Despite conflict early on in the show, Paige and Austin have become the first Love In The Jungle couple to go relationship official. The new relationship status marks a potential success within the first season of the wild new Discovery+ dating challenge. By episode five of the six-episode series, succumbing to primal romance seems to be working for the show's 14 singles, who would rather embrace their animal mating instincts than find love within the world of modern dating.
Upon entering the show, participants agree to forgo their human ways and embody an animal that represents their inner energy: ranging from Stephan the Bee to Lynsey the Tiger. Taking place in a beautiful Colombian private eco-reserve, the wild participants walk through the jungle to meet at their watering hole...where they cannot speak. The group learns to communicate using hand gestures, various musical instruments, and a series of grunts and yells. Without words, attraction comes down to their mating instincts and the Discovery+ show's challenges for proving primal dominance. At night, in a suspenseful ceremony, participants choose a mate to spend the night together in their den, a crucial moment for deepening relationships, as they are allowed to talk to one another. If a participant isn't chosen during mating selection, they are sent home.
As revealed in the most recent episode of Discovery+'s Love In The Jungle, Paige the starfish and Austin the koala are now relationship official. At the beginning of the series, the pair was not each other's first choices. Austin was head over heels for Stephanie, and Paige was on her own journey, pursuing a spark with Stephen. By episode two of the Discovery+ series, Paige admitted to Austin that she felt a strong attraction and curiosity toward him, but he emotionally admitted that he wasn't sure if he felt the same, as he believed Stephanie might be the one for him.
Despite the initial denial, Paige was confident that she could steal Austin from Stephanie. Paige selected Austin as her mate during the second episode's mating ceremony. Austin agreed, choosing Paige as his mate, shocking viewers when the popularly desired Stephanie was not chosen and instead sent home. Austin and Paige seemed to fall for each other that night, but the pair continued to play the field and see other people until their desire to be with one another was undeniable.
Whether the relationship will last beyond the confines of the tropical getaway is questionable. The participants of the Discovery+ reality TV show are isolated under conditions that are very different than day-to-day life, as they participate in mating rituals and communicate like animals. Unlike other dating shows that place couples in real-life scenarios, they have no idea if their lifestyles beyond Love In The Jungle are compatible. That being said, Paige and Austin's connection appears to be strong, and they may have found that following one's animal mating instincts is more important than any of society's normal dating rules.
Love In The Jungle streams Sundays on Discovery+.
Source: Discovery+/YouTube