[4] It received a generally negative reception from audiences and critics both before and after its premiere broadcast, with one commentator calling it "exploitative poverty porn at its worst".

[5] After two episodes, the program was moved from its 7:30pm timeslot to after 9:30pm following low ratings which also resulted in a poor lead-in for Nine's marquee drama Love Child which followed immediately after.

[7] The Australian rights to the show was secured before the American program began broadcasting.

Instead they were informed that they would be appearing on a programme titled Making Ends Meet, and would receive financial advice about their situation.

The contestants had mixed feelings over being misled, but ultimately had a positive experience filming the show.