MKR slays rivals in reality TV show war as The Biggest Loser falls behind

WA girls Chloe and Kelly found the heat a little too hot in the kitchen on My Kitchen Rules, with a flaky dessert landing them in trouble. Courtesy Channel Seven.

AUSSIE TV can't sustain three reality shows at the same time.

That is the message that has come through loud and clear over the past fortnight, with The Biggest Loser's future now in doubt after failing to challenge My Kitchen Rules and The Block: Fans v Faves.

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Ratings winners ... Manu Feildel and Pete Evans, hosts of My Kitchen Rules, are slaying the competition.

The three have gone head-to-head in the 7.30pm timeslot since January 27.

My Kitchen Rules has fried the opposition, averaging more than 1.7 million viewers across the five capital cities.

Last Tuesday's episode of the Channel 7 cooking show, featuring West Australian villains Chloe James and Kelly Ramsay crashing and burning did even better, posting a stunning 2.1 million viewers.

Narrow focus ... some critics have wondered whether picking contestants from a single Victorian town is a turn-off for viewers in other states. Source: Supplied

"We don't watch My Kitchen Rules for the cooking — we watch it for the people and the drama," Reality Ravings' blogger Emma Ashton says.

"Fans from last year have tuned in to see if this year is just as good — and it is. They're hooked."

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The Block: Fans v Faves has delivered rock solid figures of around 1.1 million viewers for Channel 9. That is up more than 20 per cent on last year's The Block All Stars.

Fans v Faves, which sees four teams renovating the former Dux picture theatre in Melbourne's Albert Park, has been boosted by the presence of Sky High winners Alisa and Lysandra Fraser.

Talking point ... MKR villains Chloe and Kelly have proved to be ratings gold for the reality show. Source: Supplied

The biggest loser in this three-way reality stoush is The Biggest Loser: Challenge Australia. Ten's weight loss show, which is centred on contestants from the Victorian country town or Ararat, hasn't been pulling its weight.

The Biggest Loser: Challenge Australia has averaged a puny 633,000 viewers across the five capital cities. That is despite Ten starting the show a week before the opposition to try and hook extra viewers.

"The Biggest Loser is at the epicentre of harsh competition," media analyst Steve Allen says. "It has been starved of viewers. It is doing a lot worse than MasterChef Professionals which Ten screened at this time last year."

Fatigue ... The Biggest Loser has been on our screens for nine years and has been trending downward in the ratings for some time. Source: Supplied

Some critics have wondered whether picking contestants from a single Victorian town is a turn-off for viewers in other states.

Others think it is simply a case of fatigue. The Biggest Loser is nine years old and has been trending downward in the ratings for some time.

Challenge Australia features Mary Reid, the heaviest female contestant in Biggest Loser history as well as the return of Kevin 'Big Kev' Moore.

Popular ... Block twins Lysandra and Alisa have helped deliver rock solid figures of around 1.1 million viewers for Channel Nine. Source: Supplied

"This year's contestants have lacked 'wow' factor," Reality Ravings' Emma Ashton says. "I think Ten could get 200,000 more viewers each night if they moved it to 7pm."

Ten says it is too early to tell if The Biggest Loser will be back for a tenth season in 2015.

"For a show that is in its ninth season — and in a highly competitive environment — The Biggest Loser has been performing well on television and online," Ten spokesman Neil Shoebridge says.

"Online it has generated more than 1 million video views and more than 1.1 million page views.

"It has attracted a loyal core audience and we are working to build it."

Maxus National Trading Director Nathan Cook believes The Biggest Loser is still a good show. It just isn't being rewarded with bums on seats.

"Unfortunately for Ten, The Biggest Loser wouldn't have delivered on expectations, which can be attributed to competitive programming rather than quality issues," Mr Cook says.

"If The Biggest Loser doesn't build audience levels over the coming weeks it would be very hard for Ten to justify the significant cost that goes with producing such a program in 2015."

My Kitchen Rules is a TV phenomenon. It has bucked the trend of reality shows fading in their third or fourth years. Australian Idol, MasterChef and Big Brother all faltered the longer they ran.

Reality fans want to see drama, controversy, and bitchiness — and My Kitchen Rules has delivered in spades.

Last year The Spice Girls — Jessie Khan and Biswa Kamila — and Gatecrashers Ashlee Pham and Sophia Pou were villains. In 2012, pompous Queenslanders Gary Rogers and Peter 'Dr Evil' Hamilton were the contestants viewers loved to hate.

This year, viewers were quick to paint Chloe and Kelly drew scorn for their constant bragging about travel and Michelin-star restaurants. Last week they were at the centre of a cheating scandal because they used store-bought bread and puff pastry.

"The casting of My Kitchen Rules contestants hooks viewers in," Ms Ashton says. "Even this early into the second round, we're full of anticipation."

REALITY SHOWS HIGHS AND LOWS

My Kitchen Rules

High - 2.11 million viewers on February 4

Low - 1.605 million viewers on January 28

The Block: Fans v Faves

High - 1.22 million viewers on January 30

Low - 975,000 viewers on February 5

The Biggest Loser: Challenge Australia

High - 852,000 on January 20

Low - 451,000 on January 26