Issues with dating apps, problems with a love drought and height and a former reality TV contestant are just some of the brides and grooms looking for love on the latest season of Married at First Sight New Zealand.
Eight New Zealanders have signed up to go on the show's ups and downs, and will be taken under the wings of relationship experts John Aiken and Jo Robertson in the new season which launches on ThreeNow and Three in May.
Among those is 37-year-old Madeleine from Tauranga, an account manager who's been unlucky in love so far.
The self-described "bubbly, loyal, loving, adventurer, optimist" singleton told Newshub dating later in life has been beneficial - but also problematic.
"I've found my true self even more than what I knew in my 20s, contentment with life and who I am. This has made it more challenging to find that same vibe with someone who's got their shit sorted," she said.
Madeleine could be Aotearoa's answer to Lucinda Light from MAFS Australia as she's a big practiser of energy healing technique reiki.
While she says she's "quite partial to a shirtless Hemsworth brother", she professes to adore Deadpool actor Ryan Reynolds, "a funny, hot, genuine nice guy with no fake front. He is like the perfect cake without too much icing."
However, as she has been deaf in her left ear since she was four years old from mumps, she jokes "that special guy is going to have to whisper sweet things in my right ear."
That person could be ex-pat James Hunt, a 31-year-old primary school teacher from Christchurch, who came to New Zealand to play cricket and fell in love with the country.
Hunt is adamant his match on the show should be his "forever wife", but tells Newshub he will have to "manage my own expectations and pressures on a partner by openly communicating, showing empathy and respecting her needs. [As well as] Regularly checking in with her to discuss any concerns and expectations openly and honestly."
While he is tight-lipped about his dating past, he reveals "one secret I haven't told anyone is I once dated someone who was in the government" and he does have an eye on what he doesn't want from being on MAFS.
"I have watched the UK and Aussie version of MAFS. There was a lot of drama which honestly, I'm not about. My main concerns about being on the show was the fear of being rejected before being given a chance," he admits.
When it comes to celebrity crushes, James says he has one that appears every weeknight at 6pm.
"Samantha Hayes. I'm a sucker for beautiful eyes and a smile that could light up a room."
Perhaps James would be willing to find romance with another Samantha, a 26-year-old content creator from Auckland who describes herself as "kind, loving, compassionate, down to earth and fun to be around."
The mother-of-one has been on the apps but is laser-focused on what she wants out of a relationship.
"Most guys I've talked to have never shied away because I have a child. The hardest thing I've found is that I'm more picky dating now, than I was before having a child. This is because it isn't just myself I need to think about when finding a partner, I also need to think of my son and who would be a good role model for him."
Having had only one serious relationship before with her son's father, Samantha felt isolated from her other friends and turned to social media for comfort, and found a passion from it.
"As someone who works from home and doesn't often meet new people, and was struggling to find a partner, I decided to take the risk on the show," she admits before telling Newshub the NZ show's emphasis on less drama when compared to its Aussie compatriot helped.
"I saw how some couples were matched really well and how the contestants formed amazing friendships."
Professing her celebrity crush to be Theo James ("insanely hot, but has the most gorgeous accent"), Samantha also let on to Newshub: "I had a psychic reading saying I would be on a TV show. Eight months later I got married to a stranger."
The lack of eligible men on the scene was also a deciding factor for 31-year-old Stephanie who works in Marketing in Auckland.
"It's sad to see so many wonderful, funny, and successful women struggle to find suitable partners. That is my politically correct way of saying it's crap," she laughs.
Trapped in a love drought that's lasted eight years after two relationships, self-professed romantic Stephanie says she has "had a longstanding belief that I am just unlovable."
But she admits the social experiment has worked wonders for her.
"I think through this experience - reflecting, acknowledging, and feeling seen - it has helped me realise that maybe this belief is incorrect. Which was certainly a surprise to me."
One of the grooms looking for love will be familiar to fans of the reality TV genre.
At 36, Michael Wilson is one of the older members of this latest version of the social experiment. But with his very distinctive beard, many of the audience will recognise him from The Apprentice New Zealand in 2021, when he tried to rise to the top and impress Mike Pero.
He finished third in the show, but refutes any claim he's just seeking a reality TV limelight.
"I saw it as an opportunity to once again be in a public forum where I am able to be exposed more and more, to see more and more parts of myself where I can learn and grow through," he admits.
He says it's a "way of really moving through layers of shame, shyness, smallness to help me to continually expand into more epic versions of myself. With this comes public judgment, comments, hate and love; so the more I am exposed to this on larger scales, the more I care less and less about what others think of me and that is an absolute super power! Let's just call this exposure therapy," he laughs.
Maybe fellow groom the "goofy" Nathaniel, a 30-year-old aviation officer from Wellington, will have taken some tips from Michael during their time together on the show.
He told Newshub how surprised he was at "how vulnerable and open I was, I mean I knew I was an open book but didn't think I'd be so open about myself on TV and also just how intense my feelings and emotions were."
Initially Nathaniel was born in Nigeria, but moved to Whanganui when he was 17, where he admits he found life "quite challenging" in a small town.
However, he says he chose to be on the show "hoping I am going to find my queen" and cites a lack of respect for parents and elders a major turn-off.
Maybe he will get to meet Kara's father.
The 33-year-old from Christchurch towers over most of the participants at over six feet tall, but says her relationship with her father can always bring her back down to earth.
"My dad's opinion is very important to me, I won't introduce any old Joe Bloggs to him. He has seen a lot of awful things in his career as a detective and has always heavily emphasised to my sister and I how we should be treated by male counterparts. He tells us we are beautiful everyday and has set the bar high for potential partners," she reveals.
While Kara says she's honest, stubborn and generous. She also professes to adore Chris Hemsworth because "other than the fact he is drop dead gorgeous" he's also "humble and loyal".
But she admits her stubbornness in the past is what has closed many doors to love.
"I can be pretty closed minded, but I know what qualities I want in a partner," she said.
"Heartbreak is hard but nothing worth having ever came easy right? It's taken some time but I finally feel ready to find love again. There has to be a level of trust and respect there for me to break down the walls."
Breaking down walls is something 28-year-old brewer Piripi admits he needs to do.
While he says he's "thoughtful and spontaneous", the father of two says he's spent a lot of time in his own head while trying out the dating scene in Hamilton.
"I've had good past experiences with dating in Hamilton, but it is quite small compared to other towns in New Zealand. So it would be nice to look outside of the area. It's more to do with me then it is with others, in my head I think that people wouldn’t want to date someone with kids. It’s just my own insecurities when it comes to this," he reckons.
Having taken a "hiatus" from the dating scene, Piripi is back and is zeroing in on a new partner. It seems he's got his sights for a new love squarely modelled on Kiwi acting royalty.
"I love Kim Crossman, she was my first TV crush when she was on Shortland Street when I was younger. I just think she is stunning," he laughs.
Will he be paired up with his dream? You will just have to wait to see whether Cupid's arrow strikes when MAFS NZ returns.
Married at First Sight New Zealand premieres on ThreeNow and Three on Sunday, May 26.
