Whether you’re blissfully single or in a happy relationship, no one can resist the drama of a good dating show. Single’s Inferno Season 4 has everyone talking, shipping, and ready to fight one cast member (iykyk). However, many dating shows feel the same, and even the drama feels repetitive.
If you’re not into the same pick-and-choose dating and elimination format, there are other dating shows that offer fresh takes on the love journey. From travelling to a different country to second-chance romances, here are seven dating shows with unique formats that will make you root for love in every episode.
Finding love in a foreign country without the help of your phone sounds like a challenge in Netflix's "Offline Love." (Photo from: Netflix)
7 unique dating shows that redefine romance
1. Offline Love (Japan)
Imagine looking for love in Nice, France without your phone to guide you through places or the language barrier. That’s what the Japanese series Offline Love is all about. 10 men and women embark on a journey to find love without using digital devices. So, they must rely on chance meetings, and meet-cutes, and see if the person they meet along the way is their destined love.
Why you’ll love it: Here's the twist, the contestants only have 10 days to meet and connect with people in a foreign country. They will rely on letters, promises, and the universe.
Where to watch it: Netflix on 18 February.
2. Love Transit/Exchange (TBL’s Pick!)
Would you ever consider going back to an ex? This dating show follows ex-couples who gather together to reunite with an ex-lover or move on and find someone new. It features five pairs of ex-lovers, who go on dates and get to know each other, all while unaware of who each other’s is.
There are two versions of the show: the Japanese version and the South Korean version, called Exchange.
Why you’ll love it: Despite being pairs of ex-lovers, the show gives them a chance to start love with a clean slate to either rekindle a past romance or start a new one.
Where to watch it: Prime Video (Japanese) and Viu (Korean).
3. The Boyfriend (Japan)
The show is Japan’s first same-sex reality dating series. Nine single men spend the summer together running a coffee truck and getting to know each other. Each day one cast member is chosen to run a coffee truck and another cast member to join them to run the track that day. They also choose who they want to go on dates with. However, only mutual matches will get to go on dates together.
Why you’ll love it: Unlike other dating shows, The Boyfriend is not a competition, so no one gets eliminated. It’s less cast drama and more wholesome moments.
Where to watch it: Netflix.
4. Heart Signal (Korea)
This reality show follows eight people living together for one month, where they go on dates and get to know each other. There's a lot of flirty behaviour and it still has that messy drama like regular dating shows. However, they're not allowed to directly confess their feelings to each other. Rather, they send an anonymous text message to another cast member to show their romantic interest.
There’s also a Chinese version of the dating show.
Why you’ll love it: Since most of the confessions are anonymous, the cast members have to guess who is trying to make a love connection with them.
Where to watch it: Viki and Viu.
5. Nineteen to Twenty (Korea)
The series features various 19-year-olds making the transition from teenhood to adulthood, following their last week of being 19 and their first week being 20 after ringing in the new year. During their last week of being 19, they will go to school to prepare for adulthood, and on New Year's Day, they will move into the "20 House" where they can make their first memories in their new adult journey.
Why you’ll love it: Everything feels new for the cast members, everything they experience will be their first. First love, relationships, and even heartbreak.
Where to watch it: Netflix.
6. Dating Around (US)
With no scripted drama, eliminations, or feuding cast members, Dating Around follows real-life singles of diverse ages and races to go on five blind dates per episode. Their only goal for the season is to find at least one match worthy of a second date.
Why you’ll love it: Not one blind date is the same, so you will see each single go out of their comfort zone on different dates.
Where to watch: Netflix.
7. The Later Daters (US)
Compared to the other shows on this list, The Later Daters is a show centered around a much older group of adults navigating love. Many of the cast members are looking for a second chance at love in their later years. So, most of them haven’t been on an actual date for decades! Luckily, they have their friends and family helping them navigate modern dating.
Why you’ll love it: A lot of dating shows have experts as panelists analysing the show, but The Later Daters has an actual dating coach helping them out.
Where to watch: Netflix.
(Cover photos from: Netflix)
If you want a more chaotic take on love, check out our review of XO, Kitty Season 2.
Comments, questions or feedback? Email us at [email protected].
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