EXCLUSIVE: Julia Rae, who starred on ABC’s The Bachelor: Listen to Your Heart, and country music star Russell Dickerson are hosting a new dating reality series set in the world of golf.
The pair will front Score Love, which is produced by Jack Sussman, who was previously EVP of Specials, Music, and Live Events for CBS.
The series will see Rae and Dickerson, who is behind hits including Blue Tacoma and Yours, play cupid for fellow single golfers. Contestants are swinging, chipping, and putting their way to love one hole at a time, with challenges along the way with one final couple being crowned the Score Love champions and walking away with a cash prize. Ben Soffer, CEO of drinks brand Spritz Society, appears as Cart Boy, delivering drinks.
Created by Rae, the series has started production on a pilot episode in Dallas, Texas. It’s not yet clear whether the show will launch on YouTube, which has become the destination for new entertainment formats such as Alex Cooper’s Unwell Winter Games, or elsewhere.
Rae met her husband on the first tee when they were randomly paired together during a round four years ago and now encourages her single friends to play golf.
Sussman, who left CBS in 2024 after 25 years and produces the Tonys and Kennedy Center Honors, is producing alongside Marissa Mackel, who previously worked at Ventureland. Partners include Good Good Golf, The PGA of America, Omni Hotels & Resorts, and Spritz Society.
It is part of Rae’s media company, also called Score Love, which is backed by Jesse Draper’s early-stage venture capital fund Halogen Ventures. Rae is also launching the Score Love Tour across seven cities in the U.S.
“Nothing intensifies first tee nerves quite like a first date, and golf’s pace allows space for sparks to fly. I built this show around that kind of raw magic; hand someone a driver and watch them fall in love or land in the rough,” said Rae. “It’s been so exciting to see my vision come to life with partners like Good Good and a dream co-host in Russell.”
“This show is thoughtfully crafted and perfectly spontaneous all at the same time,” added Dickerson. “It was so fun to bring a little bit of the RD party to the show and the golf course. Julia is an absolute star, and it was awesome feeding off her energy.”
