What does it take to impress your mother-in-law? While women the world over may yearn for the secret to winning their new mother's approval, a new reality television show in Kyrgyzstan is now inviting young women to compete to do just that.

Daughter-in-Law (known as Kelin) demands that unmarried female contestants perform a range of "traditional" tasks undertaken by the bride of a rural Kyrgyz family. Educated, professional, attractive young women don headscarves and tabards and are judged on a range of domestic skills, including their cooking, cleaning and ability to milk cows. Contestants also need to prove their ability and willingness to care for the matriarch (portrayed on TV as an exacting bully), even agreeing to massage her feet, if demanded. The prize? A selection of furniture and a holiday to Turkey, described as "a dowry".