When the idea of a dating reality series pops up, the people seeking love are almost always between the ages of 21 and 40. That’s the expectation, as many see love working in one specific way. Get married while young, start a family, and when the kids leave the nest, relax in the golden years with your partner. The phrase “Young Love” is a common term for a reason. So, naturally, it makes sense as to why shows that are focused on love are primarily cast with young, attractive singles. Sex sells, after all. But, in this new day and age of representation mattering, it’s time to acknowledge the fact that people aged 50 and up can be, and often are, single. Not only that, people aged 50 and up crave companionship just as much, if not more, than their younger single counterparts. And some data backs it up. According to a recent study done in the U.K., “86% of men and 60% of women aged 60–69 years reported being sexually active, as did 59% of men and 34% of women aged 70–79 years, and 31% of men and 14% of women aged 80 years or older.”
Who wouldn’t be curious about the love lives of senior citizens? ABC decided to take a risk when they created The Golden Bachelor, and it was a risk that reaped the rewards. The new take on the Bachelor series focused on 71-year-old Gerry Turner as the new bachelor, who had over 22 age-appropriate ladies hoping to become his new bride-to-be. The new septuagenarian bachelor being the focal point was a surprise hit, with over 11 million viewers in the first week. The response to the new take on the show was highly positive and proved that audiences are intrigued by the love lives of older singles. And it isn’t just popular with the senior citizen crowd. The majority of The Golden Bachelor’s viewership is between the ages of 18 to 49, according to the Hollywood Reporter. With the success of The Golden Bachelor, it’s time for other series about finding love to follow suit. One series that could certainly benefit from this kind of change is Married At First Sight.
A ‘MAFS’ Golden Years Season Could Change The Show’s Bad Reputation
Married At First Sight fans are getting more and more frustrated by the Lifetime series. The matching process has become obviously flawed. The system they use was once touted by the experts as being incredibly thorough in matching people based on compatibility. However, as the years progressed, the matches began to make less and less sense. Several people cast in the series proved to be wolves in sheep’s clothing. Honest, well-meaning participants of the experiment have been paired with people who clearly only wanted to be seen on TV. Others have been cheated on during filming, and others were pressured to stay with people who consistently insulted and belittled them. In the history of the 17-season series, 64 couples have participated in the experiment, but only 12 are still married. For an experiment that has been running for nearly a decade, it has an underwhelming success rate of 19%.
With the consistent failures, fans are beginning to get tired of watching one well-meaning partner being negatively affected by an ill-matched partner. With viewer resentment growing, the viewership of the series has steadily begun to decline. MAFS is Lifetime’s most popular original TV series, and with viewership declining, the people in charge need to make a change.
It’d be smart for them to take a page out of ABC’s playbook and re-center the premise on older couples. Upping the age requirement could drastically change how the show works and may even lead to more positive results. Older people have a stronger concept as to who they are and what they want in love. This level of certainty could enhance the number of more compatible couples, as they are more likely to be honest in the tests provided by the experts. And, thanks to Married At First Sight Australia, some viewers have already seen what having older couples on the series could look like.
One couple’s major issue with the series was that their younger counterparts seemed to be more focused on creating drama than creating a successful marriage. For the fans who are tired of the so-called experts’ terrible love matches, changing the format of the show is exactly what’s needed right now. Season 17 of Married At First Sight returns on January 3rd and airs Wednesdays on Lifetime at 8 PM ET.