From Married At First Sight to The Bachelor franchise, reality TV dating shows are a huge hit with Australian viewers.
But the same can’t be said for Channel Seven’s The Single Wives, which premiered to a dismal 375,000 metro viewers on Wednesday night, according to Mumbrella.
Last year, Channel Nine’s The Last Resort premiered to 414,000 metro viewers, making it the lowest reality TV series launch on a commercial network since audience measurement tools were introduced in 2001.
Did YOU tune in? Channel Seven’s The Single Wives premiered to a disastrous 375,000 metro viewers on Wednesday night. Pictured: The show’s contestants
With even lower numbers for The Single Wives, the Channel Seven series has now replaced The Last Resort as the lowest-rated reality TV premiere in almost 20 years.
The only dating shows to perform worse are Undressed, which aired on public broadcaster SBS, and Love Island Australia, which was created for a niche audience on Channel 9’s secondary channel 9Go and their online streaming platform 9Now.
In a statement, a spokesperson for Channel 7 told Daily Mail Australia: ‘Episode 2, which goes to air tonight [Thursday] at 7:30, will most certainly improve on broadcast numbers posted this morning.
‘In the digital world, the show out-performed the competition and trended (#1) in all Cap cities. These conversations continue today, across all platforms, which is part of a developing trend in general entertainment aimed at specific demos.’
Dethroned! The Single Wives has now ‘beaten’ Channel Nine’s The Last Resort (cast pictured) as the lowest-rated reality TV series launch on a commercial network since 2001
Despite the dismal viewer ratings, The Single Wives has received praise from critics for ditching the usual contrived drama of the reality TV genre in favour of positivity and female empowerment.
TV Tonight reported that the series had a ‘friendly inclusiveness’, while The New Daily wrote that it ‘brings a touch of class to TV dating’.
‘It doesn’t rely on contrived stunts, rivalry or fake villains and drama,’ wrote The New Daily. ‘There were no bikinis in the first episode, no apparent drunkenness and no bitchiness.’
Critical acclaim: Despite the dismal ratings, The Single Wives has been acclaimed by critics
Hailed: ‘It doesn’t rely on contrived stunts, rivalry or fake villains and drama,’ wrote The New Daily. ‘There were no bikinis in the first episode, no apparent drunkenness and no bitchiness’
Further adding credibility to The Single Wives is the show’s star-studded line-up, with Fifi Box hosting and ‘the world’s number one dating expert’ Matthew Hussey serving as a coach for the singletons.
The Single Wives isn’t the only reality TV series to bomb in recent years.
In 2016, Channel Seven’s Kiss Bang Love premiered to 513,000 viewers and finished with just 248,000.
Kiss Bang FLOP! In 2016, Channel Seven’s Kiss Bang Love premiered to 513,000 viewers and finished with just 248,000
The Biggest LOSER! Last year, The Biggest Loser rated so poorly that it was moved from prime time to lunch time, before the finale was aired as a segment during an episode of Studio 10
And last year, The Biggest Loser: Transformed rated so poorly that it was moved from prime time to lunch time, before the finale was aired as a segment during an episode of Studio 10.
Following the disastrous debut of The Last Resort last year, a TV insider told The Daily Telegraph: ‘Television has been abuzz with the success of a handful of relationship reality formats.
‘But the spectacular failure of The Last Resort shows that viewers are not interested in poorly produced, poorly cast copycat shows.’
Don’t quit your day job! The Single Wives is hosted by media personality Fifi Box