Reality dating shows
Single’s Inferno blew up globally when it first premiered, making its mark as the first-ever South Korean reality show to be on Netflix’s Top 10 list. Whether you’ve watched it for the tea and analysed each character’s red flags or simply because everyone else has watched it, you’ve got to admit that it was binge-worthy.
And now, there’s a brand new local reality dating that brings the drama to our shores. If you’re looking for other similar shows to satiate your appetite for drama, here are other reality dating shows to add to your watch list.
Table of Contents
1. One Week Love
What happens if you combine Love is Blind, Single’s Inferno, and Terrace House, and set it in Singapore? Complete mayhem, of course. In Singapore’s first reality dating show One Week Love, 9 attractive singles ditch the dating apps and come together to find out if you can truly fall in love with someone in 1 week.
From challenging each other at TRX Funan to more local-centric activities like cooking up the perfect nasi lemak, this show hits different. But it’s not all fun and games – there’ll be drama, tears, tea, and HTHTs.
All 10 episodes of One Week Love are now available to watch on Netflix if you’re ready for a binge-watching session. And if you can’t get enough of the show, get BTS tea with these One Week Love fun facts, and One Week Love life lessons.
Watch One Week Love on Netflix
2. Love Is Blind
Pretty privilege takes a step back with Love Is Blind. When the show was first released in 2020, romantics and reality TV addicts instantly went ga-ga over the outrageous premise of choosing a soulmate without ever seeing them. Since then, there’ve been spinoffs in Sweden, Brazil, and Japan, with even a Love Is Blind: Habibi coming soon.
The U.S. version will even be showing its 6th season on 28th February 2024. Rumours have it that the first episode is already quite spicy with one guy who can’t seem to get along with any of the women and the men. But we’ll need to wait for a couple of days for the first episode to drop. In the meantime, catch up on the rest of Love Is Blind on Netflix.
Watch Love Is Blind on Netflix
3. Single’s Inferno
Single’s Inferno is a chart topper that any Netflix user would have seen recommended on their Top 10 list this year. The South Korean reality TV show casts good-looking and flirty individuals, all of whom are the very definition of single and ready to mingle.
The latest season has the polarising Gwanhee who didn’t seem to be able to make up his mind about 3 girls. Why the girls were falling for him also remains a mystery. Guess you’ll have to watch the season to understand why.
Watch Single’s Inferno on Netlix
4. EXchange
The saying “exes are exes for a reason” doesn’t really fly in EXchange, a Korean variety show that is into its 3rd season now. That’s enough of a clue to tell you that former couples will be meeting each other once more. But here’s the twist – they’ll have to live together, along with other broken up couples.
Some are looking for a second chance to rekindle an old romance, while some are ready to move on and find love with someone else. There are enough tears, fights, and even cheesy confessions for you to think you’re watching an actual Korean drama.
Watch EXchange on Viu
5. Is She The Wolf?
With the rise of photo-editing apps, it’s so easy to get catfished on dating apps. You’d think you would be able to see through all that if you’re dating face-to-face, right? But Is She The Wolf is here to prove you wrong.
5 men and 5 women meet in this Japanese dating show, but what the contestants don’t know is that not all of the women are here to find love at all. In fact, their sole purpose is to flirt with the men without getting caught. It’s easier said than done, when even the wolves themselves are susceptible to the men’s charm.
Watch Is She The Wolf on Netflix
6. Perfect Match
Netflix has had many original reality dating shows over the years but that doesn’t mean there’ve been plenty of successful matches since then. So here’s where Perfect Match comes in. Former contestants of popular shows like Too Hot To Handle and Love Is Blind have one more chance to find the love of their life in this dating competition.
It isn’t as simple as just meeting and hooking up with each other though. There are games that test compatibility and those who fail to get a match end up being eliminated from the show altogether. It’s messy and features a star-studded cast including Francesca Farago and Chloe Veitch from Too Hot To Handle.
Watch Perfect Match on Netflix
7. Ramyun & Chill
There are a couple of ways to ask if someone’s DTF, depending on where they’re from. If you speak English, you’d ask if your date wants to “Netflix and chill”. And if you’re Korean, you’d ask if they want to come back to your place for instant noodles.
Ramyun & Chill combines both sayings in this independently made reality dating show. Here, 5 Korean men and 5 non-Korean women push the boundaries of their different cultures and languages when it comes to dating and love. They might be able to keep their cherry-tinted glasses while in the villa, but the perils of LDRs await them once they leave.
Watch Ramyun & Chill on YouTube
8. The Skip Dating
If you’ve ever wanted to swipe left on a bad date, then The Skip Dating is just the show for you. Think of it as Tinder meets Love Is Blind. Contestants talk to each other through a screen but if they aren’t feeling the vibes, they can press a skip button to be matched with someone else.
4 matched couples then get a whole day to meet and impress each other through challenges to see if their connection is reel. The show is light-hearted but makes for a chill watching experience if you’re not too keen on dating dramas.
Watch The Skip Dating on Viu
9. The Ultimatum
This one’s for couples who are still waiting for their partner to propose or to ask the question, “BTO ai mai?” That’s essentially what one half of the contestants on The Ultimatum wants: to get engaged or break up.
As with all good reality dating shows, there’s a twist. Couples have to split up and partner up with someone else and act like a married couple for a month. You’d be surprised at the number of contestants who decide that someone else might be better suited for them. Season 3 of The Ultimatum is now available on Netflix.
Watch The Ultimatum on Netflix
10. Terrace House
Terrace House is a show that requires little introduction. But for the uninitiated, the series follows the lives of strangers from different walks of life living under the same roof. If you’re looking for a show to really binge on, Terrace House has a total of 5 seasons with a whopping 206 episodes.
Unlike other reality dating programmes, Terrace House’s participants go about their daily lives and jobs while on the show and they’ll have to make time to actually go on dates and get to know one another.
Watch Terrace House: Tokyo 2019-2020 on Netflix
11. Love Island Australia
Based on the international Love Island franchise, Love Island Australia features a group of contestants living in a luxurious villa on a secluded island. While it may seem like any other dating show that takes place on an island, rest assured you’ll be in for some hot, hot drama with this one.
Whether it’s for love, friendship, survival, or money, each participant has to be coupled up with another in order to stay in the competition. The twist? It’s the Aussie viewers themselves who will vote for who stays or gets eliminated from the island.
Watch Love Island Australia on Netflix
Binge-worthy reality dating shows
Whether it’s your guilty pleasure or if you simply envy the love lives of others, it’s hard to say no to a good reality dating show. Choose from spicy, hormone-filled shows like Ramyun & Chill and Love Island Australia and juicy, soul-baring ones like The Ultimatum and EXchange, and even local renditions like One Week Love. Grab your popcorn and get comfy for all the bingeing ahead.
Check out more shows for your next Netflix spree:
Cover image adapted from: TheSmartLocal, Netflix
Originally published on 26th Jan 2022. Last updated by Raewyn Koh on 27th February 2024.