Married at First Sight Australia 2024‘s Richard Sauerman has answered the age-old question of “How real is reality TV?” in a detailed Instagram post.
Since the dawn of (reality TV) time, fans have debated whether the format is *actually* genuine or just a rouse for some highly manipulated storylines orchestrated by producers.
Given Richard’s tumultuous marriage to Andrea Thompson in the 11th season of the marriage experiment, he definitely has a unique insight into the process.
Taking to Instagram in June, the 62-year-old said he’s often questioned about “how real” MAFS is.
“It’s a fascinating question because people want to know if what they saw was ‘the truth’ or not; whatever ‘the truth’ is,” Richard penned.
“I estimate that I was filmed and recorded for a total of 200 hours over the 12 weeks of filming. I also estimate that my total airtime (out of all 38 episodes and given that there are 24 participants) is 3 hours.”
By his summation, Richard claimed that only one-and-a-half per cent of what was filmed “made it to the final cut”.
“98.5 per cent of what I did and said did not make the cut,” he explained.
“Did I do that 1.5 per cent? Sure, I did. That was real. The context wasn’t always explained or understood. Lots of ‘nice’ stuff was left out. But hey, that’s reality TV, and we all knew that going into it.”
Married at First Sight‘s Richard reveals what ‘puts a negative spin’ on reality TV
Richard went on to tell fans that “producers are looking to film a story that will attract viewers, ratings, and commercial success”.
“They even choose characters for the story; the ‘villain’, for example, is an infamous MAFS character. This is how and why they choose us.”
He claimed producers are “not looking for perfect love and harmony” because that “doesn’t rate.” And no sh*t!
He explained, “Arguments, dramas, slip-ups, scandals, and walk-outs do. And that puts a very negative spin on ‘reality’.”
When Richard’s post was shared on the So Dramatic! podcast’s Instagram page, several reality stars agreed with his sentiment.
“One million % accurate,” The Block 2021‘s Tanya Guccione commented.
Meanwhile, Love Triangle 2023‘s Lili Jean Berry said, “he’s not wrong”.
Richard Sauerman says Married at First Sight was ‘out of his comfort zone’
A few days later, Richard shared more of his thoughts about his time on MAFS in another lengthy Instagram post.
“THE DAY I STEPPED OUT OF MY COMFORT ZONE by agreeing to appear on MAFS,” he wrote to the captions, alongside a snap from his on-screen wedding day.
Richard recalled that he applied for the marriage experiment because his daughter “dared” him to. Despite having what he thought was a 0.03 per cent chance of being chosen for the show, he made it on the cast.
“I had a vague sense of how hard [the show] would be because I know that whenever someone puts themselves out there, they attract criticism and judgement,” he continued.
“The social and ‘entertainment’ media landscape is a frenzy of accusations, condemnations, insinuations, and fake news. It’s toxic, and there I am, right in the middle of it all. Damn.”
Richard claims he’s not the ‘arrogant’ and ‘abusive’ person he was portrayed as on MAFS
Richard then confessed that he’s not “perfect”, and has many “flaws, struggles, and ‘issues'”.
“My whole life is a balancing act. That’s why I have a yin-yang tattoo on my back.
“And sometimes I go a little off-balance (don’t under-estimate the Commitment Ceremony pressure of being called to account by three seasoned experts, in front of the other eleven couples, with ten cameras in your face, 30 microphones across the room, and a production crew of 50 people),” he said.
He then asked fans, “But am I an arrogant South African prick? Am I a revolting and abusive man?”
“Am I the worst possible pig imaginable? Am I a small man who cries when he doesn’t get his way?
“Because that’s what some people have said about me (even people who are ‘close’ to me). And yeah, it’s been tough,” he admitted.
The TV groom finished his post claiming his “future looks bright”, and he’s come out the other side of the post-show criticism.
Richard’s insight into the reality TV process comes after he hard-launched his new girlfriend, Margie.
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