Following the hugely successful recent season of Married At First Sight (MAFS) Australia , fans of the format - and the reality romance genre in general - will be wondering if the rebooted New Zealand version can live up to expectations. The new season (the first New Zealand version since 2019) began last Sunday on Three, with the trailer warning New Zealanders to “prepare for the chaos of love”. But viewers will also be preparing for something different, and uniquely local, from the show’s return after five years: a little less Aussie, a bit more Kiwi.
Getting that differentiation right within a licenced reality format is key to the success of MAFS . It must be faithful enough to the franchise to attract an established audience, but different enough to set it apart from other versions available in the same territory. This tactic - sometimes dubbed “glocalisation” - is similar to recognising a McDonald’s restaurant in another country but seeing menu variations: there may be many regional versions of MAFS , but there is a unique ingredient to each one.
Hard realities MAFS began as a Danish reality experiment in 2013. The format involves strangers paired by relationship experts , then meeting for the first time at the altar. Each season follows these newlyweds as they receive therapy and advice from an expert panel, with the goal being to remain “married” once the season ends.
The format immediately rolled out across Europe and beyond, with 24 licenced versions .