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It’s reality TV, sure, but does Netflix really need to cast villains on every dating show it produces? Viewers say no, but that doesn’t seem to factor into its production crews’ decisions.
After so many seasons of relatively successful dating shows, Netflix is doing well on the reality front, but viewers are beginning to notice patterns that they’re not entirely thrilled about.
How Does Netflix Cast Its Dating Shows?
After multiple people with seemingly disingenuous motivations debuted on the various reality dating shows on Netflix, fans began to doubt the streamer’s casting chops.
Each show might cast differently, from separate casting calls, but there do seem to be trends among shows like Love is Blind, Perfect Match, Too Hot to Handle, and Are You The One?.
But if the application form for Love is Blind is any indication, there’s an in-depth look into each cast member’s history, personal life, and motivation. Not only that, but the very up-front contract makes it clear that Netflix can take all the liberties they want while editing creatively.
The takeaway from it all seems to be that Netflix casts who they want, manipulates the video footage however they want, and continue to attract new fans and hit higher ratings every season.
Their formula works, but that doesn’t mean viewers are necessarily happy about it.
Fans Noticed Clear “Villain” Behavior On Netflix’s Dating Shows
When most viewers tune in to shows like Love is Blind and Perfect Match, they expect to see cast members who are truly looking for love. Many were sorely disappointed in the latter for its gamified nature (the point was to find a true love match, not “win” anything), while the former has frustrated fans due to the lack of authenticity seemingly exhibited by contestants.
Andrew’s fake tears, which he says he can’t talk about, created one such “villain” moment. But based on Andrew’s comments, the Netflix contract, and the whole love triangle mess that seems to happen in every season, everyone’s beginning to wonder if the villain angle was done on purpose.
Does Love Is Blind Cast Villains On Purpose?
The question, then, is whether Netflix, and even the most wholesome of dating shows—Love is Blind—casts villains on purpose. Some fans suspect so and took to Reddit to chat about it.
Many thought that the shows clearly needed some “villain” action, but that the production crew went about it in the wrong way.
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One person wrote while discussing Perfect Match, “I get that post-production can do a lot to shed some people in a worse light than they may actually be… but some of these guys are genuinely creepy and borderline predatory. They seem very unsafe.”
Another agreed, noting that they were always on the lookout for questionable behavior from contestants, elaborating, “I do wonder about the vetting process for individuals to get on these shows and if they show the production team the red flags or put on appropriate behavior in order to be brought onto the show.”
Others suspect that the casting is “a bit more malicious” rather than a mistake or buying into someone’s “nice guy” facade, explaining, “I think they’re purposefully letting some ‘slip through the cracks’ so they can have ‘interesting’ drama during the season.”
One commenter wrote that they were “a bit fearful… that this is purposeful because the pattern is consistent in every show from LIB, Love Island, THTH, now the perfect match, & etc. It is too many separate shows for it to not be a pattern.”
Fans tended to agree that Netflix is purposely casting its reality dating shows not to find true love for its participants, but to maximize the drama—something that’s not even necessary.
Case in point? Season two of Love is Blind, which created some of the most wholesome and lasting BFF-ships of reality TV.
“Boring” Cast Members Help Balance Out Each Series
Apart from worrying about potentially predatory and dangerous behavior from contestants, many viewers also pointed out how many contestants on Netflix’s reality dating shows got the short end of the stick.
While fan favorites like season two’s Natalie were called “boring” by some, viewers admitted that this was exactly the type of person they like seeing on reality TV. Natalie was perceived as a real person who was wholesome and wanted to find love, without playing the games so many other contestants (including her ex) seemed to.
There are also troubling stories like that of Danielle Ruhl, who shared that she had bad experiences with the production team centered on depressive symptoms she was experiencing while filming.
Despite Love is Blind‘s success (and the success of other Netflix series), viewers are already tired of pointing out red flags and hope that some change will come soon. To see if it happens, though, they will have to keep watching.
