“Perfect Match” may just be the perfect dating show. In Netflix’s latest reality series, which dropped its first four episodes on Valentine’s Day, singles from “Twentysomethings,” “The Circle,” “Too Hot to Handle,” “Love Is Blind,” “The Mole,” “Selling Tampa,” “Sexy Beasts” and “The Ultimatum” search for The One in a tropical paradise. (Full cast list here!)
From the start, many cast members realize there are exes from their past there and host Nick Lachey kicks it off with the format reveal. To stay in the house, you must have a match. At the daily competition, the winning couple gets all the power — they choose two new singles to bring into the house and pick who those newcomers get to go on a date with. At the end of the night, those who aren’t in a match are sent home.
Created by Kinetic CEO Chris Coelen, “Perfect Match” is a combination of a dating show and some friendly (and very flirty) competition. Since the cast never knows who could be arriving next, many also could be doing everything in their power to match up, only for the chance to date someone else.
Following the first four episodes, Coelen answers every burning question about the series.
Let’s start out easy. When did this film and for how long?
It was in March of last year. With Netflix, you have to give a little extra lead time. I was down there for most of the entirety of the shoot. It was around six to eight weeks.
When someone would leave the house, where would they go and would they be with other eliminated contestants?
They were sequestered separately. So they were in different places. I think they were in different hotels, and they weren’t supposed to be fraternizing with one another. Many of them were unaware of who might or might not have been up for consideration. The idea was that when the pair would go into the boardroom, they would discuss who their options were. Generally that was the case. But one of the inspiration points for this show is the fact that so many people actually know, or certainly know of, one another. They’ve communicated in person or on social media. There’s this community developed, which is really interesting to tap into. These are people who have some familiarity with what everybody is up to.
How did you decide who would start in the house versus who came in later?
It is certainly not exact science by any stretch. I think we picked the group that we thought was lively and interesting. We kind of rolled the dice and then everyone else was sort of up for grabs. We don’t control the narrative or the storyline so when we would put people up on the board, whoever the winners are picked. It wasn’t like we could know or steer which people would come in or get chosen or match.
Do you want to do more seasons in the future?
Yes, that’s the intention!
Will you do a reunion or some sort of after-show?
I don’t know if we’re going to add a reunion on top of the ending. There are not plans at this point. That might change in future iterations.
So you’ve worked with people from Bachelor Nation before, like Ashley Iaconetti and Jared Haibon. How do you feel about the comparisons to “Bachelor in Paradise”?
Anytime you do a relationship show, this one’s compared to that one. It’s fine to make this comparisons. The thing that differentiates this show is that the participants are really in control. So first of all, it’s a competition, so it’s dating plus competing. That’s different from something like “Bachelor in Paradise.” The idea of new people coming in is not a new idea, right? It’s been done. It was done on “Paradise Hotel,” “Bachelor in Paradise,” “Love Island.” There’s lots of shows that do that. What’s different about this show and what I think is really exciting, in addition to the competition aspect, is that the participants have the control, as opposed to the producer, just being like, ‘Oh, my God, so-and-so shows up!’ No, they get to win. Whoever is the most compatible couple based on the challenge get to control the destiny of the house in many ways. And how they choose to use that control is really fascinating — in the context of their relationships, other people’s relationships and in the context of the game. Is it more about the game? Is it more about the relationships? That was really exciting for the participants that came to the show and it was really exciting for us. Are they trying to stick around because they’re trying to win? Are they trying to stick around waiting for different options? Are they trying to stick around because they’re really in love? When people talk about shows where you don’t really understand or know what the motivations of people are, this falls into that category.
This show is a bit more risqué than those you’ve done in the past. You’ve worked a ton with Netflix before, but was there a different freedom here?
It’s a very different tone of show. The objective of the participants is very different. This is really an opportunity for the participants to just really go and have a good time and have a fun, hot summer. That to me is what it’s about. Even though it’s about finding your perfect match, the intention of the show is not like “Married at First Sight,” where they’re looking to get married to somebody. It might happen, but they don’t come here saying, “The goal of this for me is to, like ‘Love Is Blind,’ find someone I want to spend the rest of my life with who loves me for who I am.” The goal is not like “The Ultimatum.”
Nick Uhlenhuth, Francesca Farago, Ines Tazi and Shayne Jansen in “Perfect Match.”
One of the most shocking moments was a comment made by Francesca Farago about oral sex and menstruation. I was shocked it stayed in. Did you guys discuss cutting that or any other moments that made it?
The thing that is true across all of our shows is that we really do try to be true to who the people are. Sometimes people take it to a place where it becomes, like, we get it. You want to show the essence of who someone is and that comment is reflective of who Francesca is. I’m thrilled to have her as part of the show. She is a provocateur. Sometimes Francesca likes to be mischievous. Sometimes she relishes the shock value of certain things. It’s kind of who Francesca is and so that comment sort of fits right in that.
I want to shift to talk about Nick Lachey as the solo host this time around. Why not continue with him and Vanessa Lachey, as they host “Love Is Blind” and “The Ultimatum” together?
The tone of the show is very different. “The Ultimatum” and “Love Is Blind” are really shows about finding a forever person. This is about finding your perfect match, in the context of what that means. That might mean you get married. That might mean you want to have a fling. From that standpoint, having a dual team approach didn’t completely land in the same way it does in “Love Is Blind” or “The Ultimatum.” I certainly would have Vanessa on anything. Vanessa’s been amazing, but the creators felt like this feels like it should be a single host. In future seasons, you never know where Vanessa might pop in. You never know!
This interview has been edited and condensed.
The first four episodes of “Perfect Match” are streaming on Netflix. The second four will be released Feb. 21 and the last four drop on Feb. 28.
