Married at First Sight coming to New Zealand

Simon, left, Alene, Sharon and Nick - with Zac Franich, centre, on Ponsonby Rd - were staying silent on why they were in New Zealand. Photo / Tess Nichol

Married at First Sight New Zealand is a go - with Kiwi singles to be coupled up and married off all for reality TV.

MediaWorks have confirmed the global reality TV hit - which is produced in more than 20 countries - will make its debut here in late 2017.

The show will follow single New Zealanders looking for love, who will be paired up on-screen and then meet for the first time at their wedding.

The couples will then honeymoon, meet their in-laws and set up home - all the while actually getting to know each other.

"We pride ourselves in bringing the best locally produced content to New Zealanders," said Andrew Szusterman, MediaWorks' chief content officer.

"Married at First Sight is the show that has been on everyone's lips for 2017 and we are really excited to be producing New Zealand's first series of this hit show."

Matchmaking on the show is the result of a careful process involving a range of experts who observe and counsel the love-seekers as they progress through their time living together.

At the end of the experiment, the couples must decide whether to remain married or file for divorce.

MediaWorks is launching a casting call for singles who are "genuinely ready to commit to love".

Applications are open to New Zealand citizens or permanent residents aged 25 and over, from any background, ethnicity and sexual orientation.

Production will take place this year, with the show airing between October and December.

The announcement of the first ever New Zealand version of Married at First Sight comes in the same week as the finale of the latest series of the Australian version aired on Three.

The show has been the network's highest rating international programme this year, reaching an audience of more than 1 million viewers in the 25-54 demographic, and hitting more than 1m views on ThreeNow streams.

The series featured 10 couples, of which just two remain together - Simon and Alene, and Sharon and Nick.

Jonathan and Cheryl's union ended after a row broke out when he exchanged phone numbers with one of the show's other female stars.

Another contestant, Anthony - who had been paired with Nadia - has become one of the biggest villains on Australian TV after criticising his TV wife's breasts, describing her as "frigid" and also questioning her career choices.

Unsurprisingly, the couple have called it quits, with Anthony dumping her the day after filming on the show ended.

Nick and Sharon and Simon and Alene were both in Auckland yesterday, with the Herald on Sunday spotting the happy couples enjoying a beverage with Zac Franich, the male star of series three of The Bachelor NZ, on Ponsonby Rd.

Simon said he couldn't "delve too deep" into why he and his TV bride were in New Zealand, because of the "paperwork" involved in their visit.

"I'm not up for lawsuits," he joked.