Image Source: Extra TV, StyleCaster

Getting to find love in the modern era filled with hustle bustle and a full-fledged hectic pace is not an easy task. To say the least, finding love is recently at the bottom of the list for so many because they just don't get to make time and form meaningful connections with people to fall in love. But America has found one solution for the problem: Reality TV Dating Series.

Without a doubt, these series work great for the producers and the reality TV stars, if not actors. While so many people put their mental health behind and focus solely on money-oriented careers, a show with a fake narrative of love, someone living in a mansion with 10 other people they could potentially date without a hitch is truly an amazing dream. Hence, reality TV dating shows serve the myth of modern love to people of all ages, hopeless romantics, and viewers who are just there for drama. 

Needless to say, dating shows are not lacking in terms of tea to spill when it comes to it. There are always plenty of people looking to fight their way to love, while several plot and scheme behind the one desired Bachelor's back and, frankly saying, it is quite interesting. Getting to see someone fall in love on a screen and that also under the label of 'reality' helps create a really intimidating bond with the starring actors. Hence, the shows are entertaining, refreshing to an extent, and even romantic in their own right. 

But apart from the viewers who get to see love stories unfold from a screen, do reality TV dating stars actually agree upon the success rate of TV dating? 

Recently The Bachelorette star, Michelle Young, got to debut her Men Tell All special episode on Monday. The season 18's episode aired on ABC and provided a little behind-the-scenes peek into Michelle's blooming love life. The elementary school teacher is now closer than ever to her final decision as she picked out Nayte Olukoya, Joe Coleman, and Brandon Jones from her long list of suitors. 

The lady is so lucky to have these three men pining away on her as she said, "I have three incredible men left." Trying to form out her final decision, the teacher first talked about the Austin Texas native, Nayte. "I have never had a feeling like when I kiss Nayte. He is soulmate material," she said, but then she talked about the Minnesota native Joe who she referred to as "my slice of home," and continued "There's just something so special about our connection." On the other hand, she also added, "I can see spending my life with Brandon." Looks like a tough choice, right?

Now, the competition is finally spiraling into a very narrow beam as the three men size up each other in an attempt to earn the love of the Bachelorette. The three men recently met Young's parents, LaVonne and Ephraim Young. And making the decision a bit easier for her daughter, LaVonne asked Nayte to be patient, adding, "I'm not sure you're 100 percent in." Michelle is having the hardest time ever and said, "When you're in love with three people, how do you know which person is your person?" 

But she did ask the guys: "Falling in love is one thing, an engagement is another thing. Which of those are you ready for?" 

Eventually, when she does get together with one of the guys for good and engages them, what guarantee does the show provide that the two would manage to stay together forever. After all, it is a reality TV dating show and does ensure lifelong love. So, are these even successful?

First and foremost, the most pressing problem of the time with dating shows is that while we invest so much of our time to watch how the story unfolds for so many dating candidates, in this case for Michelle, we forget that we do not exactly have suitors lined up begging for our hand. It is so difficult to make even one meaningful connection that being in love with three men at the same time is a far-fetched love triangle. 

Second, even for Michelle herself, loving in the spotlight with so many others anticipating and demanding your attention is something that might take the fun out of loving. You might not get to spend as much time with one contestant as you want just to be fair with the others. So, how can the lead even be sure if their falling in love was totally voluntary action not arising from the pressure of being in the national spotlight and so many people demanding drama to watch on a screen? 

Another issue surely has to be lack of diversity and congregation of people from a diverse range of cultures. A person in the real world could get to meet people from the farthest corners of the world and introduce you to the most intriguing cultures you could ever think of. 

But the same is not true when the producers have already picked a set of men for you, whose culture is less or more known to you without a chance of extending the radius of the circle a bit further. The closed-up version of the dating show simply means that the people do not get to try their hands at the dating norms existing in other cultures. 

Leonie McSorley, who got to star in Ex on the Beach in 2017, an MTV dating show, opened up about her experience with reality TV dating through an Instagram post, calling it a big mistake. She said,  “My biggest regret in life is ever going on TV and trusting people telling me it was the best thing for me ... when all it’s really turned out to do is close many doors instead of open them,” and heartbreakingly ven added another terrible as she said to star on reality TV is to “humiliate yourself for the sake of other people’s entertainment”. 

Ex on the Beach is another reality TV dating show like Love Island, where ex-partners are brought together in hope of drama and some romantic spice. Of course, getting to be back with your exes and under the pressure to converse with them and form a relationship had to be stressful. 

Ex on The Beach contestant talks about how the show had a striking toll on her mental health; Credits: Digital Spy

McSorley said “They definitely sell you a dream and put a lot of pressure on you, like: ‘This is your one chance and if you don’t do what we’re suggesting then there’s no point in you being on this show, you’re probably going to get sent home.’” McSorley, whose twin also starred on the show, also said, “If my sister wasn’t acting up as much as she should have, or having sex or whatever, they were saying to me: ‘Your sister’s not doing well, but you could do so well if you did certain things.’ They don’t outright tell you: ‘You have to do this,’ but it’s a manipulative atmosphere.”