'Brain rot' MAFS tops TV ratings despite more contestant controversy
The ACMA has reportedly received complaints about Married at First Sight this year. (Unsplash: Olivia Bauso)
Audiences have been glued to their seats since reality TV exploded on Australian screens in the early 2000s, and the format is still going strong more than 20 years later.
But over the years, it has repeatedly made headlines for all the wrong reasons, including contests who say they have been left traumatised and claims some shows normalise toxic masculinity.
In recent weeks, Nine and the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) have received complaints over the behaviour of Married at First Sight (MAFS) contestants.
Concerns have included the show enables domestic violence behaviours.
MAFS groom Paul punched a door after learning about his wife Carina's romantic history. (Source: Nine/Married at First Sight)
Despite this — or perhaps because of it — last Sunday the program once again topped the overnight TV ratings.
We spoke to a range of young people about their thoughts on reality TV and while many said they watched it, they also questioned its value.
"It just seems like a lot of brain rot and there's not a lot of substance to it," said 16-year-old Phoebe.
Kathleen and Phoebe didn't have great things to say about reality TV. (BTN High: Joseph Baronio)
Kathleen, also 16, described it as "pretty toxic".
"Its only use is entertainment … and it's not really the best entertainment," she said.
So why do we keep watching it?
Loading...'A little bit of friction'
Globally, reality TV — known in the industry as "unscripted content" — made up about 75 per cent of all television shows commissioned in 2024, according to data from Ampere Analysis.
That was up from 70 per cent in 2021.
But a lot of what makes reality TV so engaging and entertaining is not entirely natural.
Aaron Lucas was the voice of Big Brother and a producer on the show from 2006 to 2008.
Mr Lucas said while there was an "element of realness" to reality TV, the narrative was very often shaped by television producers.
"We're always looking for story arcs … trying to follow a story or potentially manipulate that story," he said.
"Back when I used to work on [Big Brother], we would start the series with sometimes 16 housemates.
He said it wouldn't take long to start finding stories to follow.
"If there's a little bit of friction straight away, from a reality television point of view, that's gold," he said.
"That's what we're looking for.
"We'll want to follow that story a little bit more and if we do need to help that story evolve, we have ways of stepping in and doing that."
Mr Lucas said, in his experience, producers tried to "keep things as true" as possible.
"But you've also got to remember, it is television, it needs to be entertaining — and there are little tricks that need to be done to piece it all together,"he said.
Planted actors?
Young viewers we spoke to had lots of question about the authenticity of reality TV shows.
"I get the vibe when I do see clips of it that it's like not real at all,"19-year-old Owen said.
Owen says he doesn't watch much reality TV but what he does often looks faked. (BTN High: Joseph Baronio)
Abigail, 16, said sometimes during The Bachelor or other love-focused programs "you go, hmm, doesn't seem like all that drama is real".
Reality TV shows are often accused by viewers and commentators of "planting" actors in their shows to make them juicier.
And Mr Lucas said these claims were not baseless.
Aaron Lucas was the voice of Big Brother in the mid-to-late 2000s. (Supplied)
"There definitely are moments … on certain shows where people are put in for a specific reason and it's up to the producers if the audience is going to know about it," he said.
"Every reality show is a little bit different."
Mr Lucas said "tasks" or games were another way producers encouraged contestants to interact in ways they might not have otherwise.
And what is shown on screen is not necessarily a true representation of how things unfolded.
"There might have been an argument, or a debate or something that really did turn into this monumental piece of content … but then we've got to squeeze that into a show," he said.
"So yeah, so things get cut out."
'Villain edits'
Over the years, many former reality show contestants have said they were unfairly painted as the bad guy thanks to a "villain edit".
It's something that Channel 7 actually got in trouble for in 2019 and was ordered to compensate a contestant on House Rules, who claimed that she was unfairly portrayed as a bully and suffered psychological injury from her experience.
Mr Lucas said he could understand why some people came out of reality shows claiming that they have been portrayed in a certain way.
However, he said in his experience, "you can't put words in somebody's mouth".
Lauren Hillman, who appeared on the Seven's My Restaurant Rules in the early 2000s, was not the victim of a villain edit, but said producers did have methods to shape the story.
"Reality TV 20 years ago was a bit more of a novelty and so going into it, I didn't really understand what the process would be — I was just excited to be a part of it," she said.
"They didn't necessarily step in every moment of filming, but there were just occasional moments where they'd pull you aside and say, 'Ah, you should ask this person this question'."
These days Lauren Hillman (centre front) is in community TV. (Supplied: Lauren Hillman)
Ms Hillman said when she was involved, reality TV was different and "there wasn't an element of really changing a person's character".
"But I can certainly see now watching reality TV, how people are portrayed very differently through clever editing," she said.
"We forget that these people, they're real humans, and they have to go back to everyday lives … I think sometimes people don't realise what they're getting into when they go on shows like that."
Audience motivations
Suzie Gibson, a senior lecturer at Charles Sturt University in literature, film, television and feminism, watches reality TV for teaching purposes.
Suzie Gibson says reality TV shows like MAFS can "normalise" problematic behaviour. (Supplied)
"But I think people consume it for all kinds of reasons," she said.
"We are living in a really difficult economic times … and this kind of program does offer a kind of escapism.
"It enables people to suspend their discontent with themselves and their own lives. They can just see other people in trouble and … feel a little bit less depressed."
Dr Gibson said watching reality TV was often about voyeurism and spectacle.
"I think people gain a lot of pleasure in in seeing people humiliated — sadly … that is part of human nature,"she said.
From an ethical standpoint, Dr Gibson said MAFS in particular was very problematic.
Suzie Gibson believes viewers watch Married at First Sight for the spectacle. (Unsplash: Tom Pumford)
"You see examples of coercive control, you see examples of gaslighting and you see examples of domestic violence as well," she said.
"There's no ethics at all in these programs — the experiments they undertake on television … wouldn't go past any ethics committee at a university, but for some reason, because it's television, they get away with a lot."
Channel Nine and the production company Endemol Shine said they were taking recent complaints about contestants and their actions seriously and making sure participants were safe.
The matter is also being investigated by New South Wales Police.