Reality dating shows have become increasingly popular over the past decade, giving rise to a new wave of stars who capture the hearts of viewers across the globe each year.
With the recent announcement of Love Island 2023 winners and the launch of Married at First Sight Aus in the UK, Best Sports Betting California has created a study looking at the finalists and winners of six popular dating shows to show exactly which characteristics you need to be successful.
Our research gathers data from far and wide, reviewing six shows and over 270 finalists, accumulating a bank of data to reveal patterns in characteristics. Attributes such as hair colour, height, home town, occupation and star sign were weighed up and compared against all finalists.
By looking at the trends, we were able to identify specific characteristics that could lead contestants to the final and even more so to finding their fast fashion brand deal… whoops, we mean finding love.
After analyzing the data from all six shows, we identified the top five characteristics for finalists, which are occupation, hair colour, height, hometown, and star sign.
Additionally, we input the findings of the research into an AI image generator to reveal what the ideal dating show contestant looks like and well, we have to admit, they aren’t too far fetched from the Ekin Sus or Harry Johnstons we know all too well.
[IMAGE: AI generated image of overall most desirable characteristics for finalists]
Overall top characteristics for finalists
(Source: https://bestsportsbettingcalifornia.com/news/2023/03/22/dating-show-data/)
Without further-a-do, let’s get into it… can we pull you for a chat?
The most successful occupation for finalists:
Overall for all six shows, the most popular occupation for both men and women is modelling. However, when looking at second place the results begin to differ, for men the joint second most popular occupations are semi professional footballers, personal trainers, farmers and business owners. For women it’s just business owners.
If you’re dreaming of Love Island UK or Too Hot to Handle, it seems like being a model is a pretty safe bet for making it to the finals. Married at First Sight UK favours personal trainers, while business owners seem to be the way to go Down Under on Married at First Sight AUS. For Love Is Blind, realtors are the ones catching the casting directors’ eyes, and Temptation Island is all about the silver-tongued sales execs.
The most successful hair colour for finalists:
Hold on to your hats (and hair dye) because our data found some hair standing results. Our findings reveal that when it comes to hair colour, on average it’s the brunettes who are stealing the show as the most common finalists for both men and women. The only show that favours the blondes is Love Island UK with 44% blonde female finalists.
The average height of finalists:
Despite your preference there’s no denying that ‘tall dark and handsome’ dominates the dating field. But how tall is tall? Our research reveals that the average height for male finalists in dating shows is 1.82m (that’s 6ft bang on). So, apparently the 6ft rule really is as important as we think when selecting a partner.
For women, the average height of female finalists is expectedly lower. Coming in at 1.67m (5ft 6in). Paired with results that brunettes are more likely to make it to the finale episode of a dating show, it suggests that ‘petite brunettes’ are seemingly more dateable on TV.
The most common hometown for finalists:
Hold on tight, because we’re taking you around the world to visit some hometown hotspots. According to our data, London, England is the ultimate reality TV breeding ground, with finalists hailing from the city on Love Island UK, Too Hot to Handle, and Married at First Sight UK.
Over in Australia, Sydney takes the crown for being the hometown of choice for the Married at First Sight AUS finalists. Across the pond with our US cousins, Chicago is the place to be for Love Is Blind hopefuls, while LA’s sunny shores are attracting contestants for Temptation Island.
So, whether you’re looking to find love, test your limits, or just become a household name, it seems like if you’re from these cities then you’re already on your way.
The most successful star sign for finalists
If you’re looking in the horoscope section to see when you’re going to find love, this one might be for you. The research concluded that Taurus is the reigning star sign for our reality TV finalists, with Pisces, Leo, Aries, and Scorpio following close behind in terms of success.
However, your success when the data is split between men and women the results are split. For women four signs take the top spot, Libra, Pisces, Sagittarius and Taurus. However for men Aries come out on top!
Here’s what it looks like for each show:
| Most Popular Zodiac Sign | ||
| Show | Male Contestants | Female Contestant |
| Love is Blind | Aries
Scorpio |
Aries
Scorpio Taurus |
| Love Island UK | Taurus | Taurus |
| MAFS Aus | Leo | Pisces |
| MAFS UK | Libra
Pisces |
Libra
Pisces |
| Temptation Island | – | Virgo |
| Too Hot To Handle | Aries
Gemini |
Gemini
Sagittarius |
Whether you’re a bull-headed Taurus or a dreamy Pisces, it’s clear that your star sign could play a role in your reality TV success. So, grab your crystals and get ready to manifest your way to the top!
Well, there you have it – the key to finding love on a reality TV show has been unlocked! If you want to increase your likelihood of making it to the finals of any of the 6 shows we’ve looked at, it seems like being a Taurus model from London with brunette hair is the winning combination. And if you’re further afield in Australlia and just so happen to be a Pisces personal training from Sydney, then Married at First Sight AUS might be your best bet.
But let’s have some real talk – finding love isn’t all about the perfect occupation, hair colour, hometown or even how the stars aligned the day you were born. At the end of the day, finding love requires connection, hard work and a little bit of the right place at the right time.
So, if you’re thinking about applying for an upcoming series, remember to be yourself, follow your heart and maybe consider taking some modelling classes if you’re really serious about getting to the crown.
Whatever you chose, good luck and may the odds be ever in your favour!
Commentary
“As the world becomes increasingly competitive, it seems even finding love has become an intense game and it’s no shock that finding success in a reality dating show can be a difficult task. While predicting the next dating show winner is just a bit of fun, our data really does give a cheat sheet to those wanting to apply to upcoming seasons. Whether you’re a brunette Taurus from London or a Blonde personal trainer from Oz, there is a dating show out there waiting for you.” spokesperson for Best Sports Betting California
Methodology
Using a range of data sources such as IMDB, ITV, Channel 4, Channel 9, Netflix, Famous Birthdays, Wikipedia, and Screen Rant we gathered data on over 270 finalists from 6 popular dating shows.
We measured the following characteristics, height, hair colour, occupation, hometown and star sign to reveal which type of person is the most successful, reaching the final and winning the show.
The top characteristics we’re then input into DALLE.E 2 AI image generator to reveal what the most successful dating show contestant looks like.
