Channel Nine's "Married at First Sight" is gearing up for its second season and the reality romance series is now opening its doors to wed same sex couples on the show. Is this another one of the channel's brave moves towards pushing marriage equality in Australia?
"Married at First Sight" is one of the most interesting reality series on TV. The romance series aims to introduce and wed strangers on the same day they met each other following a strict and rigorous selection and matching process.
While the series has been met with several controversies, the reality series is now opening its doors and accepting applications for same sex couples, The Sydney Morning Herald cited.
A Castasugar spokesperson revealed that the application form for individuals who are interested in joining "Married at First Sight" will now include a discreet question on their partner's gender preference.
"That gives them the option at least, to determine if they'll make that statement in the show," the spokesperson said.
The outlet noted that the show has been heavily criticized in its first season because of the noticeable exclusion of gay couples during the application process. The show was also slammed for seemingly introducing the concept of marriage as a game for people to play around with.
The makers of "Married at First Sight," however, denied such allegations and insisted that the concept of marrying strangers based on several factors is "hundreds of times more likely to succeed" than doing it through conventional ways, Daily Mail reported.
"This particular approach will pick a partner for you better than you can, better than your friends and family can, certainly better than dating websites can," Dr. Mark Coulson said.
Couples who end up getting married at the series have a 70 per cent match based on a series of tests. Three of the four couples who went through the show have, unfortunately, ended up getting divorced.
