I know, it isn’t exactly the most popular opinion. I’ve watched The Bachelor since I was way too young to be watching The Bachelor, and you’ll never catch me outright bashing it… but I’ve also been watching Are You the One? since it first aired when I was thirteen. The show is definitely on the rise, but if you haven’t heard of it, here’s a quick synopsis.
Eleven young and attractive men and eleven young and attractive women are shoved into a huge house together in some tropical location. The house itself has community-style bedrooms which are a perfect excuse for the contestants to relive their college years for ten weeks. Whatever you’re thinking of what would go down in a house with a bunch of twenty-something year-olds on what’s basically a glorified vacation with nothing to do, is exactly what goes down in that house. Before coming on the show, the contestants have undergone an extensive matchmaking process, and somewhere in the group of people is who the team of experts would call their “perfect match”. The catch is that they have no idea who it is and must figure out who it is within the ten weeks of the show. They party, fight each other, get heartbroken, and fall in love… here is why watching them do it is so much more entertaining than The Bachelor.
It’s Much More Realistic
Yes, there are couples from The Bachelor that are still together. It may work to some extent, but how can we expect dozens of women to all be ready to marry the same guy within a timespan of less than two months? On Are You the One?, contestants have their pick of eleven eligible bachelors or bachelorettes to go for. And more than that, they are conveniently just old enough to drink but just too young to marry (although 23 year-old Demi from this season of The Bachelor would disagree). After ten weeks, many of the contestants say that they are in love, but they’re under no obligation to make a serious commitment. Despite this fact, the matchmaking process actually works. Many “perfect matches” go on to date outside of the show, and I know at least three that I still follow on Instagram who are married and either have children or are expecting.
They Can Win 1 Million Dollars
In my opinion, one of the best parts of the show. The Bachelor contestants may get fame from their time on TV, but if all cast members on Are You the One? find their “perfect match”, they split one million dollars. So if you don’t find love, at least you get money.
Are You the One? is Currently Casting Sexually Fluid People
Again… one man and dozens of women? It’s 2019. According to the Are You the One? casting site, they are currently looking for sexually fluid individuals to apply for next season. Not only does this make sense, but it increases representation on one of MTV’s most popular reality shows.
It’s Generally More Entertaining
It’s MTV, not ABC. Instead of the passive aggressive comments about Tracy’s age or Cassie not being ready for marriage, the contestants on Are You the One? are outright catty and petty. If they have a problem with someone in the house, they will be upfront about it and probably try and fight them. It makes for much better TV and a much more realistic representation of how the people are actually feeling, compared to The Bachelor girls who keep their fake sweet smiles plastered onto their faces while confronting the girl who just told Colton that they were the “cancer of the house”.