I am a reality TV connoisseur. I watch any and all of the genre and am endlessly fascinated with people that choose to show their entire lives to viewers across the world. And of the reality TV umbrella, I like dating shows the best. While some reality dating show fans may have preferred Love Island, I think Netflix’s Perfect Match is the best show of the summer.
Perfect Match is like the Super Bowl of reality dating shows. With cast members from shows like Love Is Blind, The Ultimatum: Marry or Move On, Dated and Related, and even The Bachelor, it is set in Tulum, Mexico with the goal of finding one’s perfect match.
The first two seasons were enjoyable, but didn’t hook me right away. The connections didn’t feel real! But in its third season, which premiered on August 1, Perfect Match has finally found its footing.
© NetflixWho is in the cast?
Hosted by the 98 Degrees member turned reality show star Nick Lachey, this season features a killer cast. The best known contestant is probably Clayton Echard from the 26th season of The Bachelor, when he memorably broke up with two women at one time. His ex-girlfriend from that season, Rachel Recchia, is on the show as well.
Amber “AD” Smith from Love Is Blind‘s sixth season finds a connection with another Love Is Blind alum, Ollie Sutherland. Fans of The Ultimatum may remember J.R. Warren and Sandy Gallagher from its third season.
© NetflixAside from those standouts, Perfect Match features Jalen Olomu-Brown and Lucy Syed from Too Hot to Handle, Scott Van-der-Sluis from Love Island UK, Alex Zamora from Temptation Island, and Juliette Porter from Siesta Key.
What’s the plot?
Perfect Match is pretty simple. A group of reality TV stars head to a tropical villa to find love and form compatible couples. By winning challenges, couples gain the power to break up other couples and introduce new singles to the villa.
At the end, all couples and singles vote for who they think is the perfect match. Unlike other reality shows that offer contestants cold hard cash, on Perfect Match the couple that wins gets a paid vacation to wherever their heart desires.
© NetflixDoes Perfect Match really work?
Look, reality TV is at the end of the day still television. And some dating shows are more successful than others. A 2024 study by Currys found that the most successful dating show is Love is Blind, with nine couples out of 28 still together.
If we were to analyze Perfect Match based on its ability to create long lasting and compatible couples, it would look like a failure. None of the couples from the first two seasons of the show are still together. But what it does do is give the viewers what they’re looking for – fun, passion, and a lot of drama.
© NetflixThe next batch of episodes from Perfect Match‘s third season air on Friday, August 8.
