When did reality TV shows stop being, well, real? Critics of the genre will argue that they never were, and they might have a point. No one believes the cast of Made in Chelsea just so happen to bump into each other on the King’s Road every other day. But think back to Big Brother, or even the early series of Love Island, and you’ll find a lot more reality. Members of the public, unused to cameras and far less bothered by the opportunities that could come from these shows, let their guards down and created great TV in the process. If they returned to other reality shows, it was with a filter in place and any innocence gone. The dreaded self-awareness had set in. These contestants are now Reality TV Stars, here to play the Reality TV Game.
Never has this problem been so glaringly obvious than in Netflix’s latest dating show, Perfect Match. Here, a cast of former contestants from other shows on the streamer – ranging from Too Hot to Handle and Love is Blind to The Mole and Sexy Beasts – are encouraged to find their “perfect match” among other Netflix alumni. The most compatible couples are given the power to play God with their housemates, breaking couples up and bringing new Netflix stars into the mix. It could be a fun format, if the contestants were making their reality TV debuts, but their experience makes the whole thing feel contrived and staged.
