My guilty pleasure is watching admittedly inane Netflix dating shows. While these watches don’t require much brain power, they are perfect for a good laugh or much needed distraction from school.
Love is Blind (2020—)
I have been a loyal watcher of Love is Blind for years and if you are going to watch any show on this list, make it this one. Although some seasons are better than others due to a larger number of successful couples, they are all absurdly entertaining. Overall, the show aims to answer the central question: Is love blind? The contestants are split into groups of around 10 men and 10 women, all from a specific U.S. city. The men and women are given 10 days to date each member of the opposite gender and narrow down their options. The catch? They aren’t allowed to see each other and must date in so-called ‘pods’ where they can only hear each other’s voices and send sentimental objects, letters, gifts and food. They also do not have access to their phones or outside influences. If they find a good match, they must get engaged in order to leave the pods together.
The highlight of each season for me is the couples’ reveals when they see each other for the first time and propose. While some reveals are full of excitement, others are awkwardly fraught with hesitance as they do not feel an immediate physical attraction to their fiancé. After they leave the pods, all the engaged couples go on a couples retreat to a cliché romantic destination. They spend a week getting to know each other in person and deepen their connection. Finally, the contestants head home to start their lives together as an engaged couple in Netflix-provided apartments. This is when they get their phones back and meet each other’s families. The viewers also watch them return to work and deal with the realities of everyday life and wedding planning.
After a few weeks in the real world, the weddings occur. It is here that the couples must decide whether to say “I do” or break things off. The wedding episode is another very exciting watch and is shortly followed by a reunion where the cast members rehash the season together. While not all the couples make it, a few solid marriages have resulted from the show and even a couple of Love is Blind babies. There are also spinoffs of the show set in other countries, with my personal favorite Love is Blind: Habibi taking place in the United Emirates. Season 10 of the U.S. version based in Ohio is premiering Feb. 11 and is sure to be full of enough edge-of-your-seat reveals and nail-biting conversations to keep you entertained.
Too Hot to Handle (2020—)
Arguably much raunchier than Love is Blind, Too Hot to Handle is not aimed at creating lasting relationships. This show takes stereotypically attractive young singles (usually the Instagram model type) and flies them to a resort-like island. They are under the impression that they signed up for a different show and will have free reign to hook up with the other hotties as they please. Instead, after a few hours to get to know each other and build tension, they are banned from physical intimacy with one another. To incentivise them, they have a shot at a hefty cash prize if they can refrain from giving into their carnal desires. For each infraction against the rules, money is lost. Although some contestants try to outsmart the omniscient robot in charge of the game named “Lana,” there is nowhere to hide any clandestine activities with cameras placed all over the island.
The underlying premise of this show is to teach the individuals to form emotional connections and not just lead with the physical aspect in their relationships. They attempt to accomplish this by forcing the contestants to compete as couples in fun games and bonding activities, which always have me rooting for a few couples. At the end of each season, the contestants vote for the cast member who has undergone the most growth and thus most deserves to win the cash prize. While it kept me pressing the next episode button, this show is ridiculously superficial and embarrassingly attracts people just looking for their five seconds of fame.
Indian Matchmaking (2020—)
A total 180° from Too Hot to Handle, Indian Matchmaking is a show that focuses on navigating traditional Indian arranged marriages in the modern day. Each of the three seasons follow matchmaker Sima Taparia who has made her career by crafting potential marriages for individuals from around the world. While some come to Sima seeking a different avenue to explore a potential committed relationship, others are following the traditional example set by their parents. Once Sima makes a match, the two meet (usually with their families present) and get to know one another.
One of my favorite aspects of this show is learning more about Indian culture as Sima brings elements of the Indian caste system and different Indian religions into consideration when making her matches. There is also a natural friction for many individuals who are trying to live in the modern-day U.S. culture while maintaining more traditional Indian values that I found added a level of complexity to the show. Though not as salacious as the other shows I have touched on, this show has its own unique and wholesome appeal. Anyone who is a fan of this show might also want to give the show Jewish Matchmaking a try as it has a similar premise but focuses on Jewish culture instead.
Some additional honorable mentions to add to this list are Love on the Spectrum and Down for Love, which follow individuals with autism and Down syndrome as they navigate the dating world. These are just a few of the dating shows I have watched and recommend on Netflix if you are interested in broadening your reality television horizon. I assure you none of them will disappoint.
‘Are You Still Watching?’ is a column spotlighting what the Cornell community has been streaming. It runs every Wednesday.
Emma Robinson is a junior in the College of Arts and Sciences. She can be reached at elg229@cornell.edu.
