Are You The One? is back for season 8 on MTV, now with a cast of all sexually fluid singles and the addition of a relationship expert Dr.Frankie. Since 2014, this show has been an MTV staple and has been around for seven seasons where (straight) singles attempt to match up with their perfect matches.
The “perfect matches” were set up by producers beforehand via matchmakers with a compatibility algorithm based off questionnaires, interviews, and tests. Over the course of each season of Are You The One?, contestants have the opportunity to pair up in different combinations to compete against each other to win dates. There is also the “truth booth,” where they have the chance to find out if the paired couple is a correct match. At the end of each episode, there is a “matching ceremony” where they learn which couples are correct without any further information about how many perfect matches they have already paired, but not which ones are correct. In the end, the couples who have successfully found their “perfect match” through trying out different combinations will split the $1 million prize.
Are You The One? Season 8 is making dating show history as the first reality TV dating competition show in the United States with an all sexually fluid cast. These sixteen contestants from all over the country have three things in common - they all are looking for love, all vying for a slice of the million dollar prize, and are not bound by gender limitations. MTV has made it clear that they’re proud of the direction Are You the One? is going by calling itself “a trailblazer in breaking down gender barriers.” However, even though this is a new direction for the American audience, the UK has already created their own dating show with an all sexually fluid cast called The Bi Life that aired just last year.
Not only is this season changing up the status-quo by removing gender boundaries, MTV has also added the addition of Dr. Frankie, a relationship expert who will be working with the singles to help them understand why they are single. She will help the contestants understand what is stopping them from finding love and being aware of toxic relationship patterns in order to find the perfect match. Not only is this show going to be groundbreaking for the LGBTQ community, it is also going to be rich in relationship advice for viewers.
However, as overwhelmingly positive these changes are, there have been a few viewers who have already posed the question: why would MTV decide to introduce a relationship expert simultaneously with a cast of all gender fluid contestants? Some viewers are wondering if this might suggest to audiences that sexually fluid people need more professional help in dating while the cast of all-straight members didn’t. Regardless of the way the fans take it, season 8 of Are You the One? will definitely be an American television first that viewers won’t want to miss. It is going to be a show full of surprises and drama, and the tagline of the show, “The one could be anyone,” says it all.
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The season premiere of Are You the One? airs Wednesday, June 26 at 9pm EST on MTV.
Source: MTV
