Summary
Family drama at its finest, as mothers-in-law are teamed up with their perfect child’s partner to win a cash prize. They’re devious, dramatic and don’t pull any punches!
Reality shows are on high around the world, with everyone looking for new ways to find love or put it to the test. We’ve seen couples blindly go down the aisle in Married At First Sight, be given ultimatums in… well, The Ultimatum, and put on glamorous islands with tasks to complete in order to win some life-changing money in Love Island. For me, it’s getting a little tedious; same-old format, same-old drama, same-old beachy location — so samey it’s hard to keep invested. And here we go again… Netflix are back with the first season of another couples’ reality series, Stranded with My Mother-In-Law, but this time with a twist. To win a life-changing cash prize, couples embark on a journey to an earthly paradise and confront challenges, with the assistance of their mothers-in-law.
We all know the funny stereotypes of mothers-in-law being overbearing, invasive, and annoying, we’ve seen this in films such as Monster in Law, Meet the Parents and series like Everybody Loves Raymond. Now, what about in real life? Could you cope with your mother-in-law in order to win 500,000 Brazilian reals? This never-before-seen experiment will put families to a life-changing test, and you can find out if it’s a successful one in our spoiler-free review below.
Stranded with My Mother-In-Law Season 1 review and plot summary
The show starts with six anonymous couples who leave behind their lives and they think they’re entering a competition where they will work together to win a large cash prize. On a beautiful, remote island, there’s a striking village, like an all-expenses-paid vacation. However, in the first game, it takes an unexpected turn, revealing the actual stakes, when all the sassy mothers-in-law come hurtling to the island on a boat, ready to join the task.
READ: The Stranded Season 1 Review
The couples realize they will be stuck with their mothers-in-law, their true partners in the competition, and everyone’s a little displeased.
We’re introduced to the mothers by each revealing something that irks them about their children/daughters-in-law. Instantly colourful in clothing and personalities I can sense the drama in this series will be about that no one is good enough for their kids. The purpose is that these mothers want to change their relationships — for better, or for worse.
At times the mothers are made out to be the boss with their kids and their spouses being lazy, childish, and not well suited to one another. Then there are emotional times where the mothers show pride and genuine love for their children and their partners. There are some deep and intense conversations that happen between the families — truths are revealed and there are plenty of tears.
Similarly to many other reality series, we have action shots mixed with interviews from the cast members before and after each task. Here we learn about where and how the couples met and what their mothers-in-law think about them. Obviously, not one mother is happy with their child’s chosen match.
READ: Love is Blind Season 5 Review
The tasks can be intense and entertaining, and each game explores roles and tries to mirror the role they would have in real life. Honeycombs can be earned in each task; the more earned the higher your chance of getting the final jackpot. Think of I’m a Celebrity mixed with Big Brother but with in-laws, and you have this show. There can only be one winner — and I was shocked at who won.
Is Stranded with My Mother-In-Law A Good Reality Series?
Reality series are meant to entertain and distract the viewer from their everyday life. A good reality series should make its viewer feel better about their own lives and relationships, and this one certainly does. Even though it’s made me wary about mothers-in-law, it’s a good premise, and I’d be interested in seeing a father-in-law version, probably in the woods with tools (we can’t help but fall into stereotypes, can we?)
The eight episodes have a runtime of roughly thirty minutes, so it’s a relatively easy binge-watch that doesn’t feel disjointed. I watched the first four smoothly and time flew by.
What did you think of Stranded With My Mother-In-Law Season 1? Comment below.
