six-part TV3 show featuring socialite Sally Ridge and her 18-year-old daughter Jaime, featured forced laughter, occasional screaming and plenty of spot-the-B-list-celebrity action.

The pair moved into a new house, dined at a flash restaurant, looked through old gossip magazines and celebrated Colin Mathura-Jeffree's birthday party.

Perhaps the most revealing detail of the show came when Jaime's father and Sally's ex Matthew Ridge crossed Ponsonby Road to avoid the cameras while the pair dined at SPQR with friends.

Jaime later revealed that she didn't have a relationship with her father, an ex league star who now has a child with former TrueBliss singer Carly Binding. And Sally said she didn't speak to him or her other famous sporting ex, Adam Parore.

Tension was wrung out of the pair's move into a new home, as clean freak Jaime - who admitted carrying hand sanitiser in each of her three handbags - reacted to hair in the shower and a mouse in the kitchen.

But on Twitter, many questioned whether the overly friendly mouse had been staged.

By the end of the show, Twitter had erupted in a storm of jokes under the hashtag #theridges - even the account for TV One sent out a tweet but it was quickly deleted.

Many of the tweets were more entertaining than the show.

Or as Philip Matthews (@secondzeit) put it: "So if you watch The Ridges without Twitter, you only get about 30 per cent of the experience, right? (like 3D without the glasses)."

Here are nzherald.co.nz's choices for the top 10 tweets about The Ridges:

Dominic Harvey (@DomHarvey): "11 years ago today we all wondered if the world was ending. Tonight, we are wondering the same thing."

Matt Gibb (@Matt_Gibb): "Somewhere in Auckland city, Matthew Ridge softly weeps, lamenting the ancient practice of gifting one's surname in wedlock."

Rose Matafeo (@Rose_Matafeo): "On next week's ep: The mouse embarks on a life changing adventure across NZ to return to his family! Jamie and Sally go to SPQR."

Cate Owen (@CateOwen): "That awkward moment when three "cancel the ridges" facebook pages start fighting each other for domination. Everyone wants to be famous."

Ali Ikram (@AliIkram): "That's the cleanest most beautifully groomed mouse I have ever seen it would be a pleasure to have it in my house."

Dave Smart (@DaveSmarty): "2 big things today. #iPhone5 & #TheRidges. Ones thin, flashy & full of stuff that people don't understand. The other one is the iPhone5"

Adam Thomson (@adamjohnthomson): "Poor stunt mouse."

A$AP Rambo (@USOuljah): "Can you guys lay off #TheRidges, already?! It takes talent to make The GC look like Game of Thrones."

Brad (@Kiwi_Chatter): "Can't wait for #theridges tribal council where Jamie gets confused and votes herself off the island."

NZ On Air (@NZOnAir1): "hey guys, FYI NZ On Air is not funding The Ridges."

Read a review of The Ridges here, and check out what Sally and Jaime had to say about their critics here.

Follow Chris Schulz on Twitter.

- nzherald.co.nz