I Asked Netflix’s Reality TV Boss Why So Many Men On Dating Shows Are Terrible

When Brandon Riegg joined Netflix a decade ago to head up its reality TV programming, he had one main competitor in mind: ABC’s The Bachelor.

But Riegg felt that show—which is currently in a tailspin after canceling its latest season due to a domestic violence incident involving would-be bachelorette Taylor Frankie Paul—was “contrived,” with its “tug-of-war” over group dates and outings at Italian chateaus. He wanted to create something that felt more “authentic” to modern dating, he says.

It worked. The streamer debuted its blind-date-turned-engagement show, Love Is Blind, in 2020, and it’s since been viewed 215 million times and expanded into nine markets around the world, making it the cornerstone of Netflix’s expanding slate of reality programming. The network’s other popular offerings include Love on the Spectrum, which follows daters with autism, and the newly launched and already renewed Age of Attraction, where contestants’ delay revealing their ages until they commit to each other. (One pairing included a 60-year-old man and 27-year-old woman.)

Still, these successes have come with their share of criticisms, including from me.

As I’ve previously written, while Love Is Blind was refreshing when it broke onto the scene, the men in the last few seasons have felt increasingly plucked from the conservative manosphere. The most recent Ohio season featured Chris Fusco, who compared himself to influencer and alleged human trafficker Andrew Tate, bragged about being “dominant,” and broke up with his fiancée Jessica Barrett for not working out enough. Another contestant, Alex Henderson, was a crypto bro who professed his love for President Donald Trump.

Combined with the constant talk (pressure?) around having babies and offputting racial dynamics—several contestants appear to have struggled when their partner was revealed to be a person of color—it made me wonder if Netflix is leaning into people with conservative ideals to appeal to the political right.

Riegg, who is Netflix’s vice president of nonfiction series and sports, tells me that’s not the case.

“Half the country voted for Trump, right?” he says. “Depending on where you go, you’re going to have just luck of the draw in terms of whether it’s more left-leaning or more right-leaning. And I think we’re neutral on that.” (In addition to Ohio, the last few seasons have taken place in Denver, Minnesota, Washington DC, and Charlotte, North Carolina.)

Barrett, a liberal doctor, has said in interviews that she screened all the men on Love Is Blind, asking if they voted for Trump—but none of that was shown on screen.

Riegg says Barrett’s screening questions likely weren’t included because producers prioritize “story,” but that he witnessed the same anxiety when trying to set up a female friend.

“She’s like, ‘Just make sure he’s not MAGA.’ To her, that was top of mind. And I was like, ‘Oh, I don’t know what he is.’ I hadn’t even thought of that.”

According to a 2025 survey from DatingAdvice.com in partnership with the Kinsey Institute, celibacy is on the rise among young people. And among Gen Z women who identify as voluntarily celibate, 64 percent identified politics as the reason.

More broadly, Riegg concedes that it’s hard to find “quality men”—and not just for television purposes.

“You know how many great female friends I have? And I do not have nearly enough great guy friends to set them up with,” he says. “So I think that’s probably a broader issue.”

Prior to working at Netflix, Riegg worked in reality TV at both NBC and ABC, overseeing hugely popular shows like The Voice, America’s Got Talent, and The Biggest Loser. The latter, along with America’s Next Top Model, has been the subject of a Netflix documentary that exposes behind-the-scenes controversies and instances of psychological stress among the contestants.

Riegg says he’s not concerned about a tell-all about Love Is Blind popping up in 10 years because Netflix holds itself to a high “duty of care” standard, including providing cast members with access to therapy.

Asked if reality TV is inherently exploitative, he says, “You’re not forcing anybody to do anything.” And a quarter-century after Survivor’s debut solidified the high-stakes template for modern reality television, he adds, “I don’t think anybody’s unaware of the pros and cons of doing that stuff.”