Our small screens for the past fortnight have been full of controversy – both real and manufactured – and it’s time to call it out.

“For the first time in history” a couple has been booted off My Kitchen Rules – for having terrible table manners rather than for terrible cooking. It sounds and looks nasty and their exit warranted, but given the reality of “reality television” should we be expecting anything else?

Admittedly I haven’t watched any of the latest season of MKR, just seen the advertising and media commentary, which is precisely the point.

Ever since season two of Big Brother, where housemates realised that by playing up and acting out garnered more screen time and better PR opportunities following their exit, “reality television” has continued along that path of fostering conflict and personality clashes.

It makes for good television and therefore draws viewers. In MKR’s case, a record 2.38million for Wednesday’s drama-fuelled episode where Sonya and Hadil were “excused from the table”.

The more that shows like these – and MKR is not alone – can play off heroes and villains all manufactured by clever casting and judicious editing, the better for ratings.

If the producers and hosts of MKR were actually remorseful and disappointed the situation “went too far”, then you’d have to question why it is still being used as ongoing marketing for the following week’s episodes.

Meanwhile, we are also heading towards a summer of cricket without any one-day internationals on free-to-air television. 

The billion-dollar deal announced between Cricket Australia and the Seven Network is said to be great for the game’s future by locking in funding and broadcast rights.

For us armchair viewers (without Foxtel), it means missing out on all the faster-paced versions of the game in lieu of the five-day Tests. At least that’s something.

However, one can only assume the switch to Channel 7 from the Nine Network will bring with it a new cast of commentators and the loss of insight from Bill Lawry, Ian Healy, Mark Taylor, Ian Chappell et al.

Perhaps the change in netowrk can bring a fresh perspective on the national game, but god help us if Bruce McAvaney is on the commentary team!