"Please stop casting famous people on reality TV shows"

Dear reality TV producers. First of all, love your work, but I just have one teeny tiny (ok kinda big) request: please stop casting famous people in every single series. Reality TV thrives on interesting and complex individuals from ordinary backgrounds, and yet you seem to be filling your casts with former reality stars or, er kind-of-recognisable actors. If it's not Joey Essex going on the most recent series of Love Island, it's a former Neighbours actor being signed up to the next series of Married at First Sight Australia. And if it's not them, it's a former The Traitors competitor trying to find love across the pond in Love Island USA. And honestly, it needs to stop.

Some of the biggest reality TV moments in the last 20 years have been created by people who were not remotely fame-adjacent when they first appeared on screens. In the early seasons of Love Island you had Olivia Attwood and Cara Delahoyde-Massey (née Delahoyde), who became walking memes purely by being themselves. They didn't need previous reputations to live up to, in order to become iconic. Or people like Alison Hammond who burst on our screens in Big Brother in 2002, breaking tables and capturing our hearts along the way. It was her infectious energy and warm spirit that felt relatable and approachable, making her instantly watchable - without the need to be recognisable already.

Yet, rather than trying to find the next Hammond or Attwood, casting teams are turning their attention to people who already have a platform. And to a certain extent I get it. In an ever growing market of reality shows - particularly dating shows - the networks need something to help them stand out. And don't get me wrong; I was gobsmacked when Joey Essex turned up on night one next to Maya Jama. But the novelty quickly wore off, and instead I began thinking about the next Kem Cetinay or Chris Hughes who we'd lost out on, in the place of a 33-year-old Essex lad who has appeared on every reality show going since 2011.

And yes, the cast is still mainly made up of 'normal' people, but it does feel like Joey has a particular focus as a main character. Is it just me who feels like this season of Love Island has often felt like Joey Essex Island?

'Normal' people are needed on reality TV shows, not only for diverse representation (which is a whole other issue entirely), but also for sheer entertainment value. With people already accustomed to fame, it often feels like they have cookie cutter personalities. They know exactly how to say and act in order to get more screen time, and so it makes you question the authenticity of their actions and feelings.

In contrast, last year's revamp of Big Brother and the two seasons of The Traitors proved the success that having a true mix of characters from a variety of walks of life can have, resulting in television you can't stop talking about for days on end. I still reference Diane's iconic "but Ross is" from season two of The Traitors. But will we even remember Joey Essex's multiple trips to the terrace?

I'm not alone in my frustration, with many fans taking to social media to complain about the rumours two former reality stars and a Neighbours actor will be joining the next series of MAFS Australia.

"First a Home and Away actress...now a Neighbours actor...come on #MAFSAustralia stick to the ordinary people please," one person wrote on X (formerly known as Twitter).

While another wrote on Instagram: "The show has become about launching careers not finding love."

Someone else commented: "Were there not enough 'regular' people applying then? While we all love watching a bit of car crash TV, it would be some much better if they weren't people with 100k+ followers or 'influencers', just normal people with normal bodies and faces."

And they're right. Surely there are other people in Australia looking for love that don't want to boost their Instagram followers?

Of course, there will always be an element of contestants who are looking be on TV, launch a career and enjoy the limelight. But with a truly ordinary cast of normal people with no experience of fame, you're far more likely to get raw emotions and hilarious moments. They won't have fast fashion contracts to protect by being outspoken, or secret partners on the outside which stops them from fully committing to love.

Instead you'll get a TV show that represents society, and produces some truly iconic moments of television while it's at it.

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