The Ultimatum

Netflix

Since the dissolution of the pop group 98 Degrees in the early 2010s, singer Nick Lachey has been presenting a whole host of morally questionable dating shows. The Ultimatum features six couples, one of whom has issued an ultimatum. One half of the couple has proposed, with little success, and has now decided their partner must say 'I do’ or lose them forever.

The Ultimatum’s twisted solution involves splitting these couples up and having them enter a ‘sham marriage’ with another person in the experiment. The new couples live together for three weeks, before returning to their original partners. They must then decide whether they wish to marry or to break up forever.

A tightly knit group in which everyone dates each other’s recent exes will never be smooth sailing, however The Ultimatum has had its fair share of unreasonably tense moments, as participants regularly divulge quite smutty information about each other’s ex-partners. 

The Ultimatum guarantees that every single participant will cheat on their original partner, with one couple even arriving to the programme’s six-month reunion, seven months pregnant.

The second series, which is due later in 2023, boasts an entirely queer, mainly female presenting cast.

Five Dates a Week

All 4

Ever heard the saying ‘comparison is the thief of joy?’ Apparently no one has on Five Dates a Week, which offers one lucky singleton five potential matches to compare and contrast.

Each episode, one ‘picker’ will move into Cupid Cottage and be greeted by their live-in suitors. Each evening, one single is expelled from the house. The reason? It could be anything from a disliking of their hair to deeply unresolvable incompatibility issues. Eventually the ‘picker’ will have whittled the group down to one, and the happy couple will be left to explore their connection in the outside world.  

Formerly named Five Guys a Week, the programme has been updated in 2022 to include contestants of all genders and sexualities. This broadening of the inclusivity horizon also broadens the outcome of the show, as there is no guarantee that the five housemates will only be attracted to the ‘picker’. An episode in series one left the ‘picker’ jilted, as two contestants decided to exit Cupid Cottage as a pair.

Singletown

ITVX

Some couples journey to Singletown because they’ve been cheating on each other for seven years and need a change, others come because they’re 19 and don’t understand why their partner hasn’t put a ring on it.

Joel Dommett and Emily Atack find five troubled couples in these unresolvable situations and split them up to enjoy their single lives with the two of them as their celebrity “mentors”. The five troubled couples are separated into two apartments, just across the corridor from their exes. All will be sent on blind dates with other singles, with each flat being shown clips from the other's dates - an excruciating ordeal for their ex-partners.

The programme is punctuated by Dommett and Atack’s appetite for the ongoing drama and their attempts to draw some excitement out of a completely heartbroken girl on another unwished-for date.

The Bi Life 

Prime Video

The UK’s first ever bisexual dating show hosted by RuPaul’s Drag Race alumna and icon Courteney Act. Nine British bisexual singles fly out to Barcelona to gain dating experience and possibly find love.

They’re not dating each other, instead they will be meeting and going on dates with singles outside their circle. The rest of the house will be able to watch these dates on a screen. Some contestants have been in serious relationships, whilst others have never dated before.

The focus here is on supporting each other whilst they experience new things and, at times, discover their own sexualities. The lack of monetary prize or challenge involved means that conversations edge towards the wholesome and meaningful, often discussing real world issues such as the stigma and trivialisation surrounding bisexuality.

Married at First Sight

All 4

The relationship begins at the alter as hopeful singles marry a complete stranger. They are then fast tracked through a marriage experience, as they go on a honeymoon before moving in together for eight weeks.

There are weekly dinner parties with the other couples taking part in the experiment, and regular ‘commitment ceremonies’ which often devolve into a group therapy session with a lot of shouting. At these ceremonies, each couple is given the chance to stay in the experiment, or separate and leave. However, both of them must make the decision to leave, as if one wishes to stay, they will both remain in the experiment for at least another week.

The last seven series have seen memorable moments such as multiple affairs, annulment papers as a Christmas present, and a smoothie thrown in anger.

Honourable mention to Married at First Sight Australia, which many MAFS fans swear loyalty to as there is allegedly more drama, more shouting and more drink slinging.