Binge-watching is one of my favorite pastimes, and dating shows are no exception. Romance reality TV is one of the most popular genres of television. Why do you think there are so many dating shows? People want to watch them! Here we give you the scoop on the top 10 romance reality shows.
Are You The One?
This MTV show's tagline is "if your perfect match was standing right in front of you, would you even know it?" On Are you the One? MTV producers place a group of 10 girls and 10 guys in a house, and they use a matchmaking algorithm to pair contestants. The goal while living in the house is to find this "perfect match". If all 10 couples are able to do this, the group shares one million dollars. The eighth season of the show actually involved LGBTQ+ couples, meaning anyone in the house of 16 could be anyone's match.
Bachelor/Bachelorette
The Bachelor/Bachelorette is probably the most well-known romance reality series. With 24 seasons of The Bachelor and 15 seasons of The Bachelorette, I would say it is pretty popular. With one bachelor or bachelorette, 25-30 singles of the opposites sex are put into one house together. The goal of dating all of these women or men at the same time is to hopefully gain a proposal at the end of the season. Throughout the show, there are "dates" and activities for the bachelor or bachelorette to get to know the contestants, and each week different contestants are sent home.
Love Island
Love Island is arguably the most popular British romance reality show. Premiering in 2015, the show has gone through 6 seasons. "Islanders," as they are called, are placed into a villa, separated from the world, to get to know each other. Here they "couple up." The couples face games and tasks that they are notified about via a phone that only works to text other contestants and producers. There are also "coupling" ceremonies and anyone who is still single by the time they come is eliminated.
90 Day Fiancé
A different kind of romance reality show, 90 day fiancé is a series on TLC. The show follows couples that have applied for or have a K-1 visa, given to foreign fiancés of US citizens. With this visa, you have 90 days to marry this person. The point of this visa is to allow time to prepare a ceremony, not to decide if you will marry this person, as documents have already been signed stating you will. Following these couples through all the ups and downs of planning a wedding ceremony with foreign families, and in some cases with someone you barely know, makes for an interesting television show.
Love is Blind
"Love is Blind" is a dating show on Netflix that is unique from most others. Here, the contestants never see each other at all. The contestants date in "pods" talking to each other throughout the day for a period of a couple of days. When they feel that they've made a connection, they propose. After this proposal, they are able to finally see each other physically. The point is to get to know someone on a deeper level than physical connection and "see if love is truly blind."
Temptation Island
A USA Network reality TV series, Temptation Island is an even different romance reality show. On this show, couples go to live with singles of the opposite sex. The purpose of this is to test the strength of their current relationship in an environment where "temptation" is everywhere. Some couples make it through and leave together the way they came in, while others leave dating other people.
Ex on the Beach
Ex on the Beach is another MTV romance reality series. But on this show not only are contestants looking for love through dating, but their exes are living in the house as well. In each episode, three contestants are sent down to the beach to see if their exes will wash up on the shore and join them in the house. Throughout the season some can end up with three ex's living with them, whereas others never see one. One ex is also eliminated and sent home in each episode. As the show progresses, different ex-couples learn more information about each other and their past relationships. This makes for a chaotic dating show, but entertaining nonetheless.
Paradise Hotel
This Fox reality television show is similar to the format of Love Island. Paradise Hotel however, has contestants all living in the same resort. All the contestants must couple up, but there is one person left over. This person must find someone or they will be forced to leave the hotel, and they will be replaced by someone new.
Millionaire Matchmaker
Millionaire Matchmaker is another interesting take on dating on reality TV. On this show, Patti Stanger matches single wealthy people with compatible dates. She is the owner of Millionaire's Club Dating Service, making her qualified to be this matchmaker. The show follows these single wealthy people as the head on these dates and try to find love.
Dating Around
This Netflix show is the streaming service's first original dating series. Dating Around is a more casual dating show. Each episode focuses on a different person who goes on five blind dates. These dates can be of any race or sexual orientation. At the end of each episode, the person being spotlighted picks the person they would like to go on a second date with.
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