Love in the Wild is a reality television series that debuted on June 29, 2011, on NBC. The show is created and produced by Endemol USA. The first season was hosted by Darren McMullen; season 2 premiered on June 5, 2012, with new host Jenny McCarthy.
Format Set in Costa Rica (season 1) or in Dominican Republic and Hawaii (season 2), the series begins with ten men and ten women, paired into couples. The couples must compete in challenges that test their own abilities and their compatibility as a team. Following each episode's adventure, the winning couple spends the night at a luxurious resort called the Oasis, while the other contestants stay in ordinary cabins and socialize with each other. The next day at the choice ceremony, contestants choose their partners for the next episode's challenge. The last remaining unmatched man and woman are eliminated. The series will conclude with one winning couple, who receive a trip around the world.
Choice ceremony and elimination rules To illustrate the mechanics of the choice ceremony, the following example is provided using these fictional couples:
Anna and Adam Barbra and Bob Connie and Carl Daisy and Doug
Couples are ordered by their finish in the previous day's challenge. (The gender that chooses first from each couple alternates with each ceremony; i.e., if women go first in one ceremony, men will go first in the next ceremony.)
Anna may choose first whether she would like to stay with Adam or ask someone else to partner with her. Because she and Adam finished first, if either of them wishes to partner with someone else, the other contestant cannot refuse. Anna chooses to stay with Adam, and Adam chooses to stay with Anna. They move on together.
Barbra and Bob are next. Barbra asks Carl to be her partner, and Carl accepts, so Barbra and Carl move on together. Bob asks Connie to be his partner, and Connie refuses. Bob moves to the Singles Area.
Connie may now choose between asking Doug or Bob to partner with her (despite having already rejected Bob). Connie asks Doug to be her partner, and Doug accepts. Connie and Doug move on.
Daisy and Bob are the final two unmatched contestants, and are eliminated.
If Doug had refused to partner with Connie, Connie would have joined Bob in the Singles Area. Daisy and Doug would then each choose to either stay together or ask Bob or Connie to partner up. If Daisy and Doug then both chose to stay together, Daisy and Doug would move on despite finishing last in the challenge, and Bob and Connie would be eliminated.
If there are more than two contestants in the Singles Area after all couples have chosen, the single contestants (in the order of their arrival in the Singles Area) may attempt again to create a partnership with one of the other singles. If all the single contestants continue to decline any partnerships with each other, they will all be eliminated. This feature resulted in the double elimination of Season 1, Episode 6, when the four remaining Singles Area competitors were unable to form any couples.
The show format gives a strong advantage to loyal couples, as they are guaranteed to move ahead as long as they do not finish last in a challenge. (Even then, they will advance if there is anyone in the singles area.) There are few circumstances in which betrayal can be advantageous. (One case being that a member of a last-place couple may accept a switch request, and certain survival for one round, rather than count on a partner's loyalty.) Attempted switches may leave a contestant vulnerable to subsequent retaliation, as in Season 1, when Steele's switch attempt led to a retaliatory rejection by Erica which eliminated both of them. In Season 1, the last three couples had formed romantic bonds which helped protect them from elimination.
Mike and Samantha won Season 1 and earned a trip around the world together.
Season 1 (2011)
Contestants Source: + Females Contestant Age Hometown Samantha Woods 23 Huntington Beach, California Heather Pond 23 Sonoma, California Theresa Trujillo 24 San Jose, California Brandee Dillehay 25 Nashville, Tennessee Erica Scherle 24 Nashville, Tennessee Jessica "Jess" DeBolt 24 San Francisco, California Jessica Soares 23 Bridgewater, Massachusetts Kym Nguyen 24 Quincy, Massachusetts Vanessa Guerrero 26 Phoenix, Arizona Dawn Christjaener 27 Scottsdale, Arizona+ Males Contestant Age Hometown Michael "Mike" Spiro 29 San Francisco, California Miles Haefner 28 St. Louis Park, Minnesota Skip Sullivan 30 Milton, Massachusetts Benjamin "Ben" Hooker 27 Charleston, South Carolina Steele Dewald 24 Scottsdale, Arizona Derek Leach 28 Venice, California Jason Jackson 28 San Francisco, California Adam Rose 25 Taunton, Massachusetts Peter Paris 31 Venice, California Jared Ines 28 Los Angeles, California
Men Partners 1 2 3 4 5 (Mandatory Switch)For episode 5, the first name listed is the partner chosen at the end of episode 4. The second name is the partner subsequently chosen when all contestants were forced to switch partners before the episode 5 challenge. Derek was forced out by an injury, and Jess refused all choices. 6 7 8 (Finale)Mike SamanthaSamanthaSamanthaSamanthaSamantha (Theresa)SamanthaSamanthaSamanthaMilesEricaHeatherEricaHeatherHeather (Brandee)HeatherHeatherHeatherSkipJessicaTheresaTheresaTheresaTheresa (Jess)TheresaTheresaBenHeatherBrandeeBrandeeBrandeeBrandee (Samantha)BrandeeSteeleVanessaVanessaKymEricaErica (Heather)EricaDerekKymJessicaJessJessJess (Erica)JasonJessEricaJessicaJessicaAdamBrandeeKymHeatherPeterTheresaJessJaredDawn
Women Partners 1 2 3 4 5 (Mandatory Switch) 6 7 8 (Finale)SamanthaMikeMikeMikeMikeMike (Ben)MikeMikeMikeHeatherBenMilesAdamMilesMiles (Steele)MilesMilesMilesTheresaPeterSkipSkipSkipSkip (Mike)SkipSkipBrandeeAdamBenBenBenBen (Miles)BenEricaMilesJasonMilesSteeleSteele (Derek)SteeleJessJasonPeterDerekDerekDerek (Skip)JessicaSkipDerekJasonJasonKymDerekAdamSteeleVanessaSteeleSteeleDawnJared
Finished first and immune from elimination, except in episodes 5 and 7 Eliminated Winner Runner-up
Updates Mike and Samantha announced their engagement in March 2013 and got married on April 19, 2014, in San Francisco, California, where they have been living together since the show ended. They have two children: daughter Audrey (born on December 29, 2015) and son Zachary (born February 1, 2018). Heather and Miles have also been residing in San Francisco.Stavarski, Melissa. "Love In The Wild Recap: Season 2 Premiere Features Jenny McCarthy, Double the Hotties with Bodies" Reality TV Magazine The two announced their engagement in March 2015 and were married on June 18, 2016. Their son Macklin was born in August 2018.
Filming Principal photography for the first season took place in Cahuita, Limón, La Fortuna, and San Carlos, Costa Rica. The second season's filming was split between the Dominican Republic and Hawaii.
Season 2 (2012)
Contestants Source: + Females Contestant Age Hometown Yanina Beccaria 33 Chicago, Illinois Michelle Sacco 28 Atlanta, Georgia Summer Mack 32 Indian Harbour Beach, Florida Ali Leitza 33 Little Rock, Arkansas Jenna Gillund 23 Dallas, Texas Vanessa Ramirez 30 Phoenix, Arizona Cina Luks 22 San Lorenzo, California Jenny Blatt 27 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Lindsay Furman 29 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Melissa Alatorre 23 Los Angeles, California Natalie Korzon 24 Ann Arbor, Michigan Tara Locke 26 Miami Beach, Florida Shauna Dillard 28 Kingsburg, California+ Males Contestant Age Hometown Kenneth "Ken" Barrington 33 Miami Beach, Florida Benjamin "Ben" Clark 27 Bolsover, United Kingdom Aaron "Chase" Chase 28 Newport Beach, California Jesse Wilson 33 Manhattan Beach, California Ryan Smith 27 San Francisco, California Jason Ewell 25 Dublin, California Tim Parrish 32 Chicago, Illinois Christian Seklecki 34 Atlanta, Georgia Darwin Zook 32 Boston, Massachusetts Franky Arriola 31 Miami, Florida Jason Holmes 29 North Hollywood, California Leonard "Leo" Borriello 27 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Mike Sweet 30 Los Angeles, California Quaison "Q" Dodd 31 Los Angeles, California
Men Partners 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 (Finale)KenYaninaYaninaYanina & LindsayYanina YaninaYaninaYaninaYaninaBenJennyJennyJenny & MichelleMichelleAliMichelleMichelleMichelleChaseCinaAliAli & JennaSummerSummerSummerSummerJesseSummerTaraTara & MelissaAliMichelleRyanShaunaShaunaSummer & NatalieJennaJennaJason E.CinaCinaCina & VanessaVanessaTimTaraSummerJason H.AliLeoTaraQuaison SummerFrankyJennyDarwinAliMikeYaninaChristianShauna
Women Partners 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 (Finale)YaninaKen & MikeKenKenKenKenKenKenKenMichelleN/AN/ABenBenJesseBenBenBenSummerJesse & QuaisonTimRyanChaseChaseChaseChaseJennaN/AN/AChaseRyanRyanAliJason H. & DarwinChaseChaseJesseBenVanessaN/AN/AJason E.Jason E.CinaChase & Jason E.Jason E.Jason E.JennyBen & FrankyBenBenLindsayN/AN/AKenMelissaN/AN/AJesseNatalieN/AN/ARyanTaraTim & LeoJesseJesseShaunaChristian & RyanRyan
Finished first and immune from elimination, except in episodes 1,3 and 6 Eliminated Winner Runner-up
Updates Winners Ken and Yanina got married in the Dominican Republic on January 17, 2015. They have two children: daughter Andi (born January 8, 2016) and son Lennox (born August 2018). Runner-ups Ben and Michelle were the first couple to get married, doing so on October 26, 2013.pic.twitter.com/xGBMfTLyhttps://www.facebook.com/benclarkLOVEINTHEWILD/posts/522343157785559 Summer and Chase announced their engagement September 2014. They were married on March 4, 2016. All couples remain together as of 2024.
Jesse Wilson was a contestant on Syfy's reality game show Opposite Worlds.
Reception Love in the Wild received mixed reviews from critics, with Metacritic scoring a 47 out of 100.Love in the Wild Metacritic.
Emily Yahr of The Washington Post said that the best part of the show was all about the "sweeping views of Costa Rica", however, it did not go "far enough in any direction to make the premise intriguing to watch."TV review: NBC’s ‘Love in the Wild’ is a cross between lots of reality shows Washington Post. Retrieved on June 30, 2011.
Love in the Wild premiered to a 2.2/6 rating in adults 18/49 and was watched by 6.48 million viewers. The premiere was the third most watched program of the night, and it was first in its timeslot. The premiere was the seventh most watched show that week.
References
External links Official Site at NBC Fans Magazine for Love in the Wild Love in the Wild on TV.com