MAFS showrunner Tara McWilliams has explained that she believes the reason that MAFS is so popular in Australia is because it’s “authentic”.
McWilliams – who has recently been promoted to Endemol Shine Australia’s director of content – started on MAFS in 2016, and has been credited with giving the show the facelift it needed to become to rating juggernaut it is today.
Speaking of how successful the reality show is, McWilliams believes that the authenticity in the show is what viewers respond well to.
“We’re always trying to keep the experiment as authentic as possible,” she says. “So whatever the experts come up with, whether it’s confessions week or intimacy week, it’s the basis of the week that generates storylines and experiences but it’s not the main focus,” she told Yahoo Lifestyle Australia.
“We want to leave enough space in the show for the relationship storylines to breathe, and I think that’s what sets us apart from other shows. We’re not weighed down by format. If we want to spend half an episode on two people’s relationship because really that’s where all the storyline is at the moment and that’s where all the drama or the entertainment or the conflict is, then we want to be able to do that and not feel pressure.”
She added that this year’s cast shape the show and will keep viewers entertained.
“A new cast is what’s fresh and they bring new storylines and new experiences in,” she said.
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“The sets, where we do our commitment ceremonies, our dinner parties and where they live, don’t really change. We don’t have a need to do that because that’s not why people are tuning in. That’s the world they exist in, but people are tuning in to meet these new fresh people and the stories that they’re going to bring.
“What I love about the cast of MAFS year after year is that they’re prepared to go all in,” she continues. “They come on, they’re true to who they are, they’re not trying to be someone else, and I think that’s what makes the show so fascinating to watch.”
For more on this topic, follow the Reality TV Observer.
