When deciding what to watch every love-filled February, romance-driven reality TV shows are an underrated option. They have undeniably more drama, more betrayal and – depending on the season – more fistfights than any run-of-the-mill rom-com.
Reality TV is not to be taken seriously and that’s perhaps the best thing about it. These shows are meant to be cringe-worthy, ridiculous and bingeable, which is why watching them is the perfect way to unwind and laugh at other people’s love lives instead of your own. Here are some reality dating shows I recommend for casual viewing this Valentine’s Day.
“Are You the One?”
In this series, men and women looking for love try to find their predetermined “perfect match.” Before appearing on the show, the cast participates in extensive questionnaires, interviews and compatibility testing before a dating algorithm pairs up ideal matches. The results are hidden from the singletons as they go on dates and try to figure out what the correct pairings are over the course of 10 weeks for a $1 million prize.
“Are You the One?” is entertaining and occasionally borders on being too trashy, but you can’t help but watch until the end to find out what the right matches are. The two most recent seasons have also featured more sexually fluid casts. Ultimately, there’s everything you need from reality TV: hookups, screaming matches and lots of tears.
“90 Day Fiancé”
Since premiering in 2014, this show has run for nine seasons, chronicling the challenges of international couples who have three months to get married. These pairs have applied or been approved for a K-1 visa which temporarily allows the foreign partner to stay in the U.S.
It’s incredibly easy to get wrapped up in the lives of the cast and root for the couples to either sort through their problems or admit that they have no business going to the altar. The first few seasons are the best, exploring connections and various cultural expectations that provide an interesting contrast to other shows. If you like “90 Day Fiancé,” consider checking out any of its 10 spin-offs.
“Love is Blind”
This popular Netflix series depicts a group of singles going on dates in “pods” where they can talk to each other but never see each other’s faces. What starts out as speed-dating turns into participants being able to choose longer dates with certain people. Eventually, couples get engaged, meet face-to-face, and live together for several weeks as they navigate life’s challenges. Throughout this time, the participants also plan weddings before officially deciding if they want to say “I do.”
I admire the premise of the show as it tries to answer the question “Is love blind?” It’s fun to watch as the relationships grow and deteriorate at a wild pace while having no hope that anyone is going home happy anyway. Overall, the experiment fails to prove the irrelevance of physical attraction but delivers an enchanting spectacle season after season.
“The Ultimatum: Marry or Move On”
“The Ultimatum” is another social experiment that brings in six couples, each of which has a partner who desperately wants to get married while the other doesn’t. Each pair has eight weeks to decide on marriage or a permanent break up during which time they have a trial marriage with another contestant. In the end, everyone reunites with their original partner and decides either to get engaged, leave with their trial partner instead or go home single.
This show earns most of its applause from being one of the only to present relationships that existed prior to filming. However, it’s immediately evident that the cast is almost entirely annoying, the scenes drag on for ages and everyone would’ve been better off solving their problems at home. The first and only season is awful in all of the best ways and I couldn’t get enough of it.
