There is absolutely nothing remotely fresh about this dating show, which is essentially the unholy spawn of Bachelor Pad, Temptation Island, Survivor, and The Amazing Race. Does it matter? Hell no! Especially when there are contestants with names like Steele, raft challenges on crocodile-infested Costa Rican waters, and a reward love shack called the Oasis. [1 Jul 2011, p.68]
One of the best dating shows ive seen. the contestants are a lot of fun to watch as they develop and change. the process is fresh and everything about the show is a 10.
Well I think it was funny and interesting. I had several good laughs watching the mismatched couples stumble around the stunningly beautiful Costa Rica landscape. Sure it is a reality show for (trying) to find love. But what a first date, you will really find out the character of a person you are building a raft with so you can float down a crocodile infested river, following hand drawn map. Good luck guys and gals, but it made for great TV and good laughter. I will watch it again. Besides who cares what critics think.
This is, however, one of those shows that a viewer easily can love to hate. And in that context, Love in the Wild is very well equipped to both go the distance and even be invited back next summer.
The series hardly tweaks the formula, though it does so just enough that the more generously inclined might claim that Love in the Wild is an effort at democratizing the reality dating show.
Maybe central casting is wearing thin, but aside from being beautiful (naturally), there's not a personality in the bunch more interesting than the crocodiles, ants or bats on display.
A fun summer reality show. Some nice changes from other dating shows like the Bachelor/Bachelorette, such as: equal number of men and women (better odds for a match), couples have to work together on tasks in a race situation (better bonding experience) and the winning couple gets a trip around the world (instead of a forced engagement). So far the couples seem like fairly normal people (instead of producer picked nuts who wear masks and vampire teeth). The jungle setting also adds interest. Give it a try!!!!!
As far as fluff television goes this one is not terrible. The premise is something that we have seem many times before but even knowing that I cannot help but watch. The wackiness of it all pulls me in. This is a really fun summer guilty pleasure.
Luckily, only the first half of "Love in the Wild" actually involves "the wild". Instead, the attention is focused on the dialog, conflict and bonding between couples, so you get the feeling that the outdoor challenge is just a ploy to create stress and drama, and not too vital to the show. Likewise, the results of the challenge don't dramatically affect the outcome for the contestants (think Big Brother).
The second half of the show is where it really gets good. First, there's a social event where everyone can socialize with everyone else. To add a little drama, each couple is forced to sleep in the same room together (with a solitary queen bed, young'uns). The following day (and last 10 minutes of the show) is the elimination round. Both individuals of each couple can choose to stay paired, or try someone new. If the new choice refuses them, they have to wait and hope someone else will choose them. The winning couple from the challenge has the benefit of choosing first, followed by the second placed couple, and so forth. The last man and woman standing are the ones no one wants and they're the goners. So awkward; so fun.
Of course, I've only seen the first episode, but I'm hoping this show makes it, because I'm already hooked!
Really, can we ditch all the pretense about 'finding love'? It's just stupid to imagine that all these uber-hot 20 somethings with marginal careers would magically find 'the one' in 20 days or less in Costa Rica, with only 10 to choose from. I do know people that have had some fantastic couple-of-hour relationships on vaca, but a mate? Hmmmm.
And did they not prep the contestants with the basic idea that they'd be doing survivor-esque activities in a jungle so they could either do some outdoor prep (knots, bugs, clothes, shoes, gear)? I'm twice their age, but an Eagle Scout, so am sure I'd have been in the top couple or two with almost no effort.... the losing guy last night was pathetic in basic outdoorsmanship, not to mention attire. Was that shirt silk? And the guy that was afraid if ANTS? Great looking, but most women want a man who's a tad less metrosexual, to say the least. No wonder he had to sleep on the floor.
Not surprised to see that most of the contestants were from California... lot of silicon and teeth-whitening. (Boys and Girls, do go light on the tooth-whitening in your 20s, it's creepy.)
Oh, and back to casting. Great job finding women who's race is difficult to gauge. Very 21st century. Why were the men so obviously black or white... not sure there was a Latino or Asian. Is that politically tolerable?
That said, I've watched worse. It's not nearly as ponderous and snarky as the Big Brother shows, and as there are more couples involved there's more love interest that the painful Bachelor and Bachelorettes. At least we got some reasonably good skin in, and a fore-shadowing of more R rated activities in the future. Next series, lets just drop all pretenses, and go straight for the soft porn. No need for scripts or staged games. Just smoking hot contestants, alcohol, and a hot-tub. Oh, wait, that's the Real World... and Spring Break on MTV...
Well, imagine that on CBS. K?