Sayak Basu
Among the many different varieties of tv shows which have existed since the format came into being, reality shows have always been one of the most popular genres to watch. From game shows to shows based on certain situations (like ‘Big Brother‘), to shows which follow the lives of celebrities from close quarters- we have seen several types of reality shows in all these years, with each of them having a steady audience base. ‘Paradise Hotel‘ is one reality show which has seen numerous versions throughout the world. The concept of the series is similar to many such reality programs that involve a romantic or sexual angle. Here, six single men and six single women are sent to a holiday resort to live together. Each week, two people need to become partners and share a room together. At the end of the week, one contestant is voted out by the others and is replaced by an audience sitting at home who can apply to the show by calling a toll free number. A total of three seasons of the series have been produced from 2003 to 2019.
The dynamics between the couples and in the overall ensemble is the most entertaining part of the series. Yes, they are made to play several games throughout the week, but nothing gets more interesting than their interpersonal relationships, and that is what gets us hooked to shows like ‘Paradise Hotel’ in the first place. And it won’t be a folly to say that most of these “relationships” are made up and are well-scripted to appear realistic, while they’re not in most of the cases. If you have enjoyed watching ‘Paradise Hotel’ and want to check out similar shows, here are certain titles you could choose from. You can watch many of these shows like ‘Paradise Hotel’ on Netflix, Hulu or Amazon Prime.
7. Temptation Island (2001-2003; 2019-)
When romantic relationships are involved in reality shows, they immediately gather a strong buzz among audiences who like seeing the drama which happens between the participants of the show. If you are someone who enjoys watching such scenarios on television, ‘Temptation Island’ is a series that comes highly recommended. In this show, couples are made to come to terms with the question of whether they want to stay with each other for the rest of their lives. In the show, a number of couples are made to stay in one place along with some singles. How loyal the people who are in a relationship are with each other becomes the main highlight of the series. ‘Temptation Island’s concept is borrowed from the Dutch TV series ‘Blind Vertrouwen’ (translated as ‘Blind Faith’). There are a number of versions of this show all over the world. It must be mentioned here that such shows might get monotonous for people who are not used to watching others in almost the same scenario across multiple episodes.
Read More: TV Shows Like Grand Hotel
6. Forever Eden (2004)
The reason ‘Forever Eden’ finds itself on this list is because of the fact that it has a strong resemblance with ‘Paradise Hotel’ and the shows also share the same producers. In a similar fashion to ‘Paradise Hotel’, this series too involves people who are single staying together at a luxury resort. The exit process of a candidate from the show is quite similar to what we get to see on ‘Paradise Hotel’. However, there is one quite interesting twist which sets ‘Forever Eden’ apart from the former show. Here, if one contestant is not removed, he/she can stay back in the resort for an unlimited number of days. Sadly enough, only one season of this show has been produced, and even when the series premiered, it was canceled mid-season. Notably, the show also released in Korea and found massive popularity there.
5. Married By America (2003)
This is one show which ends up choosing your life partner, but of course, there is no such condition under which the participants have to get married if they end up winning the show. ‘Married By America’ works within a very interesting format. Four contestants, two men, and two women take the help of relationship experts to choose five potential partners for each one of them. Through various challenges and games, we ultimately come to a conclusion as to which is the perfect match. Not only the participants in question, but also the members of their families get involved in looking for the perfect match for them. However, the entire thing proceeds through a process of voting by the television audiences, and the result of the vote is the final verdict to determine how the show proceeds. When the show first aired, complaints were raised, saying that it makes a mockery of marriage itself. Be that as it may, ‘Married By America’ is a series for a specific type of audience who did enjoy the show when it came out.
Read More: TV Shows Like America’s Got Talent
4. Bachelor In Paradise (2014-)
‘Bachelor In Paradise’ is a spinoff of the shows ‘The Bachelor’ and ‘The Bachelorette’. Participants who have already appeared in the former shows and were rejected there get a chance to be featured in ‘Bachelor In Paradise’. The concept of the series is that six men and eight women are taken to an exotic location where the men are given a rose each to give to the women they’d love to get close to. The two women who remain without roses are asked to leave. Once the initial couples are formed, these participants are just allowed to interact with each other, and new and interesting dynamics start forming as the show progresses. Every week, this process of giving the rose is repeated, with two new men appearing on the scene. As the complexities of relationships between the participants increase, so does the entertainment quotient of the series.
Read More: TV Shows Like The Bachelorette
3. Beauty And The Geek (2005-2008)
An interesting take on relationship-based shows, ‘Beauty And The Geek’, as the name suggests, pairs a group of physically attractive women with a group of intellectually superior men who might not be very adept when it comes to social skills. And each of these pairs has to stay together during the show, while participating in various challenges along the way. Naturally, the men are given challenges where they have to use their social skills, while the women are given challenges where the application of one’s intellect is primary. The objective of the series is to put a person in a situation where he/she is not that comfortable in, and to witness how said person pulls through. The show sounds quite problematic in this day and age, but in the last decade, rampant generalizations were still the order of the day.
2. Love Island (2015-)
One thing that is quite noticeable while talking about all such reality shows is that they basically work with the same format. Yes, there are some slight changes in how the game progresses, but overall, there is not much of a difference. Take the TV show ‘Love Island’ for example. This is a British series where a certain number of men and women are taken to an island in Mallorca, Spain, where they have to form couples to try and compete for a fifty thousand pounds cash prize. As the show progresses, the participants can wish to either stay in the same pairing or even change according to what they see fit. Both participants’ opinions and the audience votes determine who gets eliminated every week. Quite interesting, huh?
Read More: TV Shows Like The I-Land
1. Are You The One? (2014-)
Another dating app with a modern twist, ‘Are You The One?‘ is a series that tries to find partners for their participants. As cliche as it may sound, the way this matchmaking is done is via an algorithm that takes into consideration a number of factors like the interviews of the participants, their compatibility tests, the answers they give in questionnaires, and so on. While this data is kept secret, the participants have to interact with each other to figure out who among them are paired together. If each and every guess is right, the entire ensemble of participants wins a whopping $1 million. Each season of this series is shot in a different location while the format almost remains the same. So, are you the one?
