Dating shows on Netflix have really taken off in recent years. With the pursuit of love and finding your fairytale ending difficult enough in the real world, a slew of outrageous social experiments has truly put love to the test. Whether it’s forcing singles to forge a connection based on emotional connection alone, leaving a matchmaker to find your ideal future partner, putting your relationship to the test with the arrival of sexy new bombshells, or even meeting for the first time at your wedding day, the world of dating shows has genuinely made us cringe, laugh, cry and, of course, have kept us entertained. So, if you want a good dose of drama, heartbreak and forever love, streaming service Netflix has you covered with the most outrageous dating shows below.
1. Love Is Blind
One of the most popular dating shows on Netflix has four seasons in which the age-old question remains prevalent: Is love truly blind? This experiment, which first took the world by storm during the early lockdown era, sees singles placed in individual pods where they cannot see any other connections. They are forced to get to know one another behind a wall, which places emphasis on personality rather than physical attraction. After a mere few days, the contestants who found a connection can get engaged (yes, it happens that fast) and then meet in person for the first time. Viewers then get to see how these couples navigate moving in together, going on holidays and planning a wedding in just a few weeks. Will they make it down the aisle, will they get cold feet, or will it be the case of a runaway bride?
2. Indian Matchmaking
Mumbai’s premier matchmaker Sima Taparia is out on a mission to help her eccentric and enthusiastic clients find love. With a more relaxed approach to the culture’s traditional arranged marriage system, Sima, who is lovingly known as “Sima Aunty” by those around her, relies on her years of matchmaking experience and a strong network of bachelors and bachelorettes to find the perfect match for her clients, despite their needs being impossibly picky. Some are forced to look within to make sacrifices and comprise for their happily ever after while others walk away single yet again.
3. Dating Around
Sometimes all you need is a push to find the love of your life. And in the two seasons of Dating Around, singletons of all ages, races and sexual identities in New York and New Orleans are given five first blind rates per episode, with the goal being to find at least one person worthy of a second date. From ladies’ man Luke to widower Leonard to recently divorced Gurki and fashionista Mila, the show proves to be an intimate look at dating in today’s day and age.
4. The Ultimatum
The Ultimatum is not for the faint-hearted. Established couples are put to the ultimate test as they enter this social experiment, with one half of the couple ready to settle down while the other is not sure about wanting to get married or have children. As a result, hosts Nick and Vanessa Lachey split the couples up to test their foundations. They allow everyone to pursue a relationship with someone else in the cast, and they go on to move in together while watching their original partner from a distance with their new relationship. Of course, tears, confusion, and jealousy ensue, with some couples splitting up for good while others know for sure that they are indeed the love of each other’s lives.
5. The Circle
The Circle didn’t start out as a dating series, but transformed into one due to the show’s nature of establishing bonds. The show sees contestants compete as either themselves or someone else, with the primary objective being to become the most popular person in the circle to win an eye-watering prize of $100,000. In order to achieve this, the contestants, who can’t see each other, communicate from a social media app in their room, where they form alliances to weed out who’s real and who’s a catfish. With romances forming in the show, series five featured only singletons searching for love who attempted to flirt their way to the cash prize.
6. Love Island
Love Island made waves in the UK before making its way to American and Australian shores. The show centers on a group of outrageously attractive swimwear-clad Islanders who are “coupled up” with one another after making a connection. However, the couples are always tested by sexy new “bombshell” arrivals in the villa, as well as a series of challenges and tasks. Some couples don’t go the distance, while others overcome each obstacle to make it to the finale. Ultimately, it’s up to the public to vote for their favorite couple to walk away with the enticing cash prize at the end.
7. Too Hot to Handle
Probably the most perfect name for a dating show, Too Hot To Handle sees genetically-gifted couples arrive in paradise in hopes of finding their ideal match. However, there’s a catch: they only have to rely on a deep emotional connection and must refrain from kissing or sexual intercourse of any kind, otherwise deductions are made from the final cash prize sum. How far can an emotional connection take two people without them wanting to get physical? Luckily, you can find out since all four seasons of this series available on Netflix.
8. Love on the Spectrum
This dating series is a British staple and focuses on seven young adults who are on the autism spectrum as they navigate dating and their relationships. As well as dispelling any stigma surrounding autism, Love on the Spectrum also shows the compassion, joy, and nervousness when it comes to dating in this community, which relays the message that the ultimate goal for everyone is to find true love.
9. Perfect Match
Hosted by the king of dating shows Nick Lachey, Perfect Match sees some of the biggest and most famous established names from streaming service Netflix’s other series come together to form connections with one another on this show. The likes of Too Hot to Handle‘s Chloe Veitch, Love is Blind‘s Diamond Jack, and The Circle‘s Joey Sasso compete to find love where the most compatible couple in the villa has all the power to break up couples and make them go on dates with new singletons. Guaranteed drama.
10. Married At First Sight
One of the most extreme dating series is Married At First Sight, where singletons don’t even get the chance to date each other. Instead, they meet their supposed new partner on their wedding day while decked out in a white wedding gown and suit. These pairings are chosen by a group of dating experts, with viewers watching how the couple navigate life as newlyweds while embarking on major life events such as holidays and getting to know each other’s families despite knowing very little about one another.
(Featured image: ITV)
