8 Dating Shows Like ‘The Bachelor’ to Satisfy Your Reality TV Craving
From The Bachelorette to Bachelor in Paradise, we’re starting to realize how much we rely on The Bachelor franchise for entertainment. So, we compiled a list of dating shows that will satisfy your love-hate relationship with cringey TV.
From Love Island to Dating Naked, keep reading for eight dating shows like The Bachelor.
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1. Love Island
Colin Young-Wolff/CBS Entertainment
The lucky islanders pack their bags and travel to a villa, where they’re coupled up in the hope of winning the grand prize. Think Bachelor in Paradise…but with a catch, since the winners are forced to choose between love and money.
It’s important to point out that there are both U.S. and U.K. versions of the show. We’ll deny ever saying this, but the American franchise isn’t nearly as binge-worthy as the British one. You’ve been warned.
2. Temptation Island
Mario Perez/USA Network
This one’s just like Love Island, but instead of single contestants, it features couples who are tasked with trying out the “single life.” They’re secluded in separate houses and introduced to sexy “tempters,” whose sole purpose is to test their relationship. (You know, kind of like The Bachelor producers, who are known for stirring up drama behind the scenes.)
3. Blind Date
Marcus Ingram/Bravo
You know the awkward limo arrivals that occur on night one of The Bachelor? Well, this show is basically that experience over and over and over again, following men and women going on dates with people they’ve never met.
4. Dating Naked
Yes, it’s a real show. And no, it’s not R-rated (because that would be really weird). The concept is pretty self-explanatory, single contestants embark on a series of dates wearing, you guessed it, no clothes. Hey, it eliminates the hassle of picking out an outfit, which is typically required by Bachelor contestants.
5. Love Is Blind
Courtesy of Netflix
What would happen if Bachelor in Paradise contestants wore blindfolds? Introducing Love Is Blind, the TV show where couples fall in love without ever seeing the other person. The conversations are confined to “solo pods,” which allow them to talk to their potential mates with zero physical contact. But that’s only the beginning. This show is a rollercoaster of emotions and cringe-worthy moments.
6. Married At First Sight
Courtesy of Lifetime
It’s exactly what you’d expect: Couples getting married at first sight. We know, it sounds crazy, but there’s something weirdly satisfying about strangers getting married that always keeps us coming back for more.
7. Dating Around
Courtesy of Netflix
One person goes on five blind dates before selecting one to invite on a second outing. It’s like a scaled down version of The Bachelor where you’re not expected to propose at the end. Phew!
8. UnReal
This is the only scripted series in the bunch, but it definitely deserves a mention. Unreal offers a behind-the-scenes glimpse at the production that goes into a TV show like The Bachelor. It follows the producers of a dating competition called Everlasting, who will stop at nothing to get the best content.
Co-created by former Bachelor producer Sarah Gertrude Shapiro, it provides an eye-opening juxtaposition that die-hard Bachelor viewers will surely appreciate.
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