It won’t be long before the first flowers sprout and with them the spring fever of many people. By Valentine’s Day on February 14th, love is in the air. This is also noticeable in the TV program and the streaming providers. At the start of spring, these provide numerous dating formats. This is what the love-thirsty audience can expect at the beginning of the year.
TV chef Roland Trettl (51) can be seen every day on VOX in “First Dates – A Table for Two” in the evening program. At the beginning of the year, viewers can look forward to two prime-time offshoots of the dating format.
Since January 16, “First Dates – Promi-Special” has been broadcast on the streaming service RTL, and the two episodes were broadcast as a double episode on January 30 at 8:15 p.m. on VOX. For the first time, nine celebrities dared to go on blind dates with singles who are not part of public life. Among the participants were “DSDS” winner Prince Damien (32) and actress Radost Bokel (47).
The fourth season of “First Dates Hotel” starts on February 6th. For the first time, the singles should fall in love there this year on Mallorca. The difference to “First Dates – A table for two”: The participants not only have dinner as a chance for love, they instead enjoy a whole flirting holiday. Holidaymakers looking for love can get to know each other on a blind date and other activities. If things don’t get along with the person opposite, there are enough other single all-inclusive bookers staying in the hotel.
Falling in love where others vacation? Another VOX dating show, which will premiere on Valentine’s Day, is based on this concept. In “Herz on board – freshly in love on the high seas” (from February 14 every Tuesday at 8:15 p.m. on VOX, also on RTL) four single women are looking for great love – on board a cruise ship on the Mediterranean. Wayne Carpendale (45) not only leads through the show as a moderator, but sees himself as “a mixture of ship steward, bosom friend, travel guide and lively Tinder app.”
On board the cruise ship AIDAcosma, the four women each meet five male candidates and sound them out on dates on land and on the ship. The Mediterranean trip starts in Barcelona. From there it goes to Palma, where they have their first dates. The ship then heads for the ports of La Spezia and Civitavecchia in Italy. Another date awaits women in Corsica. The big decision is due on the return to Barcelona.
Streaming provider Netflix has already celebrated success with some dating shows in recent years. Reason enough to follow up: The latest dating format is called “Perfect Match” and will be available on the platform from February 14th. The highlight of the new format: All participants are already known from other formats.
Loyal viewers of the Netflix reality formats will recognize faces from “Love Makes You Blind”, “Too Hot To Handle”, “The Circle” or “The Ultimatum”. Attendees include current season’s Bartise Bowden, Too Hot To Handle’s Francesca Farago and The Circle winner Joey Sasso. A similar “dating show all-star” concept is known from the German TV landscape from shows like “Bachelor in Paradise” or “Are You The One – Realitystars in Love”.
This is how “Perfect Match” works: Especially “compatible couples” gain an advantage. They’re allowed to break up other couples and then play matchmaker to send them “on dates with brand new singles who invite them over to the mansion.” The question that inevitably arises: will they make better couples, or cause chaos? The new show will be released in three blocks of four episodes on February 14th, 21st and 28th.
Fans of the US format “Finger Weg” can also look forward to a German version of the Netflix hit. “Too Hot starts on February 28th with the streaming service. The principle of the show remains the same as in the American predecessor: ten young, attractive singles board a tropical resort together. Couples are supposed to form there. But while in other common formats there is touching and sexual acts are more desirable, they are strictly forbidden here.
At the end of the season, participants can win a jackpot of 200,000 euros. But the prize money only stays if women and men keep their hands off each other. If there are amorous contacts between the candidates, money will be deducted. In the original, a French kiss costs $3,000, and sexual intercourse even costs $20,000. The aim of these measures is to drill the singles into building a deeper relationship with one another. In the course of the season there are also corresponding workshops.
Not only new formats come up in time for the day of love. As part of the “Sat.1 Kult-Show-Wochen”, the private broadcaster is bringing back a cult show. The dating show “Herzblatt” will be on February 13th, one day before Valentine’s Day, under the name “Dating Game – Who should be your sweetheart?” celebrate his return for one evening. Jörg Pilawa (57) will moderate as before.
In other respects, too, little seems to change in principle. According to a press release from the broadcaster, Pilawa will receive four singles who will ask their flirt questions to three candidates each. After a summary by Susi’s well-known voice, it should then be like before: “And here is your sweetheart!”
Reality TV fans know: The beginning of the year not only heralds the jungle camp on RTL, but also always a new season of “The Bachelor”. This year, however, a new season is longer in coming than usual. At the end of January, the broadcaster then announced: From March 1, David Jackson will be the 13th bachelor to distribute roses. The new “Bachelor” is 32 years old, 1.86 meters tall and was born and raised in Stuttgart, as he reveals in an introduction clip on Instagram. Professionally, the trained insurance salesman is a content creator and model.
