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Design: Tina Tiller
Design: Tina Tiller

Pop CultureFebruary 23, 2022

Justice for Seven Sharp, the only news show without a snazzy studio

Design: Tina Tiller
Design: Tina Tiller

Seven Sharp is rocking a curious backdrop of plastic containers and office sneakers, and Tara Ward is obsessed.

Five nights every week, Hilary Barry and Jeremy Wells sit on the Seven Sharp couch and deliver a steady stream of news stories. There are stories to inspire us, to educate us, to inform and entertain. Yet, every night, no matter how good Seven Sharp is and how important their stories are, I find myself distracted by the real story going on behind them.

Beyond Seven Sharp’s sofa lies an ever-changing exhibition, a mesmerising portrait of modern office life. Swivel chairs sit at awkward angles, objects lie strewn across desks. A bag here, a Sistema container there, a box of tissues behind Jeremy’s right ear. Personal items are chucked around willy-nilly, with joyous little care for a live TV broadcast or a lonely TV writer with nothing better to do than lie awake at night thinking about the detritus washing up on Seven Sharp’s shores.

What do these objects in this bleak still life tell us? Does that coffee cup know it’s being watched by hundreds of thousands of New Zealanders every night? What chaos is stuffed in those bags on the desk, and why is a single white sneaker lying on the floor?  Most importantly, is Seven Sharp filming from inside a cupboard?

Seven Sharp’s current set is a window into TVNZ’s soul, giving viewers a rare glimpse behind the current affairs curtain. This is where the magic happens, but lately I’ve been zoning out while Hilary and Jeremy talk, instead focusing on the drama in the background. Every night, those mysterious objects move slightly. You might call it a working newsroom, I call it the soap opera we didn’t know we needed.

Exhibit A, your honour: this white picture frame, which appeared out of nowhere in mid February and hasn’t been seen since. That’s a cliffhanger Shortland Street would be proud of. I zoomed in super close, and while pixels are a bitch, my instincts tell me it contains either a lovely photo of John Campbell or the crocheted budgie smugglers that Hilary gave Jeremy for Christmas, immortalised forever.

There is, of course, a worthy explanation. Seven Sharp are taking one for the team, as Covid-19 restrictions force the show to film from a temporary studio. A TVNZ spokesperson confirmed Seven Sharp was broadcasting from a different level within TVNZ, to allow social distancing within the newsroom. “It allows for less crossover between our different news and current affairs teams,” they said.

Hilary referred to the situation when Seven Sharp returned last month, calling it “camping”. “You probably thought, and we did too, at the end of last year when we were in our little makeshift studio in our little isolation bubble, that would be the end of it,” she said. “But no, no, omicron. That’s why we’re back up here.”

Seven Sharp are making the best of a bad situation, and for that, I raise my sneaker in their honour. TVNZ confirmed they’ve set up a replica Central Perk on some floor space with a rug, couch, table and background left over from the 25th anniversary of Friends. Everyone loves Friends. Hilary and Jeremy are friends, Seven Sharp is our friend. The link is clear.

Seven Sharp has kept calm and carried on, even though Breakfast has a new set that looks like they’re broadcasting from inside a cathedral, and Simon Dallow regularly goes to the moon and the supermarket with his fancy AR tricks on 1 News. Even Fair Go gets to stand in front of a snazzy screen to discuss the perils of fitted sheets. But Seven Sharp? No one told them life was gonna be this way.

Does Seven Sharp need a jazzy background to deliver our nightly dose of news and light entertainment? Of course not. Do they deserve one, though? Most definitely. The prime time jewel in TVNZ’s current affairs crown has earned far more than half a tribute wall for an American sitcom and someone’s handbag plonked in the background. Light a candle, send thoughts and prayers. Justice for Seven Sharp. Justice for that sneaker.

Seven Sharp screens Monday–Friday nights at 7pm on TVNZ 1 and on TVNZ OnDemand. 


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The hosts of, from left< 60 Seconds, Celebrity Treasure Island and Snackmasters NZ, with a guest appearance from Block NZ host Mark Richardson (Image: Tina Tiller)
The hosts of, from left< 60 Seconds, Celebrity Treasure Island and Snackmasters NZ, with a guest appearance from Block NZ host Mark Richardson (Image: Tina Tiller)

Pop CultureFebruary 21, 2022

All the NZ reality shows to look forward to in 2022

The hosts of, from left< 60 Seconds, Celebrity Treasure Island and Snackmasters NZ, with a guest appearance from Block NZ host Mark Richardson (Image: Tina Tiller)
The hosts of, from left< 60 Seconds, Celebrity Treasure Island and Snackmasters NZ, with a guest appearance from Block NZ host Mark Richardson (Image: Tina Tiller)

If you’re a reality TV fan, 2022 is shaping up to be your year. 

A huge wave of homegrown reality TV will wash up on our shores in 2022, bringing with it the revival of old favourites and the debut of brand new content. Masterchef NZ and Heartbreak Island are back, overseas hits Lego Masters and Snackmasters get the New Zealand treatment, and there’s plenty of new shows to enjoy, including TVNZ’s talent show 60 Seconds and The Ex-Best Thing, a fresh twist on a dating show.

It’s February already, so there’s no time to waste. Let’s dive into the long list of New Zealand-made reality shows that we can look forward to sometime in 2022.

New in 2022:

60 Seconds (coming soon to TVNZ)

60 Seconds’ Pax Assadi, Tegan Yorwarth, Clint Roberts and Laura Daniels (Photo: TVNZ)

“No need for introductions. No time to warm up. There are just moments to impress. And every beat counts!” reads TVNZ’s promo for this new talent show. Hosted by ZM’s Clint Roberts, contestants have one minute to impress three celebrity scouts (Pax Assadi, Laura Daniel and Tegan Yorwarth), who are bidding to manage the most entertaining variety act. The audience vote for the winning performer, with a share of $200,000 up for grabs.

The Ex-Best Thing (TVNZ)

Five ex-couples find each other new romantic partners in this dating show, because nobody knows you better than your ex. “Will our singles strike a new match thanks to their ex, or could they relight an old flame?” Prepare yourselves, this could get awkward.

Lego Masters NZ (TVNZ)

Dai Henwood
Dai Henwood has been confirmed as the host of Lego Masters NZ. Image composite: Tina Tiller

Dai Henwood hosts the Kiwi version of the popular Lego Masters format, where teams of Lego fanatics use their skills and imagination to create the wildest and most original creations. Thoughts and prayers for the brave staffer who has to put the 2.5 million bricks back in the Lego pit at the end of each episode.

Tracked (Three)

Three’s new survival series sends eight teams on an adventure race through New Zealand’s most extreme and rugged terrain. Will they reach the evacuation zone before being caught by a team of elite trackers? It’s a game of cat and mouse set amongst our remotest landscapes, so what could go wrong?

Snackmasters NZ (TVNZ)

Kim Crossman and Tom Sainsbury present Snackmasters NZ (Photo: TVNZ)

Based on the UK version, Snackmasters NZ is “a cooking challenge like no other”. Anyone who remembers Ready Steady Cook knows that’s a bold claim, but each week two famous chefs compete to make perfect replicas of one of New Zealand’s favourite snacks. Kim Crossman and Tom Sainsbury host.

Mysterious Dating Show That Might or Might Not Be Love Island (TVNZ)

“A group of sexy singles head to a tropical island getaway in the search of love, or like, and a massive cash prize! But who will have the strategy to make it in this competition?” reads TVNZ’s mysterious, as yet untitled, dating show. Sounds like Love Island, could be Love Island, please let it be Love Island. Actor Shavaughn Ruakere hosts.

Back for more in 2022: 

Celebrity Treasure Island (TVNZ)

cti
Matt Chisholm and Bree Tomasel from Celebrity Treasure Island. Image: TVNZ

Happy days, the poo cave is back. TVNZ’s top rating reality show returns with a fresh bunch of celebrity castaways battling it out on the beach to raise money for their chosen charities.

Masterchef NZ (Three)

Last on our screens in 2015, the cooking competition that made Nadia Lim and Chelsea Winter household names is revived for 2022.

Dancing with the Stars (Three)

Nadia Lim on Dancing with the Stars in 2019. (Photo: Three)

After two years of being postponed due to Covid-19, let’s hope it’s third time lucky for this season of DWTS.

Heartbreak Island NZ (ThreeNow)

A cross between Love Island and The Krypton Factor, Heartbreak Island sees singles pair up for a series of wacky challenges in the hope of avoiding elimination and finding love. Three promises this season will be “riskier with glossier challenges and cunning off-site twists”, and will screen exclusively on ThreeNow.

Ru Paul’s Drag Race: Down Under (TVNZ)

The top four of RuPaul’s Drag Race Down Under 2021: Kita Mean, Karen from Finance, Art Simone and Scarlet Adams. (Photo: TVNZ)

The Emmy award-winning series returns for a second season to find out which Australasian queen has the most charisma, uniqueness, nerve and talent.

The Block NZ: Redemption (Three)

The Block’s tenth season sees the return of four teams from past years, who want to redeem themselves by winning more money than last time.

The Masked Singer NZ (Three)

Who is it, who is it, who is it underneath the mask?


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