Has anyone else noticed a shift in the popularity of reality TV or is it just me? Well, it can’t be just me because the ratings reflect this.
Yesterday it was revealed that The Challenge Australia finale absolutely bombed in the ratings with zero viewers in Brisbane. ZERO. Zilch. Zip. Nothing at alllll. Nothing at alllll. Nothing at alllll.
The series had the makings to be television gold given that it featured a host of controversial Aussie reality stars.
But even root rat Ciarran Stott cheating on his girlfriend in the very first episode and other stars fucking and fighting for the cameras wasn’t enough to ensure a hit.
It suffered dismal ratings and was banished to 10 Shake or, as my colleague Soaliha put it, where TV shows go to die.
Yaaaaaaaaaawn. (Credit: Ten)
And what about The Bachelor?
Once an absolute juggernaut, the ratings faced a rapid decline over the years to the point where both The Bachelor and The Bachelorette were scrapped for 2022.
These are just two examples of the multitude of reality shows that have suffered in the ratings over the last year or so, including The Real Housewives of Melbourne, The Real Love Boat etc etc.
I remember a time when social media was dominated by conversation about local reality series.
But the last few seasons of the once-great shows have been met with virtual tumbleweeds.
So what exactly does this mean? Are people just not watching telly anymore?
Well no, we’re still tuning in to the silver screen, but the type of shows we’re tuning into has changed.
Over the past few weeks, you couldn’t open social media without seeing a pic, a rant or a meme involving The White Lotus.
Nothing unites punters online like a bloody good scripted series that has us absolutely frothing.
Online discussion about the Bachie dickhead of the week has progessed to fan theories and funnies involving shows like Stranger Things, Wednesday and Yellowstone.
This might make you wonder why our viewing habits have changed and honestly, I think the answer is simple.
When shows like Bachie first kicked off, they were shiny and new to us. They were spicy, addictive and unpredictable.
But over time, season after season, they became the opposite.
They became stale, formulaic and extremely predictable.
Throwback to the time we predicted The Bachelorette winner on Brooke Blurton‘s season during its first week based purely off what the bloke was wearing and the type of first date they went on.
Not only that, but we’ve seen time and time again that a lot of the contestants who apply for these shows pretty much pull the wool over our eyes by having us believe they’re in it for the right reasons when really they’re just trying to grow their Instagram following.
Carolina Schmidt from the most recent season of MAFS even admitted on Insta that she entered the show for clout as if it was some kind of flex.
Ah, no luv. It’s not the flex you think it is. It’s actually part of the reason why reality TV shows are dying.
That and the fact that the success rate of dating shows is absolutely shocking.
According to our research, only three MAFS couples out of 65+ are still together.
Every time a series ends, like clockwork, the couple will each drop a breakup announcement months later, leaving us to wonder why we wasted months of our lives tuning in to this farce.
The audience isn’t as stupid as these reality stars want them to be.
They’re actually quite intelligent and selective of the shows they choose to spend their free time indulging in.
And based on the ratings, it looks like they’ve moved on from repetitive and over-produced (read: fake) drama and onto shows with brilliant writing and acting.
I, for one, am very pleased to see that our taste in telly has elevated.
