The Living Room host Amanda Keller has opened up about her “upset” over the show being taken off-air in a candid new interview, saying that the Friday night lifestyle show faced an uphill battle to attract viewers, airing right after The Project.
The Living Room will finish up on Network 10 at 7.30pm tonight, after 10 seasons on-air. The network insists the show is simply being “rested” for 2023 but Keller revealed to TV Tonight that she wasn’t getting her hopes up about it ever returning to screens.
“We’ve been told that we are being rested and having a tweak, fluffing up the cushions and having a play again, we hope the following year. My concern as always is TV’s like a fast-moving river. The four of us as a force is such a rare thing,” she told the outlet.
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“But it’s a bit of an ask that we’re all going to be available at the same time. That’s the risk that Channel 10’s running here. That’s what upsets me, I think.”
Keller said she and her co-hosts – Chris Brown, Miguel Maestre and Barry Dubois – would all inevitably move on to other projects next year, making it a “big ask” to reunite them all for a rebooted Living Room season down the track.
And she also had some brutally honest words for the show that has always led into their timeslot, The Project.
“I admire Channel 10 that they’ve stuck with The Project for so long,” she told TV Tonight, but said the show’s soft ratings compared to its competitors on the other channels meant The Living Room was always starting at a disadvantage.
“We’re up against Better Homes & Gardens, Gardening Australia and we do our best to hold our own in that capacity. I love that it’s a lifestyle night. But you know, they come off a rating of 900,000 from the news or something,” she said.
“It’s harder for any Channel 10 show at 7.30.”
Keller’s comments come as The Project undergoes a “mass exodus” of on-air talent, with Carrie Bickmore, Lisa Wilkinson and Peter Helliar all quitting the show.
Meanwhile, this morning on WSFM 101.7’s Jonesy & Amanda show, Keller was joined by her Living Room co-hosts to discuss what fans could expect from tonight’s grand finale.
Chris Brown said Ten’s decision to rest the show “seems a little odd”.
“We’re the luckiest people on earth, and we’re about to lose that bond,” Dubois said.
But Keller promised they were going out with a bang, with a special festive-themed finale airing tonight.
“Tonight’s show is such a ripper,” she said. “The last segment is us looking back at 11 years, and all four of us went the blub. Even Chris Brown.”