Is Age Really Just a Number? All About Netflix’s New Show: ‘Age of Attraction’

Warning: This contains spoilers for Netflix’s Age of Attraction. 

Is age really just a number? That is the central question of Netflix’s new show: Age of Attraction. In this show, 40 singles leave their normal everyday lives to go to a retreat, hoping to meet someone who they can build a strong and lasting connection with. Like most dating shows, the singles go on speed dates, filtering through people until they find the person they click with the most. But there is a catch: no one is allowed to say their age. The purpose of this show is to prove that age is just a number and that people with large age differences can find love. Within this experiment, the youngest person is 22 and the oldest 60. While many couples partnered up in the Promise Room, only six couples were focused on by the producers. These six couples all had age gaps that ranged from 15 to 33 years.  

Here is the couples and their statuses As Of the reunion: 

Not together: Leah (41) and Chris (26) – age difference of 15 years

Together: Libby (22) and Andrew (38) – age difference of 16 years

Not together: Pfeifer (23) and Derrick (43) – age difference of 20 years  

Engaged: Vanessa (49) and Logan (29) – age difference of 20 years

Not together: Theresa (54) and John (27)  – age difference of 27 years 

Not together: Vanella (27) and Jorge (60) – age difference of 33 years. 

Since there is so much that can be said about this show, I am going to write about my personal thoughts and feelings on it and the big question: Is age really just a number?

I feel as though this show was unnecessarily long. There were eight episodes that were nearly an hour each, plus a three-hour-long reunion that was posted on the host’s podcast: The Vaill Files. While most of the Netflix episodes were entertaining, not a lot happened. Plus, the reunion did not need to be three hours at all. Regardless, within this over 10-hour experience, I feel like I learned that age is more than a number – it’s life experience and maturity as well. Out of the six couples that survived the initial portion of the show, only two remained together by the filming of the reunion. The rest broke up for various reasons, but the incompatibility due to age was clear. 

For most of the show, Theresa and John seemed solid despite their 27 year age gap and the fact that Theresa’s oldest son was two years older than John. They were the first couple to commit to one another and seemed the most in love. Even though this was the case, Theresa seemed to be very self-conscious of their age gap, particularly of her age in relation to his. This resulted in her not wanting to share their age-gap to their families once they all met, plus needing reassurance from John that people won’t think she is his mom. While they seemed to be working through it during the show, it led to their downfall once the season stopped filming. What I took from this specific couple is that while two people can be compatible personality wise, when there is insecurity, particularly about age, that there isn’t much one can do to fix that.  

Another couple I want to highlight is Jorge and Vanelle. These two had the largest age gap of 33 years and broke up before the season was even over. They broke up for multiple reasons, namely because Jorge seemed iffy about Vanelle’s wishes to be celibate and an interaction with a stranger in a sidewalk harassing the two. Vanelle became uncomfortable with Jorge’s reaction to the stranger, causing her to realize they have too big of an age difference and life experience for their partnership to work. 

Libby and Andrew are a couple that most didn’t think would make it, particularly because Libby is 22 and Andrew is 38 with two daughters (with the oldest being only eight years younger than Libby). Surprisingly, these two have lasted to the reunion and after, proving that sometimes large age gaps can exist. I think that, though, these two work because Libby is insanely mature for her age, and Andrew is also notorious for dating younger women (as said by his friends when they met Libby). I think that these two are a good pairing, but an exception to the overall theme of the show: age is more than just a number. 

After watching this show and seeing all of these couples with unconventional age differences, I think age is more than a number – it’s a way of life. While some couples seem to be going strong despite their large age gaps, the majority of the couples just weren’t compatible enough. Of course, it is very situationally dependent, but if Age of Attraction taught me anything, it’s that age and love don’t always match.

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• entertainment
• love
• Netflix
• popculture
• reality dating show