Top 5 Most Entertaining Dating Shows

From as early as 1965 with the popular “Dating Game” series,  dating shows have always been a staple on television, but now they have become more extreme, and even scientific, in their approach.

Shows like “The Bachelor” have been highly successful, yielding a spinoff (“The Bachelorette”) and leading other television producers to try and create dating shows that are equally unique and entertaining.  Now, during the pandemic, when we can’t go on in-person dates, these shows offer a good way to give you the romantic escapism you need.

The Bachelor/The Bachelorette

photo credit: ABC

The series revolves around a single bachelor or bachelorette who begins with a pool of romantic interests from whom he or she is expected to select a wife or husband. During the course of the season, the bachelor eliminates candidates each week eventually culminating in a marriage proposal to his or her final selection. The participants travel to romantic and exotic locations for their dates, and the conflicts in the series, both internal and external, stem from the elimination-style format of the show.

Love Island

photo credit: HULU

Irish television and radio presenter Laura Whitmore hosts this reality dating show in which a group of single people move to a luxury summer villa in the hope of finding love. Throughout the series, the presenter drops in unannounced to deliver twists and surprise announcements that will test the relationships between the islanders. To remain in their luxury paradise and stand a chance of winning the $50,000 prize, contestants must couple up and win the hearts of each other and the public, as they ultimately decide who stays on Love Island and who goes.

The series usually kicks off in June, but due to the pandemic and social distancing constraints, the show has been cancelled this year. However, producers promise it will return next year.

Love Is Blind

photo credit: Netflix

Nick and Vanessa Lachey host this social experiment where single men and women look for love and get engaged, all before meeting in person. The show features an equal number of male and female contestants who are looking to fall in love with someone for who they truly are, not what they look like.  The contestants go on dates in self-contained pods and they only get to see one another after getting engaged. Following an engagement, the couples are taken on a romantic trip to Mexico before getting married less than a month later.

90 Day Fiance

photo credit: TLC

Long-distance relationships have challenges that are sometimes difficult to overcome. Now imagine traveling halfway across the world to meet your significant other and having to decide if you want to marry them in 90 days. Using a visa that allows foreign fiancees of American citizens to travel to the U.S., the men and women experience life in the U.S. with their prospective mates for the first time. Culture and language barriers must be overcome — not to mention the stigma of being thought of as mail-order spouses — but here’s the elephant in the room: The couples must marry before the visas expire in 90 days, or else the visitors have to immediately return to their countries. With the clock ticking, these couples discover if their “happily ever after” is meant to be.

Naked Attraction

photo credit: The London Studios

Presented by Anna Richardson, “Naked Attraction” is a British television dating game show in which a clothed person selects one contestant to date from six naked people, whose bodies and then faces are gradually revealed through successive rounds, from the feet up. Once those six have been whittled down to two, the person deciding then appears nude to select one of them for a fully clothed date. The program then presents their feedback after the date.