Reality Bites: How we made a talk show to create d+ reality show FOMO

mSix&Partners

Client: discovery+

Q3 2022 was a pivotal time for discovery+ to cement their position as one of the UK’s most entertaining SVOD platforms by launching the much-anticipated 90 Day Fiancé UK and Beauty and The Geek UK. 90DFUK was set to enter the reality TV market in July at its most competitive period, as legacy shows such as Love Island were drawing to their season finale and dominating popular conversation. We needed a way to short-cut to similar levels of fame and talkability. Our approach needed to steal Love Island's spotlight by positioning both our shows as the refreshing change fans couldn't afford to miss. Together with Bauer Media, we devised an idea for a brand-new content series called Reality Bites – a long-form video series dedicated to dissecting the relationships, intentions and desires of the participants of 90DFUK and BATGUK. The series was hosted by two former reality stars, Sam Thompson and Fleur East, and took the form of nine episodes released from July to November on heatworld’s YouTube channel. The series gave our newcomer shows the impression of being at the heart of pop culture, and created compelling content that amplified the drama of our shows and drove some serious FOMO.