Reality dating television has come a long way since the days of The Dating Game in the '60s and Love Connection in the '80s and '90s. The proliferation of the reality dating subgenre has taken television by storm over the past two decades, with such popular cable mainstays as The Bachelor, The Bachelorette, and most recently Love Island and the 90 Day Fiance series.
But the truth is that many popular dating shows often have poor ratings from critics and general audiences alike. The highest-rated dating shows tend to focus on a niche subject or leave viewers wanting more by having just a single season or two.
Love In The Wild (2011) 6.7
Two decades after she hosted the popular MTV dating show Singled Out, Jenny McCarthy emceed the short-lived Love in the Wild from 2011 to 2012. The show essentially fuses the concept of Survivor with The Bachelor.
Ten men and women are chosen and paired off into teams of five. Set in exotic locales, including Hawaii and Costa Rica, the couples undergo a series of challenges. The winning couple is awarded a luxury hotel room in which they get to further know each other and see if they're the right match.
Baggage (2010) 6.7
Hosted by Jerry Springer, Baggage is a reality dating game show in which contestants air their dirty laundry in the hopes that their potential suitor will overlook it and want to date them anyway.
Three potential suitors are presented on stage with the main contestant. Each suitor has three suitcases that hold increasingly embarrassing secrets about themselves. As the game advances, more baggage is exposed and the main contestant must decide if they can handle it.
The Single Wives (2018) 6.8
With eight episodes over a single season so far, The Single Wives is an Australian reality dating show in which three recently divorced women and one widow are coached by so-called dating expert, Matthew Hussey, on the intricacies of modern courtship.
As the four women open up about their love lives, Hussey uses psychology to guide them on a healing path that allows them to focus on more meaningful romances.
90 Day Fiance: The Other Way (2019) 6.8
Of the staggering 16 spinoff shows to date, the two highest-rated per IMDb include 90 Day Fiance: The Other Way and 90 Day Fiance: Before the 90 Days. The former flips the structure of the original series by following Americans who travel abroad in pursuit of true love.
With 44 episodes and counting, the drama once again revolves around the couples' three-month time frame to get married. The first season follows six couples, while the second season concerns four couples who marry abroad and move to a foreign country.
90 Day Fiance: Before The 90 Days (2017) 6.8
The second 90 Day Fiance spinoff includes Before the 90 Days, a reality dating drama in which couples make romantic relationships online before meeting in person.
Once the American half of the couple travels to their partner's native land abroad, the two must decide if they're a match made in heaven. If so, they can pursue their K-1 visa for legal marriage over the required 90 days. If not, they must break up and end the relationship.
The Pick-Up Artist (2007) 6.9
With 16 episodes produced over two seasons from 2007-2008, The Pick-Up Artist is an American reality dating show that aired on VHS.
Hosted by self-proclaimed pick-up artist called Mystery (Erik von Markovik), the show follows eight unlucky bachelors (nine in season 2) who are taught how to successfully approach women. Along with his wingmen J-Dog (Justin Marks) and James Matador, Mystery puts the contestants through a series of dating challenges meant to sharpen their game.
Coupled (2016) 7.1
Despite lasting just one season and 10 episodes, Coupled is the highest-rated island-set reality dating show to date, per IMDb. Hosted by Terrence Jenkins, the series traces 12 single women in the Caribbean who meet one new bachelor every day for six weeks, each of whom arrives by helicopter.
Upon landing, the women have the option to move (swipe) left and pursue one of the men by meeting them at the tiki bar, or move right and deny the men the time of day. Unlike most dating shows, contestants are allowed to use their cell phones to communicate with each other.
First Dates (2013) 7.2
One of the longest-running reality dating shows on the list, First Dates just wrapped its 16th season and 148th episode. The British series chronicles several blind dates that take place inside a restaurant.
After the blind date is completed, the couples are jointly interviewed and must decide if they want to pursue the relationship further or call it quits right there. The 2017 spinoff series First Dates Hotel, set in a luxury hotel restaurant, barely missed the cut with a 6.7/10 IMDb score.
Hell Date (2007) 7.4
With 126 episodes aired on BET from 2007-2008, Hell Date is a prank-based reality dating show in which selected suitors are encouraged to make their partner's date the worst romantic experience of their life.
Presented like a typical blind date show, the dates inevitably take a turn for the nightmarish worst as hired actors are paid to make their unsuspecting partner's night a living hell. The fun of the show comes from one contestant being oblivious to the ruse.
Love On The Spectrum (2019) 8.5
By far the highest-rated reality dating TV series to date, according to IMDb, is Love on the Spectrum. The five-part Australian docuseries tracks the romantic exploits of young suitors on the autism spectrum and how they deal with their respective love lives.
The show, which has been renewed for a second season, has been praised for its compassion, warmth, positivity, and refreshing departure from most of the dating show formulas. Rather than reveling in the salacious, the show offers an empathetic look into the lives of people who've been marginalized by society.