Durham native will try to find love on new dating series. Here’s how to watch.
Hulu’s new “Back In The Groove” series will offer a different take on reality dating competition shows — and a North Carolina native is one of the contestants.
The streaming series, which premieres Dec. 5, follows three single women in their 40s as they “rediscover their youth, live joyously, and hopefully find love” with men who are half their age.
“Whether they find the perfect fling, friendship, true love, or something in between, this is their chance to take charge and break through the double standards older women face every day,” Hulu’s description of the show reads. “And they’re going to have a lot of fun doing it!”
One of the show’s contestants is Quentin Lloyd, a 29-year-old who grew up in Durham and played football at Winston-Salem State University before moving to Atlanta, where he lives now and works as a police officer.
Before the series premiere, The News & Observer spoke with Lloyd about the show and his experience on it.
‘Always wanted to be on TV’
The show is a natural fit for Lloyd in two ways, he told The N&O: He’s “always wanted to be on TV,” and he likes older women.
Though he studied biology and criminal justice at WSSU and now works as a police officer in an Atlanta school, Lloyd said he’s always been drawn to cameras and television.
When a friend sent him an Instagram post advertising a casting call for “Back In The Groove,” he decided to take a chance and apply.
“I did what I had to do and did a couple interviews, and they decided they wanted to choose me to be on the show,” Lloyd told The N&O.
The show was filmed at “The Groove Hotel,” which Hulu describes as “a magical resort on the beautiful island of the Dominican Republic.”
Actor Taye Diggs — “who knows a thing or two about getting into the groove,” per Hulu — serves as the show’s host. Among his other notable roles, Diggs starred as the younger love interest in the 1998 film “How Stella Got Her Groove Back” opposite Angela Bassett.
Lloyd said he didn’t interact a lot with Diggs, but noted he’s “the same guy you see on TV” and has a “very, very nice smile.”
Lloyd is one of 24 men who competed on the show, vying for the attention and affection of the show’s three main women: Sparkle, 43; Steph, 41; and Brooke, 42. Similar to other reality dating shows, Lloyd said, there are eliminations throughout the series as the women narrow down their choices of men.
Lloyd said one of the most challenging parts of being on the show was “the ratio of guys to women,” which forced him out of his normal “laid back and reserved” personality in hopes of making an impression on the women.
“You have to get comfortable being uncomfortable,” Lloyd said. “That’s the best phrase I can think of.”
While Lloyd couldn’t reveal his fate on the show, he said he had “a great experience.”
“I wouldn’t trade it for the world,” he said.
Being on the show also reinforced Lloyd’s desire to be on television — a dream he’s now pursuing by taking acting classes in Atlanta, while still working his day job as a police officer. He’s also represented by a commercial talent agent, he said.
“Just doing that show has shown me that that’s the lifestyle that I actually want to be in,” he said. “Not just reality TV, but actually the film industry.”
How to watch ‘Back In The Groove’
“Back In The Groove” is a four-night event on streaming service Hulu. The first two episodes premiere Monday, Dec. 5, with two new episodes becoming available each day through Thursday, Dec. 8.
To watch the show, you’ll need a subscription to Hulu. You can learn more about subscribing to Hulu and the plans offered at hulu.com.
The episodes will be available on the Hulu app and online at hulu.com/series/back-in-the-groove.
