What To Watch Now That ‘MAFS’ Has Left A Hole In Our Hearts (And Calendars)

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Picture this: it’s a dreary Monday evening and you’ve just arrived home from a long day at work. Friday feels like a year away and you’re in dire need of some mindless entertainment. What better way to unwind than to kick back, pour yourself a generous glass of red wine, and switch on Channel 9 for your daily Married at First Sight dose?

So, you do just that… only for Hamish Blake and Lego Masters to stare right back at you.

This show is certainly entertaining in its own right, but it’s very far removed from the sensationalism our beloved MAFS bought us from late January through to early April. The drama, the romance, the tension — all of it left us craving for more.

But fear not, as we live in the age of streaming, therefore with just a click of a button, you can indulge in all the guilty pleasures that reality TV has to offer, filling the 7:30pm void MAFS so heartlessly left.

From the explosive drama of Love Is Blind to the disgusting, yet strangely intriguing, trials of I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here, there are plenty of options to satisfy your cravings for trashy television.

So, if you’re looking for something to fill your MAFS void, read on. Who knows, you might just find your next guilty pleasure to obsess over.

Farmer Wants a Wife

Where to watch: Channel 7 or on 7Plus on demand.

Release date: Premiered on April 10th and new episodes drop Monday to Wednesday at 7.30pm.

What’s it about?

The concept of Farmer Wants A Wife is pretty self-explanatory. Farmer… wants a wife! Five single well-to-do farmers, who are looking for someone to settle down with, are matched with a group of women that are specifically suited to them. They spend time with the women through dates and challenges, before choosing one to commit to.

Basically, it follows the widely unoriginal premise of The Bachelor, but is a pure and wholesome version. That being said, two identical twin sisters from WA have been dropped into the mix this year, which could potentially create some MAFS-style drama. Unfortunately for us, they’ve been paired with different farmers. Rude!

Love is Blind

 

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Where to watch: Netflix.

Release date: Episodes 1 – 11 are currently available on Netflix, with the finale dropping on April 14th.

What’s it about?

Although the cast of Love Is Blind isn’t homegrown, *cough* give us an Aussie spinoff, Netflix *cough* the premise of the show aligns with MAFS quite well. The American-based reality show sees a bunch of male and female participants all date each other before deciding who their best match is.

The catch is that neither party can see the other as they’re located in separate, windowless rooms, and they must build a connection only by hearing each other’s voices. If they think their bond is strong, they’ll get engaged — which feels like jumping the gun a bit but hey.

After that, they’ll date in the outside world and then decide if they want to go through with their wedding, which is, of course, televised.

I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here!

Where to watch: Channel 10 or 10Play on demand.

Release date: Premiered on April 2nd and new episodes drop Sunday — Thursday at 7:30pm.

What’s it about?

The show features a group of celebrities* who are ripped away from their luxurious lives and thrust into the South African jungle. The change-of-pace is usually quite rough for the ‘stars’ but, honestly, their campsite looks like the Ritz in comparison to the standard Survivor digs.

The contestants are put through a string of challenges and trials to earn food for the night and work towards being crowned King or Queen of the jungle. These trials usually involve eating some form of animal testicle, but can sometimes mean being bitten by a python, as Nick Cummins already found out this season.

Throughout the season, viewers can vote to save their favourite celebrity from elimination, and one-by-one the cast is sent packing until a winner is crowned. That winner earns $100,000 for the charity of their choice.

*This term is used loosely and includes sportsmen, reality TV stars, radio hosts and forgotten actors from TV shows that haven’t aired since John Howard was PM.

FBOY Island Australia 

 

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Where to watch: Binge.

Release date: 30th May 2023.

What’s it about? 

Okay, okay, FBOY Island isn’t *technically* out yet, but it’s too exciting to leave off the list. Abbie Chatfield, who originally competed in Matt Agnew’s season of The Bachelor, is hosting the first season of the show, which is adapted from the US version.

The Aussie version is much like its American counterpart and will see three women mingle with a group of 24 men. However, 12 of them are ‘nice guys’ while the other 12 are self-proclaimed F-boys’, otherwise known as f*ck boys (which is a term that probably should be added to the dictionary by now).

The women must support each other and weed out the F-boys, then boot them out of their luxurious villa until just one potential partner is left standing for each of them.

Season 1 of FBOY Island drops on Binge on the 30th of May, but if you can’t wait ’til then, you can download Seasons 1 and 2 of the US version on iTunes.