Can people actually fall in love on live television? Is it all just for entertainment or are the contestants really looking for a life-long partner? Both of these questions have been floating around love reality television shows since 2002, when the very first Bachelor season premiered. Since this premier, The Bachelor franchise has sparked numerous reality-love shows, so many that Netflix made a row on the homepage dedicated to them. Many of the new and upcoming shows include, Love is Blind, Love on the Spectrum, and Perfect Match. Love is Blind has gained an enormous amount of attention over the past two years as well as Love on the Spectrum. Both are more light hearted and people choose their match based on personality and their values.
On the other hand, Love Island, Too Hot to Handle, and Bachelor in Paradise are mostly based on what they film for their audience. For example, a UK GLAMOUR article in 2023 by Bianca London found that many of the Love Island contestants are discovered through social media, specifically Instagram. Then they would be asked to make a small video about themselves (including their love life), and if they pass the test, then they are asked to come on the show. From London’s interview with former Love Island contestant, Kem Cetinay, “They get one day off a week,” he said. “What happens is it gives them a day to clean the villa and you take your mics off and normally we go to the beach and we just chill out. Not a lot of people know this. What happens is when you take your mics off, you’re not allowed to talk about anything to do with the show.” Although Love Island is surprisingly not scripted, the 80 cameras spread throughout the villa never want to miss any moment of drama.
The marketing and franchise behind these top shows is what puts them on a different level. “Bachelor Nation” goes crazy every Monday to watch the show. Viewers plan extravagant watch parties, sorority houses set up projectors, and families around the world tune in to watch the drama unfold. Superfans can even buy tickets to get front row seats to the live shows including Women Tell All, Men Tell All, and the two night finale. A new up and coming show, Love is Blind, focuses on contestants finding their partner without seeing them. They are set up in “pods” with a hall between them and are allotted a certain amount of time to get to know each other, ask questions, and figure out if they are a match. Love is Blind was the most watched reality TV show on Netflix in 2023. Reality TV, especially dating shows, have taken over streaming platforms like Netflix and Hulu and will continue to do so. So the next time you are scrolling through trying to find something interesting to watch- tune into one of these shows and decide for yourself if Love is (really) Blind.