Summary
Reality TV dating series have come a long way since they first took over the pop culture sphere. While reality TV dating started out as an entirely different concept with dating-style game shows in the 70s and 80s, reality TV began to become part of the cultural conversation in the 90s and took over in the early 2000s. Whilereality TV has become a normal part of our day-to-day lives, the shows that started it all felt controversial and overwhelming at the time, changing the way society spoke about dating, love, and relationships.
Asthe 90s and 00s style of reality TVcame to be more popular, reality TV dating shows became more abundant. In the early 2000s,The Bachelorbecame the most popular reality TV dating show of all time. Bringing together contestants and a lead for a production on scale with major motion pictures,The Bachelorproved thathigher production value could make reality TV more popularized. Moving forward, many reality TV shows took their lead from the ABC phenomenon.
WithThe Bachelorand its spin-off show,The Bachelorette,bringing in viewers, other networks began to test the waters of reality TV dating. Shows likeRock Of Love, Flavor Of Love,andBlind Datetook over andsaturated the market as reality TV dating became commonplace. As reality TV producers began to realize that normal people were as interesting, if not more interesting, as stars, things began to change for the genre.
Though reality TV dating took a moment to catch on, the shows that have entered the market in the last few years have been more complicated and more exciting than ever before. With shows that push the limits of boundaries for participants,stronger couples with more connection than ever have formed on reality TV dating shows. With shows likeLove Is BlindandMarried At First Sightkeeping strangersin the game, other shows likeThe Ultimatumbring couples into the mix.
As new concepts are being broughtto network TV and streaming platformsall the time,the reality TV dating landscape is one of the most diverse in the genre. Bringing together dating and competition shows in some circumstances and binding docu-series style shows along with dating series in others, there are shows for anyone to find interesting. With something for everyone to divulge in, reality TV dating shows have a concept for everyone. Here are the top 20 reality TV dating shows.
20 Best Reality TV Shows Right Now
Reality TV is more popular than ever. With so many to choose from, here are some of the best reality TV shows to stream or watch right now.
20The Bachelorette
21 Seasons
The Bacheloretteis a spin-off of the most popular dating series of all time,The Bachelor,that puts a woman in control of her own journey. WhileThe Bachelorhas been on the air since 2002,the first season ofThe Bachelorettedidn’t air until the following year, putting Trista Sutter (née Rehn) in the hot seat for the very first time. After finding love with Ryan Sutter, it was clear thatthe formula worked well for both reality TV and matchmaking purposes.
Typically more successful than its predecessor,The Bachelorettehas made some incredibly strong coupleswho have gone on to change the landscape of reality TV. Trista and Ryan have made countless reality TV appearances since their inaugural season on the series.The Bacheloretteseason 12’s lead JoJo Fletcher and her now-husband Jordan Rodgers met on the series and have since produced their own reality TV show. The currently airing season,The Bacheloretteseason 21, features the first Asian American lead, Jenn Tran.
The Bachelorette
Cast
The Bacheloretteis a spinoff show of 2002’sThe Bachelor. First premiering in 2003,The Bachelorettefollows a woman who dates several men to attempt to find her one true love, eliminating one man each week. Mike Fleiss’ series has endured the test of time by lasting over 200 episodes and becoming one of ABC’s most popular reality TV shows.
19Love Is Blind
6 Seasons
A Netflix original series,Love Is Blindhas been able tobring the idea of anonymous matchmaking to the reality TV dating landscape. Premiering in 2020 just months before the COVID-19 pandemic caused a global lockdown, the series was able to capitalize on the fact that their participation had used isolation to their advantage. Putting contestants into pods and having them essentially speed date in order to get to know each other,Love Is Blindbrought the idea of falling in love sight unseen to the forefront.
ThroughoutLove Is Blind’s run, there have been some incredibly successful matches and some incredibly devastating ones. Those who arestill married afterLove Is Blindhave credited the experiment to their success, sharing that they were able to build an emotional foundation so strong that their relationship could surpass any issue they may find themselves up against. WithLove Is Blindseason 7 coming soon, the series is well worth a binge-watch.
Love Is Blind
Love Is Blind is a reality series where participants date and become engaged without seeing each other. The experiment examines whether emotional connections can outweigh physical appearances as couples decide if they will marry after meeting face-to-face for the first time.
18Married At First Sight
17 Seasons
Created by the same team as the producers behindLove Is Blind, Married At First Sightuses a similar element of anonymity, but allows participants to see each other before they commit.Married At First Sight,the American version of a Dutch series by the same name, brings together two strangers who have been matched by a panel of experts andasks them to commit to each other without any preamble, the participants getting married on the spot.MAFScouples are then given two months to try out their relationship and see if they want to stay married or divorce.
WhileMarried At First Sighthas produced some wonderful couples who never would’ve met without the show,there have also been a few dangerous matches made by the series. With some of the mostcontroversial reality TV stars coming fromMAFS,the show has had to explain itself time and time again with the actions of their cast members coming into question. As viewers get ready forMarried At First Sightseason 18, there are still 17 seasons available to binge to get used to the show’s formula.
Married At First Sight
Based on the Danish version of the series, Married at First Sight is a reality show/social experiment that gives singles a chance to find a lifelong partnership with one particular caveat: they must agree to marry a stranger arranged the moment they meet. Experts provide counseling and guidance as they help couples navigate their new marriage with their unknown partner and highlight the journey of the newlyweds from wedding to honeymoon to beginning their new lives together. At the end of eight weeks, couples will decide to stay married or divorce.
17Too Hot To Handle
Another Netflix original series,Too Hot To Handlebrings together a group of conventionally attractive singles and asks them to do something inherently against their nature: abstain from physical contact of any kind. The cast members ofToo Hot To Handleare self-described players, often sharing their stories of hookups gone wrong and emotions ignored, craving the physicality of a relationship rather than the emotional connection. Thesingles onToo Hot To Handlehave typically been unaware of the series they were signing up for, instead believing they’d be joining a typical reality TV dating show.
Instead, theToo Hot To Handlesingles find themselves at a retreat hosted by Lana, a cone-shaped robot who gives them the rules of the retreat and informs them that any breach in the rules will cost them significant funds. AsToo Hot To Handle’s competition continues, the singles are able to match up with each other and take part in therapeutic, intimate workshops to help them accept emotional connections into their lives. The series recently releasedToo Hot To Handleseason 6, which revamps the game after years of a similar format.
Too Hot To Handle
Stuffed in a house with attractive singles, ten adults are invited to participate in Too Hot to Handle, a reality dating competition television series. Hosted by a virtual assistant known as “Lana,” the contestants are individuals with difficulty committing to relationships. Stuck in paradise, the contestants must resist temptation entirely if they want a chance at a $100,000 grand prize with a twist—every time a rule is broken, the prize pool is diminished.
16The Bachelor
28 Seasons
As the predecessor to the aforementionedThe Bachelorette, The Bachelorwas one of the first reality TV dating shows to hit the mainstream. Beginning in 2002,The Bachelorhas consistently brought fairy-tale romance to the forefrontwith each season of the series. On the show, the titularBacheloris able to get to know a group of 20-30 women who are interested in dating him, making weekly eliminations as he finds himself connecting with some women over others.
While someBachelorleads have met the loves of their life on the show, others have been left broken hearted, and others have simply found themselves without a connection on the series.EachBachelorlead has been different, though some do wind up being compared in the media, and each of their journeys has been unique. WithThe Bachelorseason 28 leaving Joey Graziadei engaged to Kelsey Anderson, the next season of the series may have an ending unlike any other.
The Bachelor
The series centers on a single bachelor selecting a romantic partner from a group of contestants, with episodes featuring various challenges and eliminations.
15The Ultimatum
3 Seasons
A franchise of its own, Netflix’sThe Ultimatum: Marry Or Move OnandThe Ultimatum: Queer Loveshine a spotlight on relationships that are at a breaking point.Couples on the series must break up and commit to a trial marriage with another participant, creating a new couple that will either help them move into a better relationship or help them to realize that they want to be with their original partner. After the trial marraiges end, the original couples get back together to see how their relationship has changed.
WhileThe Ultimatumcan be somewhat confusing for those used to a standard reality TV dating show, the shows are a fascinating look at the way couples function when put under pressure.The Ultimatum: Marry Or Move Onhas two seasons, whileThe Ultimatum: Queer Loveonly has one season thus far, butthe entry into LGBTQIA+ stories on reality TV has been a much-needed change. With several couples coming out ofThe Ultimatumready to commit, the series is a refreshing change of pace.
The Ultimatum: Marry or Move On
The Ultimatum: Marry or Move On is a reality television series where couples face a critical decision about their future. Each couple must decide to either get married or part ways after being exposed to potential new partners in a controlled social experiment. This emotional journey, hosted by Nick and Vanessa Lachey, challenges participants to confront their relationship issues and examine their compatibility.
The Ultimatum: Queer Love
The Ultimatum: Queer Love follows five couples comprising women and non-binary individuals at a pivotal relationship juncture. As one partner seeks marriage and the other hesitates, they issue ultimatums, leading to an eight-week journey where they explore new partners to decide on marriage or separation.
14MILF Manor
2 Seasons
A controversial reality TV dating series,MILF Manorseason 1took viewers by storm with its premise, then reeled them in with its unique, eye-opening series.MILF Manorbrings together a group of women in their 40s, 50s, and beyond to look for love with younger men, but during the first season, it wasn’t revealed that the objects of their affection were going to be their sons. Each participants son, who are in their teens, 20s, and 30s, are part of the cast, hoping to match up with one of the older women.
After the first season ofMILF Manorwas a major hit with the reality TV dating audience, the series was renewed for a second season that would change the game entirely.MILF Manorseason 2has changed the game for the contestants, bringing in younger men as well as an older crowd to vie for the womens’ affections. While the twist may not be working for some viewers,the heart ofMILF Manorhasn’t been lost between its first two seasons.
MILF Manor
The TLC series MILF Manor features eight single women between the ages of 40 and 60 who are looking for love. They live in a villa in Mexico to create romantic connections with eight single men who are decades younger than them. The twist is that the men are the sons of the women.
13Love Island USA
A spin-off of the originalLove Island UK,the American version of the series has taken the states by storm for the past several summers.Love Island USAhas the same premise as the UK version, bringing together a large group of sexy singles who are looking for love in a Fijian villa. Though the first three seasons were on CBS, the last three seasons of the series have been streamed on Peacock to some incredible success, bringing in an incredible amount of viewers for the season.
After moving to Peacock,Love Island USAchanged the series a bit, bringing in actor Sarah Hyland to host the series andshifting gears to a bit more of an online format.Love Island USAseason 6 broughtVanderpump Rulesstar Ariana Madix in to host the series, giving it a more personal touch and creating a major must-see element to the show. Now thatLove Island USAseason 6 has savedthe series, another season will certainly be on the horizon.
Love Island USA
Love Island is the American adaptation of the British reality dating competition. Hosted in a luxurious villa, ten singles aim to form couples over several weeks. Throughout the process, they face public votes and potential elimination, while new islanders join to challenge existing relationships.
12Bachelor In Paradise
9 Seasons
AnotherBachelorNation series,Bachelor In Paradisehas become one of the most fun reality TV dating serieson the air. Taking a moreLove Islandstyle approach to reality TV dating,Bachelor In Paradisebrings together those who didn’t make it to the end of their ownBachelorNation show (along with some who have and ultimately left their relationships) and puts them up in an idyllic Mexican resort. The contestants must couple up and try to find a genuine match through all of the drama ofBachelorNation.
AlthoughBachelor In Paradiseseason 9 wasn’t the best the series had to offer, many have felt that the show is actually the best inBachelorNation overall. Bringing together contestants who may never have met otherwise, the series has created some of the longest-lasting couples inBachelorNation. WithBachelor In Paradiseseason 10having finally been renewed, now’s the perfect time to get caught up with the long-running series.
Bachelor in Paradise
In this spinoff of the popular reality dating show, previous participants from The Bachelor and The Bachelorette get another chance at love. Every week in a secluded paradise, contestants are eliminated and new participants are brought in. Who will wind up together in the end?
11The Courtship
1 Seasons
The Courtship,a Hulu reality TV dating series, is a series thatbrings theBridgerton-style of romance to the 21st century. A leading lady and her suitors were tasked with finding romance in the style of Regency era customs.Nicole Rémy and her cast of suitorshad to participate in traditional activities, like Regency era games, traditional hand-written love letters, and courting via dance.
SettingThe Courtshipapart further from the rest of the reality TV dating world, Nicole’s family was brought in to consult about her matches. Giving the participants an experience of a lifetime,The Courtshipwas a fascinating look at old-style customs mixed with modern era participants. While there’s only one season of the series, it’s well worth the watch and has viewers hopeful that they’ll see another season ofThe Courtshipin the future.
The Courtship
The Courtship is a reality dating show that took place in England. Leading lady Nicole Rémy and her suitors tried to find love according to the customs of the Regency Era. They participated in traditional activities from the time period such as writing love letters by hand, learning traditional dances, playing cricket, and fencing. Nicole’s family served as her court, helping her to choose one man from her many suitors.
