OPINION: Karl Puschmann learned to love Married At First Sight , so what does he think of the latest instalment of our local show, and how does it compare to its cousin across the ditch? It may sting our national pride to admit but Australia has us beat. This truth may be as unpalatable as a can of warm Foster’s but Married at First Sight New Zealand is outclassed, outplayed and outshone by Married at First Sight Australia. The worst part is that it’s not even close.
This isn’t to say we haven’t given it our all. We have. It’s just that our all is woeful in comparison.
If MAFS Oz is the blushing bride, glamorous and dolled up to the nines, then MAFS NZ is the dowdy cousin invited to the wedding out of familial obligation and seated right at the back table, out of view and far away from the action. Our version of the reality TV juggernaut franchise is lacking in a few ways. The most obvious being how cheap it is.
Not just in how it looks but also in its actual production. You get used to the former, but the latter is detrimental to the quality of the finished product and is the chief root of all its failings. It’s painfully obvious that MAFS NZ had a fraction of MAFS Oz’s budget.
Even including the egregious and plentiful amount of product placement that pops up. While MAFS Oz wasn’t exactly subtle in its showcasing of food delivery options, for example, it didn’t stoop to having its couples eating icecreams with their morning coffee or awkwardly carrying bag.
