Dr Chris Brown reportedly wants his position back at Channel Ten following a disastrous first year at Seven.
The celebrity vet, 46, jumped ship to the rival network last year after quitting as host on I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! Australia.
Brown scored his own renovation show – Dream House – when he made the move, as well as a co-host position alongside Sonia Kruger on Dancing With The Stars.
But an industry insider tells Daily Mail Australia that his move to Seven hasn’t been the ratings smash hit executives were hoping for.
‘Dream Home was supposed to be a staple for at least three years,’ they said.
‘A strong “entertainment program” that would stand alongside The Voice Australia, Farmer Wants A Wife or My Kitchen Rules.
‘It wasn’t supposed to fail and it would have been a difficult conversation to have with the TV Vet.’
Daily Mail Australia broke the news last week that Seven had no plans to include Brown’s reality TV reno show in its 2025 line-up.
Dr Chris Brown, 46, (pictured) is said to be eyeing off his old position back at Network Ten following a disastrous first year at Seven
The TV star ‘didn’t impress the top-dogs’ at the network, the insider continued, prompting them to swing the axe after just one season.
‘It wasn’t the worst ratings, but it wasn’t anywhere near the show everyone had expected.’
Word from inside Channel Seven is said to have ‘surfaced pretty early’ suggesting Brown was ‘out of his depth’ — without his ‘relationship with his producers or Julia Morris [IAC co-host] to fall back on.’
‘It was like the safety net was taken away,’ another source added.
To give Dream Home what it needed to secure a second season, Seven would need to plough more funds into securing ‘a big name to stand next to him.’
‘Like a Carrie Bickmore or a Shelly Craft.’
Seven put a quiet word out to see if there was any interest, they continued, ‘but no one was biting with those initial discovery chats.’
After a middling first year, Seven ultimately didn’t have the confidence that they’d see a return on investment.
‘Who knows if having a strong female next to him would have saved the show?
‘It all seemed too risky and the network buried the audition process and didn’t address it [at Upfronts].’
The celebrity vet, 46, jumped ship to the rival network last year after quitting as host on I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here ! Australia. Pictured with former co-host Julia Morris
There is now speculation Channel Ten are eager for Brown to return as one of their key personalities.
‘The rumblings at Network Ten suggest the door back to their network is open for him to return,’ the insider claimed.
‘He might be able to get out of his contract for 2026 if his new shows for 2025 continue to fail,’ an insider said.
‘He has a really strong relationships with a lot of the producers and production companies that work with Network Ten, and lord knows, Julia Morris would welcome him back to I’m A Celebrity.
‘With one quick joke everyone would have forgotten that he was ever gone.’
But an industry insider told Daily Mail Australia on Thursday that Brown’s move to Seven hasn’t been the ratings smash hit the higher ups were hoping for
TV insiders say that if Robert Irwin’s rising star becomes too expensive for Ten, Dr Chris Brown might be able to reclaim his old gig
‘Plus how long can Network Ten keep Robert Irwin?’ the insider asked.
The Wildlife Warrior’s addition to the reality TV show after Brown jumped ship to Channel Seven reinvigorated the series.
‘Robert has been a great addition to the show, but he will get expensive very quickly and he is also globally sought after with an entire career ahead of him.’
The insider went on to say the only way Brown is likely to stay with Seven is if his new show becomes a ‘ratings smash’.
Announced at Seven’s Upfronts, animal adventure series Once In A Lifetime will see him embark on ‘global wildlife journeys’ with Australian stars like Amanda Keller, Mick Molloy, Matt Preston and Kate Ritchie.
‘Already, people seem a little light on enthusiasm [for it] with the premise rolled out today,’ confirmed a source during the Channel Seven Upfronts.
‘Dr Chris would be smart to keep maintaining his relationships with both networks.’
The TV star scored his own renovation show, Dream House, when he made the move
Brown also landed the role of co-host alongside Sonia Kruger on Dancing With The Stars
Daily Mail Australia has reached out to Ten, Seven and Brown’s representatives for comment.
The veterinarian signed a contract with Seven in 2023, reportedly worth $1million per year.
‘There really hasn’t been the noise or the ratings worth stealing Dr Chris Brown off Network Ten,’ the source added. ‘Which was a big shock to the industry when they poached him in 2023.’
Dream Home was by no means a ratings disaster for Seven, with its May premiere raking in a total national TV reach of 2,253,000.
The popularity had waned as the series progressed, however, with the finale attracting just 807,000 national viewers.
While smaller, the Dream Home finale still beat MasterChef on Ten, which saw 689,000 viewers that week, and Tipping Point Australia—Olympic Specials on Nine, which attracted 679,000 viewers.
