Is ‘Sexy Beasts’ Netflix’s Strangest Dating Show to Date?
Netflix’s new dating show Sexy Beasts sent the internet buzzing when it’s trailer premiered last month. People dressed as lizards, dinosaurs and pandas going on blind dates without seeing each other’s faces? It has to be one of Netflix’s strangest reality shows yet — and that’s saying something.
Sexy Beasts is actually a revival of a dating show which aired on the BBC in 2014. This time around the show will be hosted by comedian Rob Delaney, as participants are put in some extraordinary animal prosthetics before going on a number of blind dates. Will they be able to find love behind the furry faces? Is this somehow another way to define “meeting cute?” And how will the show compare to the rest of the Netflix dating show stable?
True, Sexy Beasts is a most unusual addition to the genre, but below, we ranked the streaming service’s many dating series—based on how unique their premise is.
Sexy Beasts, Season 1, Wednesday, July 21, Netflix
8. Love on the Spectrum
Probably the most heartwarming entry on this list, Love on the Spectrum follows young adults with autism as they wade into the world of love, romance and relationships with each other. There’s no added gimmicks or asterisks to this one, just a compassionate story of neurodivergent people finding love. What it lacks in weirdness, it definitely makes up for in the depths of emotion.
7. Say I Do
Fans of Queer Eye should find a lot to love in this series from the same creators. On Say I Do, a trio of gay experts in design, fashion and food collaborate with a couple to help them overcome obstacles in their relationship and plan a dream surprise wedding for each other. A little unorthodox? Sure. But this show is also one of Netflix’s most straightforward explorations of love.
6. Indian Matchmaking
Not so much weird as it is a culture shock, Indian Matchmaking follows renowned marriage arranger Sima Taparia as she pairs off eligible young couples under the guidance and expectations of their parents, culture and values. Under the tradition of arranged marriages, these singles must find a match who meets their needs without getting the chance to really know them. There’s a lot of awkwardness and a high cringe factor in some of the interactions; but that gets mixed with a lot of genuine sparks between couples. It can make for mighty uncomfortable viewin sometimes, but it’s nowhere near as weird as some others on Netflix.
5. What the Love! with Karan Johar
Another Indian show, this one features renowned Bollywood star Karan Johar, who uses his skills as a purportelove guru to help six singles find love in their lives. Each single is vastly different from the others and the series goes in-depth on the romantic culture of India in an endearing and sometimes boundary-pushing way, especially in discussing LGBTQ issues. It is a little unusual to watch people find love through a “guru,” but like the previous entries, this is one of the more traditional dating shows on popular streaming service.
4. Dating Around
The first really unusual pick on this list is also a commentary on modern dating culture. Dating Around has one single go on five identically arranged blind dates in each episode. The catch? They can only choose one to continue on with after the show. Each date really needs to stand out from the crowd, and that’s a bun of pressure to put on someone. With lots of tension, awkwardness and sometimes real attraction, anyone who’s ever tried to be a little exceptional in the world of Tinder will find a lot to identify with here.
3. Too Hot to Handle
Perhaps the raunchiest dating show on Netflix if not anywhere on TV, Too Hot To Handle has a familiar premise with an interesting twist. Five guys and five girls are put on an island and must stay on it together for four weeks in order to win a cash prize of $100,000. Sounds easy? The twist is, if any of the contestants even so much as kisses (or anything else…), the cash prize is reduced each time. (And as the title suggests, that’ not unusual.) Definitely a weird idea for a dating show, but it’s a highly entertaining one at that.
2. Love is Blind
Dating shows are built on the chemistry between couples and their face-to-face interactions. So what happens when they never see each other? Love is Blind tries to answer that question with it’s highly compelling premise — 30 men and women must go on dates with each other while in separate pods. After some time they can propose and finally see each other on a couples retreat — while already engaged. Then, finally, at their wedding, they get one last chance to call it off if they wish. This show uses its outlandish format to question whether appearance really matters — with some spicy results.
1. Sexy Beasts
Of course, this one had to top the weirdness list. Like Love is Blind, Sexy Beasts takes appearance out of the romantic equation to see if attraction can exist without looks involved. But at least the other show just uses a wall between contestants to keep up that barrier. Sexy Beasts adds on some disturbingly lifelike prosthetics that make it hilariously unnerving. Netflix has cornered the market on strange dating shows; Sexy Beasts is already proof positive of that.
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