The newest addition to the “hot people treat relationships like an experiment” reality genre (a personal fave) is Couple to Throuple, a Peacock series that has much more going for it than an enticing premise.
I approached the first trailer for Couple to Throuple like a hungry little trash goblin ready for my next reality TV feast, but I was struck by the—dare I say—holistic approach to this dating experiment. Four established couples head to an isolated beach house (the inaugural season was filmed in Panama) where they meet and mingle with a group of sexy singles before choosing one to embark on a polyamorous relationship with them. Everyone involved is open to throupling up, and many of the singles have prior experience with polyamory, sometimes referred to as ethical non-monogamy.
The featured couples are Ashmal and Rehman (the sole gay couple in the group), Brittne and Sean, Corey and Wilder (it will take you exactly two seconds to identify these two based on their names alone), and married pair Lauren and Dylan. Almost everyone identifies as bisexual or open to multiple genders, with the exception of Wilder and Dylan, two (allegedly) very straight men who are only interested in inviting another woman into their relationships. My eyebrow remains firmly raised about those two, especially Wilder, who seems like he might be the cautionary tale in the group—i.e., he just wants permission to have sex with other women. Dylan has more of a sensitive beefy guy vibe, like Dave Bautista.
Two things set Couple to Throuple apart from other reality dating experiments, and they’re pretty significant elements. In addition to a host (Scott Evans of Access Hollywood), the Peacock series has enlisted the help of Shamyra Howard, a licensed therapist and expert in sex and relationships. She’s like Supernanny for polyamorous couples. Every day, Howard leads the couples and their chosen thirds in exercises focused on communication, vulnerability, exploring intimacy, and navigating boundaries. In episode 2, under the guidance of Howard and Evans (who has experience with polyamory), one partner gets increasingly intimate with the new third while the other partner watches. The observing partner can use their safe word at any time, at which point the participants stop what they’re doing and talk about any feelings that come up. It’s so … healthy?!
I wasn’t expecting a reality show about a bunch of barely clothed hot people looking to throuple down to be so evolved, which is probably my bad. Most of my friends are like me: introverted house-shrews who find a partner, climb them like a tree, and live there for as long as they will allow, only climbing down from their meaty relationship branches once a week when we need to poop, like a sloth. Anyway, sorry for not having more polyamorous friends!
As for the other thing that sets Couple to Throuple apart from its reality kin: these people get NAKED. And not, like, gratuitously. First off, let me say that I was not expecting to see full-on boobs in a reality show on Peacock, and while I have yet to peek a cock (SORRY), I am pleasantly surprised by the way Couple to Throuple handles sex and nudity. Similar to other reality shows featuring lots of hot people in swimwear confined to a single location, this one does include footage—mostly caught on bedroom cameras at night—of sexual activities obscured by blankets. There are some very obvious jobs being done under the covers, but these aren’t really the sexiest moments.
When Lauren and Dylan invite Jess to join their relationship, there’s this great moment when the three of them are interacting in their room. Lauren and Dylan compliment Jess’ body, and she shows off a bit, jiggling her butt in a thong. You don’t even notice that her breasts are out until Lauren and Dylan bring attention to it, at which point I actually gasped—not because I was scandalized (more people should be naked in media, it’s fun and fine), but because I’m not used to seeing BOOBIES on regular TV. And aside from having a collection of unedited movies, Peacock basically feels like an extension of network TV. Like a souped-up NBC.
The first three episodes of Couple to Throuple hit Peacock on February 8. Three new episodes will be released on February 15 and February 22, with the season finale airing separately on February 29 (this is a leap year, FYI).
(featured image: Peacock)
