Love is Blind is a reality dating show that enthralls viewers with its exploration of speed-dating. The series follows 15 men and 15 women who have 10 days to find love. The individuals get to know each other in pods, where they can talk to, but can’t see, one another. After 10 days of talking, they need to decide if they want to get engaged to that person. If a marriage proposal is given and accepted, then they see each other for the first time.
While it’s hard to believe that anyone would propose 10 days after merely talking to someone, each season always has a number of proposals. Once the proposal is made, the couples get to know each for about a month and then decide if they want to go through with a wedding ceremony. This is the point where the majority of the relationships end, as they have the option to call off the marriage at the altar. Still, the show has actually yielded four couples who are still together today after getting married on the show in a month’s span.
Of course, while a few couples find their happily ever after, most people watch Love is Blind for the couples who don’t work out. The show is filled with heated arguments, high emotions, love triangles, and shocking breakups. With high drama, frail emotions, and unlikely matches, the show is difficult to look away from. Here are 10 more binge-worthy shows to watch if you like Love is Blind.
The Bachelor
Love is Blind most commonly gets compared to The Bachelor and it’s easy to see why. The reality dating series has been running since 2002 and has a similar speed-dating premise. In The Bachelor, a single bachelor has a pool of romantic interests, and, over the course of a few weeks, he must find one to wed. As the show continues, he begins eliminating the women one by one, before proposing to his final selection. Like Love is Blind, The Bachelor results in a marriage proposal over the course of weeks. However, it differs with its elimination-style, making it more competitive and heightening the drama. Not only that, but there’s a whopping 25 seasons to binge-watch, so it will keep you occupied for awhile.
Married at First Sight
Getting married a month after meeting is already too soon, but Married At First Sight takes it to the next level by marrying couples on the first day they meet. The series features a number of relationship experts who pair up 3-5 couples. These couples agree to marry and hold their wedding upon their very first meeting. After the wedding, they must live together for 8 weeks and then decide if they want to stay together or get divorced.
This show is unique in that the couples are paired up by experts, rather than left to try to find their own match. Still, even though the experts pair them, most of the couples end up filing to divorce either during the show or after. So it isn’t much more successful than Love is Blind, but it certainly is an interesting concept. Marrying someone you just met is the perfect recipe for both disaster and entertainment.
90 Day Fiancé
90 Day Fiancé is a reality series that follows couples who have received K-1 visas and, hence, have 90 days to choose to get married or not. A K-1 visa is a unique visa that allows foreign fiancés of United States citizens to enter the United States. Upon entry, they have 90 days to marry. If they marry, then they become a green card holder, but if they don’t, they depart from the United States. As result, 90 Day Fiancé follows numerous couples during their 90 day period.
What’s really unique about 90 Day Fiancé is that it isn’t a competition or experiment like many of the other shows on this list. These are real-life couples who have been long-distance dating for quite some time and are taking steps to be able to live together. This makes it a little more realistic and definitely ups the pressure and conflict. It’s also quite a unique exploration of how to navigate cultural differences with a significant other.
Terrace House
Terrace House is a reality series that follows six strangers from different walks of life who choose to live together under one roof. While not specifically a dating series, the show does significantly focus on the strangers developing relationships and friendships with one another. The cast members usually have day jobs and go about life as they normally would. However, at home, all their interactions are captured on cameras placed throughout the house.
This series gives more freedom to the contestants than many of the other shows. They can essentially do what they want, whether that is finding a relationship, finding friends, or just enjoying the experience. While some members break off into private relationships, the six strangers frequently have group outings and engage in activities as they live together. Most of the time, the strangers start off having a blast and cautiously explore living together, but as time goes on, drama and tensions flare up. The show is very unpredictable and the drama unfolds in surprising ways.
Too Hot to Handle
Too Hot to Handle is a reality series that is kind of the opposite of a dating show. In this series, 10 adults are placed in a house for 10 weeks. The one caveat is that they cannot kiss or engage in any sexual contact. Every time this rule is broken, the grand prize money, which starts at $100,000 is reduced. To make things more difficult, the contestants chosen are specifically individuals who have trouble forming long-term relationships and frequently engage in flings.
Of course, as soon as you tell someone not to do something, it makes them want to do it even more. Even though the contestants are directed not to form relationships, it inevitably happens every season. As of now, only 1 couple has actually stayed together beyond the show. Still, it’s quite surprising that some individuals would choose a relationship with a stranger over thousands in prize money. It almost gives credibility to reality dating shows by showing it’s actually hard to not fall in love with someone you just met.
The Ultimatum: Marry or Move On
The Ultimatum: Marry or Move On is a new reality series on Netflix. Show hosts, Vanessa and Nick Lachey, choose six couples in which there is one partner who wants to get married and one partner who is dragging their feet. The couples get an ultimatum—either marry in 8 weeks or leave your partner. And during the first three weeks, the couples part, and each selects a new potential partner. They date this new partner for three weeks before moving in with their original partner again. Then, they decide to either stay together or break up.
This show comes from the creators of Love is Blind and it’s the most extreme dating show on this list. Couples who are approaching marriage are forced to break up and date other people in front of each other for three weeks. Then, after watching their partner date someone else, they get thrown back together. It’s pretty much impossible for these couples to not be emotionally impacted by these events. The jealousy, drama, and explosive moments are through the roof. If you can handle the craziness of The Ultimatum‘s premise, it’s a very dramatic, shocking show that is difficult to look away from.
Unexpected
Unexpected is a reality TV series that follows teenage couples dealing with unexpected pregnancies. While it isn’t a dating show, it frequently plays out like one. These couples’ relationships are thoroughly tested as they navigate teen pregnancy. There is almost always the question as to whether these teens, despite the odds, will stay together. Meanwhile, if the relationship falls through there is the question of “what next?”
The series is highly dramatic and also kind of shocking at points. There are so many toxic relationships and so many of the teenagers are painfully young and oblivious. Still, Unexpected is a fan favorite among reality show watchers—as it is an intriguing exploration of the profound impact that pregnancy has on teenagers and their lives.
Love Island
Love Island is a reality dating game show that follows a group of contestants forced to live together on an island. The island is pretty luxurious, but it is completely cut off from the rest of the world and the contestants are under constant surveillance. In order to stay on the island, the contestants have to couple up. If a contestant remains single after the coupling up, they are eliminated. During the final week, the public votes on which couple should win the prize money.
Love Island is an intense reality dating game show. The contestants constantly deal with unexpected shocking twists dropped on them—as well as the constant fear of elimination and the necessity to win over the public. Pressure, emotions, and tensions run high, as does the unexpectedness of the series. It all makes for a very entertaining and thrilling game show.
The Circle
The Circle is a reality competition series in which players sometimes have to fake it till they make it. A number of contestants move into the same apartment building, but in separate apartments. Over the course of a few weeks, they get to know each solely through a specially designed social media platform. They cannot see each other, but through this application can send each other photos and texts. What they send over the application doesn’t necessarily have to be true. The contestants rank each other based on these interactions, with the lowest ranked being eliminated. Hence, many contestants choose the tactic of catfishing.
This show is extremely entertaining as viewers watch what tactics the contestants choose. Plus, it’s a commentary about the nature of social media. Nothing is ever as it seems and contestants can never be sure what to believe or not believe. The drama might not be as intense as some dating series, but The Circle makes up for this with its thrilling, entertaining, and unpredictable premise.
Big Brother
Big Brother is a reality competition show that follows a group of contestants, called HouseGuests, as they live together in a specially constructed house. The home is completely cut off from the outside world. Throughout the show, HouseGuests are evicted or voted out by other contestants. The contestants compete for a grand prize of $500,000.
While not specifically a dating show, relationships do frequently form, as tends to happen with all the shows that round up strangers in a house. This show is like a fun mashup of The Bachelor and Terrace House. We get to see the strangers navigate living together and forming relationships. However, there is the added tension of the elimination process. If living with strangers proves tough, the contestants try to tolerate it, because leaving the house means elimination. Drama, strategy, and unexpected twists are frequent elements of every episode. Plus, if you enjoy it, you’ll have 23 whole seasons to watch.
(featured image: Netflix)
