By: Saya Alvares and Nadia Liu

Sports Editor and Public Relations Manager

Bringing together fan-favorites from Too Hot to Handle, Love is Blind, The Circle, and more, Netflix’s new dating show Perfect Match consists of love, competition, and of course, drama. The star-studded cast navigates compatibility challenges, tempting new arrivals, and brutal betrayals. 

The basic premise of the show is relatively simple: five men and five women, all stars of other Netflix reality shows, fill a gorgeous beachside villa set in Panama City, Panama. Each night, the singles pair off, creating the titular “perfect match” and go to sleep in one of the five rooms. Throughout the day, the matched-up pairs compete in challenges judging each couple’s compatibility, and whichever couple wins receives the opportunity to take a trip to the boardroom, as well as going on a romantic date. In the boardroom, the couple gets to choose new contestants to come to the house, choosing to either send the newcomer on a date with themselves or an existing member of the house. This pits members of the house against each other, which is when the conflict really starts. 

When it comes to casting, Perfect Match does not disappoint. One of the most appealing elements of the show is Netflix’s choice to bring multiple different people from past hit reality shows, leaving fans excited for a collision of worlds. This includes infamous celebs from Too Hot To Handle such as Francesca Farago, Chase DeMoor, Georgia Hassarati, Izzy Fairthorne, and Chloe Veitch. Love is Blind brought many members like Damian Powers, Bartise Bowen, Shayne Jansen, Diamond Jack, and Lauren “LC” Chamblin. The Circle similarly introduced a significant number of contestants to the show, but other shows such as Sexy Beasts and Selling Tampa gave us Anne-Sophie Petit-Frere, Kariselle Snow, and Colony Reeves. Nick Lachey hosts Perfect Match and pops up throughout the episodes to explain the boardroom or compatibility challenge rules. 

One of the compatibility challenges the contestants face is “Fact or Cap,” a challenge in which the contestants stand under buckets of water labeled “fact” and “cap.” The couples then take turns guessing if a statement host Nick Lachey reads out is true or false about their match Then, the couple pulls the rope on the bucket they choose. If they are correct, the bucket will be empty; if they are incorrect, their match is doused in water. Another challenge given to the couples is choosing whether a statement is cute or cringe, evaluating how the contestants perceive romance and intimacy in relationships. If the two people in a couple choose opposing answers, they face elimination. 

Perfect Match is by no means a deep nor an emotional show. However, it’s filled with an entertaining cast, emotional drama, laughter, and a rare deep revelation about love, making for an entertaining and enjoyable show.