Netflix’s hottest singles! The streaming platform’s forthcoming reality series The Perfect Match features a cast of familiar faces.
The dating competition show — which premieres on Valentine’s Day — features Netflix alumni from unscripted series including Love Is Blind, The Circle, Too Hot to Handle, The Ultimatum and The Mole. The 23 reality TV veterans will pair up into potential matches and compete to see which duo has the best connection.
At the end of each challenge, the most compatible couple wins the power to play matchmaker by breaking up existing duos to send them on dates with new singles who might be better suited for them.
“This is like The Hunger Games for dating,” Chase DeMoor, previously seen on Too Hot to Handle, quips in the trailer. The teaser shows a sneak peek at the type of games the pairs will play to win power, including kissing while blindfolded and wringing out a sponge by squeezing it between their bodies.
However, it’s not all fun and games. New singles will arrive at the Panamanian villa throughout the competition — and each time new faces arrive, the contestants must decide once again who their perfect match is. Anyone left without a partner at the end of the night is eliminated.
Netflix describes its newest reality TV fare — which is hosted by Nick Lachey — as an “over the top journey of strategy and dating.” While plenty of onscreen drama seems guaranteed, the series has already stirred up offscreen controversy. Love Is Blind alum Natalie Lee claimed that her ex-fiancé, Shayne Jansen — who will appear on The Perfect Match — began the casting process while they were still together.
“I knew about the new dating show back in Sept 2021 because Shayne and I were both approached to apply for it while we were in a relationship (casting didn’t know we were together at the time),” Natalie wrote via her Instagram Story in January. “We told each other we declined the opportunity, but I later found out he actually didn’t decline and started the casting process in Nov 2021 without my knowledge at the time, while we were still together.”
Shayne, however, disputed the claims, sharing text messages via his Instagram Story that were seemingly from the consulting manager.
“I really want you to enjoy life because this show for you is a once in a lifetime opportunity,” Natalie allegedly wrote in one message.
The twosome got engaged while filming season 2 of Love Is Blind, but Natalie called off their engagement at the altar. The pair gave their relationship another shot after the series wrapped, but later called it quits again.
“We did continue our relationship for several months and we parted ways after that,” Natalie exclusively told Us Weekly in March 2022. “But we are friends right now and I wish him all the best.”
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