On Stranded On Honeymoon Island, BBC star Millie Thompson, a PR professional, and a therapist discuss the rise of marriage and Millie’s notorious “ick list.”
After years of being intimate with and loving someone, marriage is something many people choose to do. Millie Thompson, however, is not. After talking for five minutes with her husband, she realized he would be the one who would get the other end of the aisle.
The model from Cheshire was one of the brides who decided to marry a stranger on the BBC’s latest dating show, Stranded On Honeymoon Island. The show, described as Married At First Sight (MAFS) meets Survivor, follows several couples, who have all been matched together after a round of speed dating and get married before being dumped on a remote island to see if they can survive together – literally. And it’s just one of a series of dating shows that requires its contestants to get married as part of the show.
MAFS, Love Is Blind, and Stranded On Honeymoon Island – they’re all popular dating shows that include marriage as part of the game plan in some way. More and more, viewers watch as people who have never met each other or only heard each other speak before walk down the aisle and get hitched. But why? Why is marriage becoming such a staple of dating shows? And why would someone get married to a stranger on TV?
Millie exclusively told The Mirror about why she went on a show that asks you to marry someone you don’t know. “I thought, ‘Well, at least I can actually get married’. Somebody can out me with somebody that I could potentially be compatible with and I can get married. The whole thought of picking my dress and my hair, I was really looking forward to it,” she explained.
Millie never anticipated getting married. Her “type” had previously not really worked out for her. The 30-year-old on the show explained to The Mirror how she was “struggling” with dating and how she always seemed to attract the wrong man.
Millie remarked, “It was sort of a last resort for me to watch the show.” “I really struggle to find people to date and try to find them.” My type isn’t functioning, and it’s not doing so for a reason.
Unfortunately, Millie and her partner Jordan were unable to end their union when they were given the chance to end it.
Other people liked the show, including BACP registered therapist Emma Cullinan, who watched it. She explained to The Mirror that she thought there was a low likelihood of such marriages being successful and that she understood why someone might want to get married.
She said, “We’ve grown up with fairytales.” You marry and live happily ever after their conclusion. The two components come together, that is the construction. You marry, and you have a happy ending. However, in these programs, the theme is “You get married, now let’s look at the car crash.”
She continued, adding that she believed the producers weren’t interested in a happy marriage, which is why they might mix up ex-partners, as recently happened on Stranded On Honeymoon Island, or why two people with different attachment styles might be matched, as has recently happened on MAFS.
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Why do these shows include it if producers don’t want a smooth marriage? According to Emma, “viewers and contestants simply want to be in a relationship without any problems.” And marriage seems to hold that promise.
According to Natalie Trice, a PR expert, marriage’s frequency in dating shows is a reflection of the nation’s current “dating fatigue,” but it also raises the stakes for television. More than half of men and 94% of women still want a relationship, according to 91% of men and 94% of women. Marriage serves as a potent hook for TV producers because of the tension between struggle and desire.
Marriage is a fantastic example of reality TV currency because it guarantees drama, keeps viewers interested, and makes public appearances. But it also reveals something more profound: shows like Married at First Sight and Love Is Blind make viewers believe that love is still present, even when it includes cliffhangers and production crew.
And if the list is extremely long. Most brides and grooms on Stranded On Honeymoon Island chose photos of their loved ones or something sentimental when they were given home goods. Milky put her ick on the list, including all the possible ways someone might turn her off.
The list worried Emma and many other viewers that Millie wasn’t being completely open, which is why she was concerned. Because a close relationship causes pain, something in her prevents love.
However, Millie always believed that it was intended to be tongue in cheek rather than having an actual relationship. Simply put, it’s funny. And I believe that everyone has a list of illnesses.
“But I can overlook the ick, as I previously stated on the show. You don’t have icks if you really like someone. When Marilyn met someone, she realized that her list of people didn’t matter anymore because marriage is a lifelong commitment to avoid suffering.
Natalie came to the conclusion that we love dating programs that feature marriage in them because of our inner desire to see other people’s icks and still love us. Who doesn’t want to see people happy because we live in uncertain and uncertain times and people always want hope, connection, and happy endings?
Source: Mirror
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