14 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 latest seasons of the UK series, as well as the first South African season and the first season of Love Island USA are streaming on Showmax.

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. Against the gorgeous backdrop of Knysna, the show is high on drama, as well as eye candy.

New episodes of the Showmax Original land every Thursday.

Temptation Island USA S3 is also streaming on Showmax.

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.

One of South Africa’s favourite dating shows, Boer Soek ‘n Vrou, has been going since 2008. Over 13 hugely successful seasons, the show has brought many of its participants love, marriage and families, and earned a devoted following from viewers eager to see romance bloom in farming communities across the country.

From Kroonstad to Clanwilliam, Laingsburg to Lichtenburg, Season 14’s fresh crop of 10 eligible farmers are all searching for a partner who is ready for love and life on a farm.

Seasons 1, 2, 10, 11, 12 and 13 are streaming on Showmax, and new episodes of S14 land weekly on Showmax and DStv online.

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 9 of Our Perfect Wedding on Showmax. 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 7 of the local version on Showmax, along with Date My Family: Kenya, Nigeria, Zambia, Uganda, Botswana and Tanzania 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. 

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.

Don’t miss the reunion episode, After the Altar, now streaming on Netflix.

Qiniso van Damme is South Africa’s first Bachelorette. See how all the eligible men in the mansion compete for her attention and affection.

You can also stream the latest season of the American version (S16) on Showmax.

More A+ local reality shows

Living the Dream with Somizi S5

Papa Penny Ahee S1-3

Madam & Mercy S1

Survivor SA S8

Being Bonang S3

The Real Housewives of Durban S1-2

Life With Kelly Khumalo S3

Lebo M – Coming Home