Travel Guides might be the sought-after gig for reality TV stars, but many emerging names may not be able to land a spot, thanks to Channel Nine’s new casting rule.
New Idea hears that viewers should not expect anyone from this year’s series of Married At First Sight or The Block to be handed a passport.
While the 2026 series featured appearances from MAFS fan favourites Lucinda Light and Andrea Thompson, The Block sisters Eliza and Liberty Paschke and Love Island‘s Callum Hole and Mitch Hibberd, the network will not be opening the plane doors to all its reality TV alumni.
“The network knows the reality television crossover can work, but the chemistry has to be right,” our insider dishes.
“Travel Guides is not about manufactured conflict. The cast needs to be naturally funny, warm and entertaining without constantly fighting with one another.”
Sources claim Nine will look beyond 2026 casts when selecting future travellers, with the broadcaster keen to keep Travel Guides‘ tone away from its other dramatic reality shows.
According to those close to production, this year’s MAFS personalities have largely been considered too controversial for the family-friendly travel program.
While the relationship experiment generated enormous headlines, its bitter feuds and increasingly toxic confrontations have reportedly made it difficult for Nine to identify a pairing audiences would want to holiday alongside.
“There were certainly memorable personalities on MAFS, but memorable does not always mean suitable for Travel Guides,” the source explains.
“Someone can be fantastic at a dinner party where everyone is screaming, but that does not mean they can carry a travel show.
“They need people viewers can laugh with rather than people they are constantly laughing at.”
The outlook is said to be equally bleak for this year’s Blockheads.
Despite The Block remaining one of Nine’s most valuable franchises, insiders claim executives don’t believe its 2026 season has produced a duo with the broad appeal required to become permanent Travel Guides.
“There was plenty of drama on The Block, but there was a feeling the season lacked the enormous breakout personalities they were hoping for,” the insider claims.
“Some contestants were divisive, and others simply didn’t pop enough. Nobody immediately emerged as the obvious next Eliza and Liberty.”
But that could mark good news for 2025 best mates Robby and Mat, placing them firmly back in contention.
The Adelaide hairdressers became fan favourites through their humour, infectious friendship and willingness to laugh at themselves during The Block’s Daylesford season.
Unlike some of their more combative co-stars, Robby and Mat largely avoided becoming consumed by the show’s feuds. Something that could make them ideal candidates for the lighter Travel Guides format.
“Robby and Mat are probably the most obvious recent Block pairing,” the source says.
“They already have the banter, they are genuinely close, and you can imagine them finding the funny side when everything goes wrong overseas.
“That relationship cannot be manufactured in a casting room.”
Fellow 2025 contestants Britt and Taz could also be considered, particularly after winning their season and building a loyal following. However, Robby and Mat’s larger personalities are believed to give them the edge.
From MAFS, 2025 brides Jamie Marinos and Rhi Disljenkovic could offer Nine a way of using the franchise without revisiting the more divisive 2026 cast. With Jamie currently living in Greece, she is no stranger to travel.
The pair developed a memorable friendship away from their failed television marriages and would love to travel the world together.
“They have a completely different energy when they are together,” our source dishes. “And both girls bring out the laughter in one another. It is more of a comedy than an extension of MAFS.”
However, Nine would need to be confident the friendship remains strong enough to withstand the pressure of another production before offering them a permanent position.
Love Island Australia’s 2025 winners Yana Marks and Kye Lambert are also in the running, with hopes they could provide Travel Guides with a younger dynamic.
“They are young, spontaneous and already have a story together,” says the source.
“You would get a completely different perspective from them than you would from Kevin and Janetta or the Fren family. That contrast is exactly what makes the format work.”
However, insiders stress that no former reality contestants are guaranteed a position, with producers protective of the everyday charm that made Travel Guides successful.
“The lesson from bringing reality stars into the format is that viewers will accept familiar faces, but only when they feel authentic,” the source says.
“Nine doesn’t want Travel Guides to become Celebrity Apprentice with suitcases.
“They are looking for genuine relationships, natural humour and people the audience would happily spend an hour travelling alongside.
“That is why they are prepared to go backwards through their reality television catalogue rather than automatically choosing whoever appeared on screen most recently.”
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