The big picture
- Reality TV stars
Perfect Combination
discuss their experiences on the show, including the challenges of finding love while filming. - The stars explore the possibility of finding love in a dating game and consider strategy versus genuine connection.
- They share their reactions to watching the first season and future plans to participate in other reality TV shows, with stars from several previous seasons of popular shows such as
love is blind
i
The Circle
Netflix's reality dating game, perfect match season two brought together 22 familiar faces from the streamers' popular dating shows, including love is blind the challenge, The Trust, Too Hot to Handle, Squid Game, and more The rules of the game are as follows: The contestants arrive at a villa and must find their partner. Individuals then pair up to compete in a series of compatibility challenges under the watchful eye of the host Nick Lachey. The winning couple will then have the power to bring a new face or two to town, causing potential havoc and making some contestants feel very insecure.
Netflix invited Collider to a $58 million mansion in Bel Air for an interview with some of the contestants ahead of the second season premiere. Collider chatted with some of the streamer's favorites: Micha Lussier, 28, (love is blind season 4), Jessica Vestal (love is Blind Season 6),Tolu Ekondare(Trust), and Xanthi Perdikomatis (The Circle Season 5). The stars of the reality show answered truthfully what it was like to look for love while the cameras were rolling and if it is possible to find love in a dating game.
'Perfect Match' stars reveal biggest challenges
Collider: How was the experience of being on the show? What was the biggest challenge?
Micha: It was hot as hell. I was sweating, you'll see it on the show, no makeup left on my face.
Toluene: I think I'm the only one who liked the heat. It was great, I was thriving.
Jess: Being out in the elements, being in the jungle, being hot and sweaty, it was a lot.
Xanthi: I think meeting all these people at once and similarly speed dating continuously was a challenge in itself. You know what I mean. Just meeting people, then dating them, then trying to gain relationships, it was very fast, so the timing was a challenge in itself.
Toluene: I would say just browsing, like you're in a microcosm when you're at home, so in the real world there's 8 billion people to choose from, but at home there's five. So just choose from the five that seem the least terrible? No, don't roll it. Yes, just choosing between houses.
Collider: For you, Tolu, it was different because you weren't on any dating shows before, right?
toluene: Exactly. It was so weird because I have never seen myself doing a dating show ever in my lifeAnd, and anyone who knows me in real life knows that, especially when it comes to romantic connections, I'm a stickler for myself. No one knows what I'm like romantically, except my romantic partner. This is. So going into this dating show and thinking like, oh, you know, I'm going to be open, I'm going to be a girl lover. It won't be like 'The Trust', I'm going to throw down my walls, because in the trust I had them wide. So this time I just wanted to be more vulnerable and I learned why I put my walls up.
Collider: Is it possible to find love on a reality show?
Xanthi: Yes, I think it is possible. It's all about people's intentions, you know. I would say it's harder to find love on reality TV, just with all the cameras and all the attention we all get sometimes, but it's definitely possible.
Jesus: We've seen it before. I mean, look love is blind it is a true testament not only to relationships but to real marriages.
Toluene: Like Lauren and Cameron, they were literally on my mind when I walked in Perfect Combination. If Lauren and Cameron can find that kind of love on a reality show, nothing is impossible. Maybe I'll be a Lauren.
Did the women of 'Perfect Match 2' have a strategy?
Collider: Going in, were you thinking about strategy or finding love?
Xanthi: I think a lot of the girls were more open to finding love.
Micah:I thought the whole prize was like finding the perfect match. Like, I don't understand, strategy for what? What are we trying to gain here? we're not getting a bag, I don't understand the strategy part at all. What are we trying to gain here?
Collider: Did you know anyone before the show?
Xanthi: Many of us did not know each other. I would say it was 50-50.
Collider: How awkward you were during some of the games, like the kissing challenge
Micha: It was the worst experience of my entire life.
Collider: Xanthi, you shut up…
Xanthi: I think the most awkward part was the kissing challenge for me. Like I said, I'm very traditional when it comes to dating and being intimate is very spiritual to me. So if I don't have that connection for you in my mind and heart, it's really hard for me to get physical with you and in real life as well. I wasn't going to kiss seven guys at once or five guys at once, so I wasn't really willing to do it just for the cameras. I wanted to keep to myself and if my party accepted it, great, if not, he didn't accept me.
Collider: Tolu, you looked really comfortable, actually.
Toluene: Did I look comfortable?”
Collider: Tolu, you're a good actress.
Toluene: Yes, that's what I'm saying. I said, you know what, you can't let them see you sweat. So I was already out of my comfort zone, I was already out of my element to be on a dating show, and then they say, Surprise! A kiss to everyone. And mind you, for four years I only kissed one guy.
Micha: They had a sexy song [on the headphones] and I had the “cockroach” playing on mine, my guy had no service so it was either that or rain noise.
Collider: Have you seen the first season?
toluene: It was so funny that I watched the first season when I was packing and went to 'The Trust'. I was watching when the season came and I was like, Oh my God, this is so cool, and I didn't even know that…”.
Xanthi: “Were you watching?
toluene: Yes. Was good. It was great, they have literally every fan favorite on the show and they love hanging out with each other. I said, my God, I know her, and I know him, I know them…
Jesus: See, I had no idea how they pick people up like that. I'm like, why am I here? My program did not launch.
Xanthi: They chose a very colorful and diverse cast.
toluene: Very tasty. I thought we brought the sauce to the season. We have brought the flavor of honey.
Xanthi: We have brought the full menu.
Collider: Will you go on another dating show?
All: No.
Xanthand then Perfect Combinationno more dating shows.
toluene: Give me a show that makes you a huge sum of money like confidence, I'll do it again.
Collider: I want to hear from the rest of you. What kind of show would you like to be?
jessica: Something inside. I would never do anything… I mean, to me it was more like surviving. I'm not an outdoorsy girl. This was not my trip.
Micah: I don't know, it might come off the screen.
Jessica: We retire Micha. Hope you enjoyed it, won't be back.
Xanthand: Dating is hard and depending on your experience I really think you state if you want to do it again honestly sometimes but I would say I would do another competition show for sure I love the competition but finding the love on TV is not for me.
Collider: When did you forget the cameras were rolling after you entered the house?
jessica: After a while, yes.
Xanthi: After a while you forget about the cameras.
Toluene: After two days, the cameras start to feel like trees.
Xanthi: You also stop worrying. We're here right now so grab what you can baby.
Micah: You definitely stop worrying.
Perfect Match is available to stream on Netflix.
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