The 15 Best Dating Shows to Watch As Cuffing Season Approaches
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The weather’s about to turn, barring any new unprecedented weather patterns induced by climate change, and the Writers Guild of America strike continues. With the supply of television dwindling as workers fight for their livelihoods and the future of Hollywood itself, reality television has once again emerged as a staple of our fall viewing schedules. Whether it’s Netflix’s impressive stable of drama-filled competitions, “auntie” matchmakers, or downright unbelievable pairings on TLC or Max, now’s the time to hunker down and cuff yourself the perfect dating show.
90 Day Fiancé
While it’s not exactly a competition show, the cast of 90 Day Fiancé are most definitely in competition with each other, the concept of love itself, the American justice system, and maybe even the viewer’s sanity. Each season introduces a fresh crop of “90-day visa” hopefuls who met on trips abroad, or Facebook, or sometimes have never met at all. It’s a wild look into just how far some will go to find love … or get on a reality television show!
90 Day Fiancé: The Other Way
If 90 Day Fiancé is a wild look at the lengths people will go to for love, its equally popular spin-off The Other Way is downright baffling. Whether their visa application has been rejected by the U.S. government or they’re convinced there’s a better life for them abroad, these couples chase their dreams under the shadow of the Great Pyramids, in the heat of the Moroccan countryside, and even deep in the Amazonian rainforest. While each season guarantees a whirlwind of drama and romance, it’s never quite clear where they’re going, or how they might get there.
Are You the One?
The cult-classic MTV dating show is back, with a new home on Paramount+ and a fresh set of singles paired by the show’s mysterious matchmaking algorithm. As in the original series, contestants try to suss out the so-called “perfect matches” in weekly “matching ceremonies.” It’s fun, it’s hot, and season eight is a perfect storm of gay mess that was landmark television at its time for its inclusion of queer people into the format.
Celebs Go Dating
There’s something comforting to me about the antics of Z-list British celebrities and influencers looking for love on E4’s Celebs Go Dating. It’s about as straightforward as the title suggests. Each season, desperate celeb singles join an exclusive dating agency and are sent on dates, cocktail mixers, and more in their quest for some semblance of love and intimacy. Most of the time, I have no idea who they are or what they’re famous for—save a few familiar Love Island faces—but that’s half the fun of it!
Dating Around
Dating Around has probably the most simple premise of the bunch: People go on dates. There are no arcane rule sets to follow, eliminations, dramatic cast member reveals, or prize money to be had for these single people. It’s poignant and infuriating and surprising, and has caused me to change my dating profiles on more than one occasion!
The Bachelor franchise
The titan of the reality dating competition world is still going strong. It’s been on so long, it’s older than many of the contestants that make the yearly pilgrimage to the Bachelor Mansion in hopes of landing a HelloFresh sponsorship deal. Many, like myself, prefer the original Bachelor, if only because the thought of watching a dozen men talk amongst themselves in a room gives me hives. Still, there’s plenty to enjoy about The Bachelorette, including Charity Lawson’s recent foray into polyamory on season 20. Better yet, producers are shaking up the format with The Golden Bachelor later this month, which will see a cast of exclusively 60- to 75-year-olds pursue “golden Bachelor” Gerry Turner.
Indian Matchmaking
Matchmaker Sima Taparia, or Sima Aunty, is on a quest to link together the couples of the world. Her methods, though, are bizarre, and at times it feels as if she’d rather everyone stay single. That’s half the appeal of the show that captivated the internet when it premiered in the grip of the 2020 quarantine season. Her track record is so bad, in fact, that the show had a 0 percent success rate for its first few seasons. Thankfully, that didn’t stop the antics of Sima Aunty and her stable of singles from being excessively binge-able.
Jewish Matchmaking
Matchmaker Aleeza Ben Shalom’s claim to fame is over 200 couples she’s walked to the altar, alongside a 20-year marriage and five children, which she brings up as proof of her acumen. The religious angle to the show also adds a surprising depth to an otherwise played-out formula, allowing for some real moments of startling clarity.
Love Is Blind
Love Is Blind is arguably the crown jewel in Netflix’s lineup of dating reality shows. Fans and critics alike are compelled by its relatively simple premise and the drama it provokes among its contestants. Each season follows a new group of men and women tasked with finding love among people whose faces they can’t see, an unintentional quarantine-style setup likely responsible for the show’s popularity. Those who are matched in the “pods” are then tasked with living their lives as married couples, first on a honeymoon-style vacation and then in apartments. To make matters more complicated, each season focuses (with exceptions) on a single city, meaning the family and friends of each couple are around to mingle and interfere. More recently, contestants on the show have spoken up about their treatment and its premise, and we’re eager to see if—and how—Netflix handled those accusations for season five.
Love Island (U.K.)
Can I pull you for a chat? Everyone knows about Love Island, and probably loves it too, even if they’ve never seen a single episode. The U.K. dating show juggernaut just wrapped up its 10th season and is, by all accounts, more popular than ever. Fan favorites like Moira Rose, Ekin-Su, Kaz Kwami, and Amber Rose Gill have all gone on to successful careers post-villa, no thanks to the nearly 50-episode-long seasons. While shallow at first glance, our collective eight-week summer vacation in Mallorca is, at times, surprisingly insightful about generational attitudes toward love, intimacy, sex, and what exactly the “ick” is. There’s a U.S.-based spin-off that’s taken a few seasons to find its legs, but if reviews of its current season are anything to go by, there’s never been a better time to dive into the cool waters of Fiji, or Mallorca, or wherever it is they fly these hot people next season!
Love on the Spectrum
Love on the Spectrum has two iterations, one in Australia and one Stateside, and they are both equally revelatory in their poignant, compelling approaches to the dating-show format. Where other offerings on this list might center drama and conflict as protagonists, Love on the Spectrum genuinely feels like an earnest quest for love in a world that is so often isolating. You’ll find yourself genuinely invested in the outcomes of the cast’s various dating excursions, and heartbroken when something promising falls apart. Despite the frequent lows, the highs are equally exhilarating, and make any iteration of Love on the Spectrum well worth the watch.
Married at First Sight
Married at First Sight is perhaps the most polarizing show on this list. Love it or hate it, the lives of people who would willingly get married to someone they’ve never seen before in their life make for fantastic television. For the uninitiated, the premise is right on the package! Various people get matched, and then married, after never having seen each other before in their lives. Better yet, it boasts a success rate of 17 percent … which is better than nothing, right?
MILF Manor
MILF Manor was 2023’s sleeper-hit competition show. Its format is genuinely mind-melting, with young men brought into a house to find love with older women … except their moms come with them. This means that while one pursues a so-called “MILF,” the “MILF” he came with is also on the hunt for a chance at love. Well, perhaps not love, but certainly intimacy and human connection! At times it’s almost too cringey, but that’s why we love these shows, right?
The Courtship
The Courtship flew under the radar, which still surprises me given the wild premise. Seattle-based software engineer Nicole Rémy is sick of the modern dating landscape, and so is “transported” to Regency-era England, where she is eagerly awaited by 16 eligible suitors. It has mismatched costumes, a “court” ruled over by her real-life family members, and Bridgerton inspired set pieces, and an “elimination ball” in lieu of a rose ceremony or straightforward elimination.
The Ultimatum: Queer Love
The Ultimatum: Queer Love nearly broke gay Twitter in half with the antics of the most bizarre assemblage of contestants ever cast on a reality dating competition show. What was Mal thinking when Yoly so openly pursued Xander, who was clearly in the midst of an emotional crisis at the expense of long-term partner Vanessa, who had her own emotional insecurities and tendencies to work on, lest she drag Lexi and the rest of the cast down with her? It was fascinating television, and just about all we could talk about to anyone who would listen for weeks. While Queer Love was more easily captivating, the most recent season of the mainline franchise inspired quite a few heated exchanges in the group chat.
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