She’s a major figure in Sydney’s social scene, and now the Ten Network is banking on this former Real Housewives of Sydney star to breathe new life into one of its struggling shows.
Despite poor ratings, Network Ten is returning The Traitors for a third season and has enlisted former Real Housewives of Sydney star Krissy Marsh for the reboot.
The show, originally created by a Dutch production company and inspired by the Russian party game Mafia, features a battle between undercover “traitors” and unsuspecting civilians in a remote manor. It struggled to attract viewers when it premiered in 2022.
Most episodes drew fewer than 300,000 metro viewers, and six out of the twelve episodes failed to reach the top 20 programs.
Even so, Ten revived the series the following year, adding some celebrities to the mix, but ratings continued to fall, and the number of episodes was reduced.
With Ten’s local chief Beverley McGarvey facing renewed pressure to turn the network around following the recent merger between Paramount Global and Skydance, she’s hoping the reboot will succeed on its third attempt.
The show will have a new host after Rodger Corser left earlier this year to join Nine, where he now hosts The Floor.
Reports suggest celebrities will once again appear in the third season of The Traitors.
Krissy Marsh, who has been promoting her podcast since Real Housewives of Sydney wrapped last year, will likely be hoping for a more harmonious experience on The Traitors set than she found on Foxtel’s RHOS.
Despite past emotional scars, Krissy Marsh recently hinted on social media that she might consider returning for a fourth season of Real Housewives of Sydney. In a post calling the show “toxic,” she asked her followers, “Would you go back? I need to know if I’m crazy for saying never again …”
This column doubts Marsh, her Housewife friend Nicole Gazal O’Neil, and frenemy Terry Biviano will reunite on screen anytime soon, though the Melbourne version of the show continues to gain traction.
McGarvey’s New Boss to Influence Ten
The revival of The Traitors highlights the challenges facing Ten president Beverley McGarvey as she works to generate compelling local content and prevent the network from stagnating.
Following the $12 billion merger between Paramount Global and Skydance, McGarvey now reports to Kevin McLellan, a Brooklyn-born executive with experience at MTV, HBO, Sony Pictures, Comcast, and NBC Universal.
McLellan, appointed last month as Paramount’s international and global content distribution president, oversees Ten in Australia as well as Channel 5 in the UK. McGarvey praised her new boss, telling industry publication Mumbrella that he is “fantastic.”
Ten recently confirmed a shake-up in its executive team, with content and programming head Dan Monaghan and corporate communications boss Bronwyn Fardon departing the network.
Shortly after, it was announced that Sarah Rose, McGarvey’s UK counterpart at Channel 5 who also reports to Kevin McLellan, is leaving to lead charitable organisation The Royal Foundation. This announcement came as McLellan visited the UK.
McLellan is regarded as a top industry executive, having played a key role in Comcast’s $55 billion acquisition of European pay-TV company Sky in 2018. His presence has raised speculation among Ten executives, especially after a difficult year marked by the cancellation of Neighbours, The Project, and the flop of prime-time replacement 10 News+.
Singo Horses Around
In personal news, John Singleton has taken his relationship with decorator Michelle Leslie to the next level by gifting her a half-share in a racehorse.
A year after his gift to Erin Molan sparked unfounded engagement rumours, Singleton bought a four-year-old mare out of Zoustar for $800,000 and gifted it to Leslie. The horse, trained by legendary Gai Waterhouse, has been named after Leslie’s daughter, Zsa Zsa.
Michelle Leslie’s child was born two years ago, after the former model retired to several properties owned by John Singleton, following her breakup with Silverchair frontman Daniel Johns. Singleton had employed Leslie to renovate the homes.
While Leslie previously declined to reveal her child’s father, it was confirmed this month that he is Brazilian-Australian cinematographer Thomaz Labanca.
Their racehorse, Zsa Zsa, has raced three times so far, with her best performance being a third-place finish in country Victoria in January, earning a prize of $6,750.
During his long years in racing, Singleton has named many horses for family and friends.
Among them Jack Attack for his son, Sunshine Sally for his daughter, Jonny the Kid for his two-year-old grandson and Dear Demi for the daughter of former love Yvette Hartman.
Others honoured by the tradition include his EA who has two horses named for her, Ask Di and Call Di, Mrs Maree for Clarry Connors’ wife, Gerringong for legendary Parramatta Eels footballers Mick Cronin and Peter Wynne and the yet-to-start Erin Jo for Molan.