15 reality love shows to stream

Does it feel like everyone you know is getting married at the moment? These shows will keep any singleton company, and serve as very entertaining reminders that most dates are, let’s face it, completely awful – and weddings are veritable stress-fests.

Get a front-row seat to one of the most glamorous weddings ever. Enjoy the love story of Idols SA judge Somizi Mhlongo and Mohale Motaung, from their first meeting to their two extravagant weddings. Exclusive to Showmax.

This is as sexy as reality shows get. The entire first six seasons of the UK series, the first Australian series and the American show are available on Showmax, including the UK season that was filmed in Cape Town.

Some couples decide to go to therapy when their relationship is floundering. Others just decide to tempt fate in front of millions of viewers. In this sexy reboot of the franchise, four couples sign up to split up and spend a month in the company of some hot singles in order to test their commitment to their relationship. Set in two sumptuous villas in Hawaii, the show is high on drama, as well as eye candy.

Temptation Island South Africa, a Showmax Original, is landing later in 2021!

Let’s be honest: we’ve all had a crush on someone and it seemed that we’d never tell. This fan-favourite show (meaning ‘Do you love me?’), sets out to change all that by uniting a crusher with a would-be lover to see if sparks can fly, and we’re so there for the drama, the dinner, and the delightful (sometimes awkward) declarations! Seasons 1 to 4 are on Showmax.

kykNET’s evergreen dating show travels the length and breadth of our beautiful country to bring hardworking but lonely farmers a chance to also find someone special to share their lives with. Out of 10 hopefuls, the five who receive the most letters of would-be love interests get to go meet the 10 individuals who they feel most drawn to – and could maybe even share their lives with. The 13th season is launching soon – find out who the farmers will be on Showmax and on DStv. Seasons 9 to 12 are also available to binge-watch on Showmax in the meantime.

Whether they are tying the knot for the very first time or renewing their vows after years of marriage, couples create their checklist for their perfect wedding, and then the crew set out to make their dreams come true. Featuring heart-warming, real-life couples, the popular series proves that South Africans love a good wedding! Addicted to reality weddings? Catch Seasons 1 to 7 of Our Perfect Wedding on Showmax, with new episodes of Season 10 landing on DStv. There’s also Our Perfect Wedding: Kenya and Nigeria to binge-watch.

How much do you trust your family? Enough to choose your new partner? After visiting and getting to know three families, hopefuls choose to meet a potential partner based on the impression they gained from these loved-ones. It’s almost never smooth sailing for either of the parties involved and making that love connection is hard enough without dealing with a disapproving mother-in-law or a patronising father-in-law. And that’s before you’ve even gone on your first date! Binge-watch Seasons 1 to 5 Showmax and catch new episodes of Season 8 on DStv. There’s also Date My Family: Kenya and Nigeria on Showmax.

Dineo and Zothile Langa aka Solo invites the rest of Mzansi to their journey into matrimony. Considered to be relatively private about their relationship, this glimpse into their love life is precisely the content many of their supporters signed up for. The couple has been dating for seven years, and their long-term relationship is now encapsulated in this wedding special. The cherry on top of the cake is when Solo wrote a song about their love and made their wedding day as the official music video for the song.

No respectable list of reality dating shows would be complete without the original guilty pleasure, reality hook-up vehicle – The Bachelor. Twenty-nineteen saw SA’s first season of the international smash hit series, and we were gifted with Season 2 in 2020. Binge both seasons on Showmax. 

The latest season of the American version of The Bachelor (S25) is also streaming on DStv online.

This show has become a huge hit – but, as BBC.com says, no one can decide if that’s because it’s realistic and honest, or “regressive and controversial”. If you love Date My Family, you’ll get a kick out of this show, which follows Mumbai’s top matchmaker as she introduces eight couples to one another.

Dating is difficult for everyone, but it’s undoubtedly more of a minefield for adults who are on the autism spectrum. Time.com describes it as “charming and well-meaning” but that doesn’t mean it’s without its problems – though which dating show isn’t, these days, really?

In each episode of this compelling series, one singleton meets five different dates and, if any of them seem promising, chooses to meet up with one of them for a second date. Be warned – this is a cringe-fest of note as a surprising number of the dates are extremely awkward. Buzzfeed calls it Netflix’s best dating reality show, and we can’t help but agree. Each season is only six episodes long, so it’s eminently bingeable.

Yep, this is that show – the one that “introduces” a revolving combination of women singletons to single men. The catch? The men can’t see the women, and vice versa. As they spend more time together on either side of a wall, certain couples become more and more drawn to each other, until, eventually, a few of them get engaged without ever having seen what the other person looks like. At that point, they get to be together in person, and we follow them on their journey to the altar. It is probably the most harrowing dating show we’ve ever seen, but we just can’t get enough. Once you’ve watched the full season, click here to see who’s still together.

The local edition of the steamy international series sees a group of sizzling South African Islanders entering a plush villa and competing to be the last man or woman standing, to find love and to win R1 million.

Qiniso van Damme is South Africa’s first Bachelorette. See how all the eligible men in the mansion compete for her attention and affection. (The Bachelorette SA S1 is coming to Showmax in May 2021!)

You can also stream the fifth season of the Australian version of The Bachelorette, also on DStv, as well as the latest season of the American version (S16) on Showmax.

More A+ local reality shows

Living the Dream with Somizi S4

Papa Penny Ahee S1-3

Madam & Mercy S1

Survivor SA S7

Being Bonang S3

The Real Housewives of Durban

Life With Kelly Khumalo

Lebo M – Coming Home