Hosts Dave Hughes and Osher Günsberg reveal fate of Channel 10 reality shows: ‘It’s a tough one’
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Australian television has long been a melting pot of local talent and imported formats, with homegrown shows often standing shoulder-to-shoulder with international hits.
However, the landscape of Aussie TV is set to change dramatically in 2024, as Channel 10 faces the tough decision to potentially axe two of its popular reality shows, The Masked Singer and The Bachelor.
This news has sent ripples through the entertainment industry and has left fans of these shows wondering about the future of local content on Australian screens.
Dave Hughes, the comedian and panellist on The Masked Singer for all five of its Australian seasons, broke the news on his radio show, Hughesy, Ed and Erin on 2Day FM.
‘We’ve been waiting on a production schedule. That production schedule has not come through, so as far as I know, The Masked Singer won’t be filmed this year for Channel 10,’ he said.
'We've had such a great time over those years, it's been such a fun show to be on.’
‘We’ve had great panels. We started with Jackie O, Dannii Minogue, [Lindsay] Lohan, then Urzila Carlson came in, we’ve got Abbie Chatfield, Chrissy Swan, Mel B. All stars in their own right.’
‘It’s a tough one for the production team.’
Osher Günsberg, the charismatic host of The Bachelor since 2013, also weighed in on the speculation during the same radio broadcast.
He expressed his concerns about the future of Australian storytelling, criticising local networks' tendency to prioritise British and American shows in prime-time slots.
‘I personally feel we really need to value our own stories and our culture and our own voices far more highly,’ he said.
‘And we’ve got to do what we need to do to make that happen on our screens.’
'If we're not going to sing our own songs and tell our own stories—we're just going to be this weird echo of the [United States] and the [United Kingdom], and that's not going to work out well for us.’
The Bachelor premiered its 11th season to the franchise's lowest ratings of 224,000 five-city metro viewers and a total audience of 319,000.
Erin Molan, co-host on the radio show, pointed out the high costs associated with securing big-name celebrities and creating the elaborate costumes that The Masked Singer is known for.
‘The costumes, the big-name celebrities—there’s no other show on Australian TV that gets those big-name American celebrities, and it costs a whole hell of a lot of money,’ she said.
‘I’m not being disparaging of Channel 10—they’re a great network—but they’ve had a rough year…the whole revenue system is dwindling when it comes to TV, which is just a reality we all have to face.’
‘What I’m saying is it’s not coming back because it wasn’t brilliant or didn’t do well with audiences because it did, it's just super expensive, and they've got to obviously prioritise other projects.’
The news comes amid reports that Warner Bros TV, the producers behind The Masked Singer, have been ‘gauging interest from rival networks’ for the franchise.
Günsberg, reflecting on the transient nature of the television industry, shared his take on the situation.
'Like anything, things come and go, that's all right, that's the gig, and it's fine. I know the show is not not coming back because I did a bad job, I can tell you that,’ he said.
This comes after a Channel Nine reality series was axed in December despite publishing an online casting call for the 2024 season.
What are your thoughts on the potential cancellation of these shows? Share your opinions in the comments below.
However, the landscape of Aussie TV is set to change dramatically in 2024, as Channel 10 faces the tough decision to potentially axe two of its popular reality shows, The Masked Singer and The Bachelor.
This news has sent ripples through the entertainment industry and has left fans of these shows wondering about the future of local content on Australian screens.
Dave Hughes, the comedian and panellist on The Masked Singer for all five of its Australian seasons, broke the news on his radio show, Hughesy, Ed and Erin on 2Day FM.
‘We’ve been waiting on a production schedule. That production schedule has not come through, so as far as I know, The Masked Singer won’t be filmed this year for Channel 10,’ he said.
Channel 10’s The Masked Singer and The Bachelor are set to be axed this year. Credit: The Bachelor (left) and The Masked Singer (right) / Facebook
'We've had such a great time over those years, it's been such a fun show to be on.’
‘We’ve had great panels. We started with Jackie O, Dannii Minogue, [Lindsay] Lohan, then Urzila Carlson came in, we’ve got Abbie Chatfield, Chrissy Swan, Mel B. All stars in their own right.’
‘It’s a tough one for the production team.’
Osher Günsberg, the charismatic host of The Bachelor since 2013, also weighed in on the speculation during the same radio broadcast.
He expressed his concerns about the future of Australian storytelling, criticising local networks' tendency to prioritise British and American shows in prime-time slots.
‘I personally feel we really need to value our own stories and our culture and our own voices far more highly,’ he said.
‘And we’ve got to do what we need to do to make that happen on our screens.’
'If we're not going to sing our own songs and tell our own stories—we're just going to be this weird echo of the [United States] and the [United Kingdom], and that's not going to work out well for us.’
The Bachelor premiered its 11th season to the franchise's lowest ratings of 224,000 five-city metro viewers and a total audience of 319,000.
Erin Molan, co-host on the radio show, pointed out the high costs associated with securing big-name celebrities and creating the elaborate costumes that The Masked Singer is known for.
‘The costumes, the big-name celebrities—there’s no other show on Australian TV that gets those big-name American celebrities, and it costs a whole hell of a lot of money,’ she said.
‘I’m not being disparaging of Channel 10—they’re a great network—but they’ve had a rough year…the whole revenue system is dwindling when it comes to TV, which is just a reality we all have to face.’
‘What I’m saying is it’s not coming back because it wasn’t brilliant or didn’t do well with audiences because it did, it's just super expensive, and they've got to obviously prioritise other projects.’
The news comes amid reports that Warner Bros TV, the producers behind The Masked Singer, have been ‘gauging interest from rival networks’ for the franchise.
Günsberg, reflecting on the transient nature of the television industry, shared his take on the situation.
'Like anything, things come and go, that's all right, that's the gig, and it's fine. I know the show is not not coming back because I did a bad job, I can tell you that,’ he said.
This comes after a Channel Nine reality series was axed in December despite publishing an online casting call for the 2024 season.
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