Ella May Ding - LOVE TRIANGLE - Narrator

It's in the news today, but it was actually on TV Reload, the podcast past.

Deep that line.

Welcome back, guys to TV Reload. As you may know, my name is Benjamin Norris and this is your podcast to get all the inside goss on the popular TV shows that you may be watching from around the world. Undeniably, our TV sets are a major part of our home entertainment, and yet very little is known about how our favorite

We will talk.

About the way in which this show works, from setting up three singles blindly via text to the judgmental way we all approach dating. Alla will talk about her social media and if she worries about being canceled from her opinions, what she thinks of the Dominica versus Olivia Debarkle now that there's been more water under the bridge, and how

I'm good.

I'm a little bit tired today, but I'm always good.

Okay, Well, you look fresh, so you don't have to worry about that. If that's how you look tired, I sign me up. Oh, this is a pretty cool gig for you. You know, how did this opportunity come up? Because people go on shows like Married at First Sight and that's the last we ever see of them.

Honestly, such a random opportunity to come up, Like, I never imagined myself.

To be narrating a show.

So Tara the ep for Maths we've always stayed in touch through social media, and then she just reached out to me through Instagram with the opportunity, and yeah, I mean it was a no brainer to work with her. But in a different way. Straight away, I was like, great, this is a new challenge, it's a new skill, it's from a different perspective of the show.

Throw me in, let's go.

You always hear these horror stories. I know Tara and she's a lovely person, but like you hear the horror stories of her clashing with some of the contestants on Maths. Is it hard to navigate that relationship? Like did you clash with her on the show when you were making it?

I mean I never really clashed like in a bad way with any production or cars. I wouldn't say it was ever bad Tara. I just looked at the big boss. I was like, she's the big boss. Just to do what she says, Like, if she's telling you to get to the point of a conversation, just get there, Like, just don't get on the bad side. I feel like

Well, there's a series of mass filming at the moment. Maybe they'll listen to this and realize the story goes really well for you if you do what Tara says.

So to me, it was really just common sense to kind of be nice to her.

I think your voice suits this series so well. You have like a very street wise, charismatic way of speaking. It kind of gives me like Secret Life of Us narration love.

That thank you.

I like to think that my voice does come from a place of like experience. You know, we've all got a story to tell, right, and so I do. I listen and watch Love Trianglan was like, Wow, it really does work well. Like the first time I watched it, I was like, well, I don't know, Like it's always a bit weird hearing yourself, especially in this sort of situation. So I was a bit weirded out at first, But now I've watched it a few times, I'm like, ah, I actually think it does work.

I feel like there's something very sexy, but very interesting about the way in which you are articulating it without it being too overpowering and distracting from the show.

Yeah, and I think as well, like what Tara and John and what they really were wanting was, or how they fell in choosing me, I guess was that my voice is coming from like the place of I've been through what these guys are all going through. Like I've done reality TV to hope to find love. I've been through what they're going through post show, and now I'm in a healthy relationship. So it's almost like my voice is coming from where they've all been.

There's an authority that comes with you doing this, Like I think even for people who didn't watch Maths, they'll be like, who is this voice? Like it's very intoxicating.

Yeah, thank you, I'll take.

That for people who might not have seen series one. So Love Triangle sees, you know, six singles who are all mad with two suitors. At first, they can only communicate via text and phone call, which I think is crazy. The rule is that no one can physically describe themselves, so like selfies and facetiming up apparently all out of

It's a very interesting and wild concept. You know, we're also used to on the dating apps, like just choosing someone based off the looks most of the time, if you are swiping your looking for that instant oh my gosh, hey, or she's hot or like something that they're physically attracted to, rather even getting to.

Know who they actually are as a person.

So I think it is a really cool concept how they are texting for just a few days and it's like, okay, you've got a few days to build a connection or chemistry or build something so that this the original chooses one. So it's kind of like and then both the singles know that they're kind of like in competition in a way that they've got to spark something fiery or flirty up. I couldn't imagine doing I think it would be really hard.

I'm someone who married someone on television that they've never met before. Maybe it's easier.

I feel like it's easier to do that because I don't know. It's like you're going on a blind date, but yes, you're marrying them, But I don't know.

It's I think it's harder what they're doing in love triangle.

I like it because you know, for me, I always was attracted to men who were taller than me. I was like, it was a non negotiable I needed to be the shorter man in the relationship. And yet I'm being with a partner now for thirteen years who is much shorter than me, and we are such a good match. But it just goes to show you that those superficial things that we put in place, the things that we think we need in a relationship, aren't maybe the things that we need.

There's so much more to if we're trying to find that person who we hope to be with forever.

Looks die over time.

It's like the soul and the personality and like their values and the interests and hobbies. It's all those things that keep relationships alive right like forever.

And I also do think that looks grow.

I've definitely dated before where I wasn't really attracted to them, but something kept me in and then they went from being you know, maybe a six out of ten to like a ten out of ten because of the personality.

One of my best friends calls it talented man syndrome because she likes musos and she's like, he could be disgusting, but if he can play guitar, She's like, he goes from two to like a ten. So and that changes for everyone. We've all got our strange dynamics on you know, what can escalate a two to a ten, you know.

But I think in this generation that we live in now and like this this world of modern dating, yes, it's very scary out there, it's pretty like harsh now. I just feel like it's really like it's sad the way that it, you know, is going. I think that we all just need to be a lot more open minded because there's so many more women that are, you know, older in their thirties who are successful, gorgeous, but it's single.

Is they're better?

Well, I think that the fuck boy derivative comes from there's a lot of younger parents saying to their boys, don't settle down and get married early, like play the field just like they've been told to do that.

It is very different.

And the fuck boys, I feel like they're just everywhere now, like they're just breeding with mates and telling all their mates how to be. And even the conversations that men are having these days are very different about women. And I feel like for women it hasn't really changed that much. And I'm just speaking from my experience for me being single for Nelly ten years and my conversations that I was having with my girlfriends, it always stayed the same.

But I feel like with men it's changed a lot.

Yeah, the cheap, cheap being passed around at these pubs. They're on the beers, the nose beers. They're out there and they're swapping these ways in which that you can court a woman and make her feel like the universe only that they're all lines and they're saying them to everybody.

You know, bread crumbing, there's love bombing, there's ghosting, like there's these all these things that people have come up with over time that are so real now and it's very scary.

How much of what happens in the series do you know about when you're recording your part of the show, Like, that's the thing that I think would be really fascinating. Are you just reading lines or are you following production with how these relationships are working out?

I'm literally finding out as I read.

I didn't get to see basically any of it properly until I recorded the second last or the final voiceover. And yeah, so when I was reading the script, I'd be like, wait what I don't even know what these people look like.

Properly, Like who's this? Oh my gosh, this actually just happened. Like I was always a bit distracted because I was like, wait, I need answers. This can't be this can't be happening.

But it was hard to like embody the emotion without actually seeing it. Hey, this is going to be a really sad scene, so let's try to take it down the tone and you know, slow it down or okay, now we're storytelling, or now this is exciting, and like it was.

It was really it was really challenging.

But do you have a director there that's sort of directing you through those emotions, like though that probably doesn't suit what's happened, or.

Definitely someone there.

I'm not just in a room by myself.

You can read along with it in your book. You will know it is time to turn the page when you know.

I was working with Joseph who was from EndemolShine, and he was great, like he never made me feel like I wasn't doing it right, which I was a bit nervous about going into it. I was like, oh my gosh, what if I do this really terribly? What if isn't it's not up to scratch, like this is such a big deal. But no, he always, like real shured me and gave me some tips, and pointer is and we're

Now it works so much better. I like the deepness to it, though, as I said, it's that authority. What do you think of the matches so far, so episodes one and two are out, so we don't want to try and spoil too much, but I guess, yeah, what are you thinking? What are your thoughts on these matches so far?

Well, obviously what we've seen is some haven't been overly happy. Those first impressions are really important, I guess, especially at the start of an experience. We're we're about to move in with a complete stranger for six weeks, so your first impressions are.

Important, but you're also super nervous.

You're in these controlled environments, so it's hard to adapt straight away.

I think it's really interesting.

I mean, as it will unfold and as we'll see how some might flourish, some might not. I think I really loved Emily at the start where she went on her date with Sam. I did love how Emily gave it back to him a bit right away. That was like, Okay, she's a tough chick, like she knows, she knows her worth, and she knows she feel like is a confident woman. So I did love how she gave it back to him a bit.

I kind of feel like, is this show setting people up for love or is this show setting us up as an audience and these contestants to sort of expose how superficial we are because a lot of the matches I'm watching, and this is the beauty of this show, because you yourself are being judgmental. You yourself are making

I think it's really that's a really interesting question.

I think for the cast it could be, you know, a bit of a reality check And I think a lot of us sometimes need that because we do live now in this like TikTok, you know, something's up for five seconds. It's like we live in this short attention span world now with access to everything at our fingertips. So I think for the cast it will be a bit of a wake up call and we need that.

And I think as the audience as well.

And I'm speaking from the way I perceive things, and I might be different to a lot of people, but when I see certain personalities or traits and things like that, I'm like, oo, like I wouldn't want to be like that, you know. Or people might be able to sit there

Not everyone's obviously going to be liked. I don't know. I think it's a.

Really good learning experience, like as as a viewer and as well being the cast. You know, we come off these shows and we have a we have a lot of time to reflect, and then we see ourselves on TV, and I think it's a really good opportunity to look and be like, Okay, maybe I need to apologize. Maybe I can learn from this, and maybe I don't want to be that person anymore.

But did you self reflect though after watching Married at First Sight? I mean, I mean, I loved you on that show, and I thought you handled it all beautifully actually, But did you look at a thing that you saw yourself on that show and think I'm going to do that differently now?

One hundred percent.

My relationship with Mitch was like the biggest wake up call I've ever had with basically any guy I've ever dated. And even though you know, it was reality TV for Mitch and I, I mean, it was very real feelings. I really liked the guy, but also I did lose myself in there a bit.

You know, we were under pretty strict rules.

I wasn't able to see my friends off family, so I wasn't doing things my day to day things that reminded me of who I am. So I kind of molded to him and what he was hoping for and what he wanted. And when I came home after the show and everything you finished filming, I just remember being like, where have I been for three months?

Like?

Who?

Like what?

I was so confused.

For so for like six months after the show, and yeah, I realized, you know, don't ever quiet yourself. For me, it was like, don't ever hold back just because like he would want that, you know, don't protect him on in these situations if that's not what you want to do, like one hundred percent.

It made me realize so much.

Yeah, not to lose yourself. I think that is. Yeah, I think that's an important thing, but it's not an easy thing. I mean, you yourself said this. Reality TV gave you that opportunity to be able to watch yourself and learn from it. But I think we kind of know that as a giver and not to lose ourselves, but sometimes it's impossible to do with some people.

You know, definitely is hard, and you know, we're always working on ourselves. We're always a work in progress. And I think that's what's exciting about getting older is even when we're seventy, will be still figuring stuff out, and

And He's like, it's we're always learning.

I think it's just being self aware and knowing what you need to work on, and like reaching out to friends or reaching out to family, or listening to podcasts and reading books and figuring out how can I change this or how can I evolve in that way?

But I'm very big on all of that kind of stuff.

I listen to podcasts like that every day about relationships and like stress and hormones, and like, I'm always so intrigued about it all.

Well, one of the people that's going to ask you about was Nell.

You know.

Nell's the comedian, you know, and I always felt like right from the start that she was going to get matched up with boys that didn't want to be with her. And the reason why I was a little bit nervous about that is because I feel like Nell is that girl that a lot of straight boys that I've known try to avoid. I'll never forget being in an office environment with a whole bunch of straight boys and we're watching thirty Rock back in the day and Liz Lemon, which is Tina Fey, you know, is one of the

I think for girls or women like Nelly, I mean I've also got girlfriends that are similar or have gone through similar things and don't feel like they fit the perfect creag right, because again social media, it's like we're always comparing as women on social media. I think for Nelly and that kind of personality, it's really who you surround yourself with, right, Like I think in her job, she's she's got such a high energy, high personality. I think it's very courageous and very brave as well what

You, and then they probably won't even look like her I were ten years ago.

I can tell you that my partner and I we do not look the same as we did ten years ago. So I'm hoping that we're there for a different reason because things aren't looking as tight as they used to be. And I'm talking about my face just in case someone's going to in case someone's going to come for me on that comment. But yeah, I know.

I mean, like, you know, if.

I was someone that was getting rejected because of my looks, then I would be being I would be saying thank you for that anyway, you know, because then he's not the right kind or they aren't the right kind if they're purely just going for someone who looks a certain way, because that stuff does go away eventually, and there's just so much more to connecting with someone than looks. I think it's a bonus, Like, I think it's absolutely a bonus if you are completely and utterly attracted to their

We all have different entry points. For me with my relationship, I always find that yes, I am physically attracted to him, but also we have very similar family values. What's important to us and how we spend our time matches quite well.

I think, yeah, all of those, like the looks should come way after all the other stuff, And yeah, I do think it's a bonus.

So we all grew up with magazines, you know, with Brad Pitt was married to Jennifer Aniston or whatever. Like, we all sort of were brought up with Disney movies where we want the trophy, whether girls and guys care to admit it. You know, I think growing up, we all have this ambition to be with this person who's quite beautiful that makes us feel better about ourselves because they're beautiful, you know.

I mean, we look at all the celebrities out there that we've grown up reading in magazines. Most of them are not in very healthy relationships or they've divorced, or that's the way I tend to see it. And then I watch movies these days, and I see the most gorgeous actresses that are like out of this world. And then I go on Google because I'm like, wait, I think married.

Do they have kids?

Like that's my number one question to my partner because he knows the insight on celebrities, and I'm like, wait, do they have kids?

Are they And He'll be like.

No, no, they're not happy. Hugh Jackman's now single, come.

On, I know, Like it blows my mind.

And yeah, like we are always looking at celebrities and you know, there's that saying now that Instagram is just a highlight reel, and I think it really is for a lot of celebrities, you know, especially in Hollywood, Like they can really filter and pick and choose exactly what they want us to see and read, and we can't look at them because I just think it's very unrealistic and it's like a fairy.

Tale land that they're in that isn't reality.

Instagram's also really fucked up our lives with you know, curating who we want to be, not even just curating or you know, putting together the most amazing photos and touching them up, but also only presenting the certain parts of our lives that we want to put forward. It's also unreal, like it's it's just so exhausting to try and keep up that facade.

I think, yeah, and I impletely agree, Like Instagram is so different now compared to what it used to be. All the filters and people editing stuff, like it's it's out of control, and there's so many young, impressionable women and meet you know, men who use social media for inspiration, but they're not really looking in the right places for that kind of inspiration because it's all filtered, it's not real.

Well, I tell you a funny story. So I did a reality show and in that world, not in my series, but someone who's in that show franchise world, very attractive on social media and a straight friend of mine set I'll come along to this event with you because I really want to meet this person. It's important for me to not say this person's name because I don't want to shame them. But I was like, yes, you should come along. You know, they're definitely going to be there, and he was like, that's.

Her, And that does happen very often. I also hear it. I hear it very often.

I don't go to well, I like, she's a lovely person as well, come on, yeah, yeah, yeah.

Of course.

But I do hear that often, and like, I don't go to any events. You won't see me really at any I stay in my little bubble in Melbourne, but I'll have people message me saying, oh I saw so and so, like she looks so different in real life, and it is true, you know, they're two different people and personalities. People also, I think, especially TikTokers these days.

Or I was going to say, you know, they've borrowed a little bit from Maths in this season, and we got a tease of that later on with these dinner parties and everything. I just wanted to ask, you, do you get PTSD from watching some of those dinner parties back after being gone married at first sight?

To be honest, I had overall like the best time on Maths. The dinner parties. Yeah, look, they are long nights.

I don't know the length of Love Triangle nights, but for Maths, you know, sometimes we would be it'd be like a ten hour in total situation.

No PTSD for me. If anything, I probably have a bit of fomo. I'd be like, I want to be there, I'm missing out, Like.

I always had a good time, whether it was mujob with Dom like we still always somehow I tried to have fun and yeah, no PTSD.

Okay, well that is good. And the other question I've always wanted to ask you is there was a lot of discussion on like blogs and forums and podcasts and everything about the relationship between Olivia and Dom on your series Have Married at First Sight, and a lot of people saying that it could have been played either way. You know, the version we watched, we saw Dom as the kind of the hero and Olivia kind of as

Great question.

Look what you guys see on TV, as you would know, like you see about one percent, right.

You know, dinner parties.

Let's say they go for nearly a nine hour time and it goes to air for an hour and forty minutes, but really like twenty minutes is getting ready for it twenty minutes as boxes, twenty minutes as the boxes at the end the dinner plant is only about fifty minutes that you guys are seeing and that's one conversation where there's about ten different conversations, So there's so much content that is missed. So really, when you put it like that, you guys only saw like a tiny bit of the

She was saying what everybody was thinking. And I know that for a fact.

After the show, the divide that happened, and you know, the online trolling in the bullying, that was all just absolutely chaotic and horrible.

Never would wish any of.

That stuff upon anybody, no matter how bad you've done on reality TV. But you can't make people look a certain way, like the choice of words that were said for both of them. They did say, producers aren't telling us what to say. If they are, and you do it,

Yeah. I think there's so much pressure as well on all of these people coming off these shows and what happens afterwards. It's like you can post one thing, you can live and die by your social media posts. You know, I'd be these days if I had the followings of the people like yourselves that have come off Math. So I'd be so scared about putting my opinions forward and

Yeah, for sure, I think it's important if we have a strong opinion that we believe in to share it understanding that people might not like it. I mean, I've had backlash before on podcast episodes that I've done where media outlets might have changed the narrative or the messaging of my podcast and then I would.

Receive backlash, and you just have to own up to it.

Like if you might have said something that and you're like, okay, shit, maybe I did fuck up, maybe I did do something wrong there, just own up to it, Like it's just easier to do that, take accountability and learn from it.

If someone's like done something and it's.

Like, holy shit, that's so hectic, wait twenty minutes, like chat with your mate, your manager, your mom, like before going on your gram and doing a rent or making a TikTok, Just like, wait twenty minutes, and then you'll probably feel different about the situation.

I think Rob Mills once said to me, I think it was I think it was Millsy, and he was like, he goes to post on his social media and he waits half a day. I think it was. He's like, he puts it in his drafts, and then if he still wants to post it half a day later, then it's okay. But he was like, I'm so shocked at the amount of stuff that I go, what was I thinking?

You know, I'm not necessarily like as controversial as others. You know, obviously, I've always got an opinion about anything, But I just choose whether it's really worth me sharing my opinion only if I think that it's really worth sharing. The few times where I did speak up for me, it was common sense. Like when I spoke up in those situations with the girls and no one else did, I'm like, wait, why is everyone not actually saying anything right now.

I'm so confused.

This is the truth though, Like I'll just say something if it's like, uh, this is black, I'm white right now, So that's when I'll speak up, if it's like, okay, come on, But otherwise I'm just happy to chill back here, and if others are going to start a cat fight, I'll get the popcorn.

I had so many questions. I was like, I wanted to ask you about Mitch's brothers now on the new series of Maths when we don't have time for that.

Well, I mean, like I said, it's I'm in a bit of a position where it's just me in my lane, right, Like I don't know the cast, I'm not really with production. I'm kind of just like in a soundproof room by myself and then on Zoom with Joseph. So I didn't really get to like be a part of the filming aspect of it all. I didn't get to see any of it. Like I'm watching it basically with you guys.

I mean, there's probably already so much more that I also don't know.

I almost feel like I'm on the same level as the audience, if I'm honest.

Like I wish, I wish I was closed to the cart so I could get the cars because I have Bomo.

But I think season three you need to have a producer's credit, and you need to be there with all of the filming. I mean, you have such a wealth of knowledge about being a reality TV contestant as well as being a woman who's been looking for love and found love, like all of that would be a wealth of knowledge on set that that might offer, you know, even more to the way in which nerating the show.

That would be really cool. I mean, I think that would be awesome. I could be like their little voice of reason up here.

Maybe you should putting this into the universe. We're putting it.

I love what.

I really appreciated chatting with you today. I can't wait to see what you do with your career. I just feel like we're at the start of watching what you can do.

Honestly, it's been already such a wild ride. I can't believe that my season of Maths only ended last year in April.

Like that just blows my mind to even think that.

And I'm super pumped to see I don't know what the next opportunity, and I've loved chatting today.

Maybe we'll have to do it again because I love to chat and I'm an open book, so like, we can do this again for sure if.

You ever want a debrief at the end of the series, hopefully. Yeah, absolutely loved it. I think I looked at my thing and I've asked twenty percent of my questions

Oh we could you definitely do this again.