Maybe there are a lot of reality dating shows with wild premises, but MTV’s “Are You the One?” is in a class by itself.
At the beginning of each season, the producers secretly pair the participants based on the results of the partner selection algorithm. Then the actors get together and try to identify all the perfect matches. If successful, they share a $1 million prize among themselves, but each time they make a mistake, the prize pool decreases.
During the first seven seasons of the series, which debuted in January 2014, potential couples were exclusively heterosexual. However, in season 8, the entire cast was identified as sexually volatile, meaning that “perfect matches” were no longer limited to opposite-sex couples. This change was praised for improving the inclusivity of the show, and the fact that it became exponentially more complex was just an added bonus.
One of the most successful love affairs of the series occurred in the first season between Amber Lee and Ethan Diamond. After they fell in love during filming, Ethan proposed during a reunion special that aired in March 2014. They tied the knot in September of the same year, and later they had daughters Scarlett and Serena.
Although Amber eventually found her husband in “Are You the One?”, at one point she considered leaving the show before filming ended. “At some point I took the producer aside and said I wanted to go home,” she wrote in an essay for HuffPo in February 2021. “I didn’t think I was cut out for a reality show, and I felt completely out of place.”
After another producer suggested she stay, Amber spoke to Ethan for the first time, and the rest is history. “We talked about everything from our family values to our hobbies, which were surprisingly similar,” she recalls. “To be honest, we didn’t even have to talk much—the atmosphere and Ethan’s presence were so warm and soothing that I immediately felt at home with him.”
While Amber and Ethan were the “perfect couple,” some of the show’s other successful couples were not paired up by the matchmaking algorithm. Jenny Knapmiller and Curtis Hadzicki appeared in the second season of 2014, but they were played by John Mustis and Shelby Yardley, respectively.
However, after the cameras stopped working, Curtis and Jenny met again and started dating. The duo got engaged in October 2020. “I will spend the rest of my life trying to properly thank you for everything you do,” the California native wrote on Instagram at the time, along with a photo of him kissing his fiancee. . “I love you forever.”
Keep scrolling to see which pairs of Are You the One? still together.
Amber and Ethan Diamond
The couple of the first season gave birth to their first daughter Scarlett in December 2014. Their second daughter, Serena, was born in June 2018. !” Ethan wrote on Instagram in February 2022, sharing Valentine’s Day wishes for his wife. “I welcome a lifetime of teenage love and laughter! You have helped my heart grow 6 times since our first meeting! No matter what happens, I can always say that I am proud and grateful that I am your Valentine!”
Jenny Knapmiller and Curtis Hadzicki
The duo met during the filming of the second season of the TV series AYTO, which premiered in October 2014. They started dating in 2015 after reuniting behind the scenes. After the couple announced their engagement via Instagram in October 2020, Jenny tagged the official AYTO account in the comments, joking, “I think we should thank you guys for putting us in the same room!”
Uche Nwosu and Clinton Moxam
Uche and Clinton met in June 2017 during the filming of the 6th season of AYTO, which premiered in September of the same year. The algorithm did not consider them an ideal couple, but computers are not always right — the couple got engaged in June 2020 and got married in September 2021. “We met on a reality show, and although it’s unusual, it’s our love. history, and we would not change it for anything,” the couple told the brides at the time.
Mikala Thomas and Joe Torgerson
Mikala appeared in season 4 of AYTO, which aired in 2016. She briefly dated her perfect match, Cameron Kolbo, but they broke up in 2017. Joe, for his part, starred in season 6 of AYTO in 2017, and later he appeared on the first season of Ex on the Beach. Mikala and Joe confirmed their romance in August 2018 after months of denying rumors about their relationship status. The couple got engaged in February 2021. “Now you’re stuck with me,” Jo joked on Instagram after the news was announced.
Carolina Duarte and Cam Brookman
Cam appeared in season 4 of AYTO, and Caroline starred in season 5, as well as in the spin-off Are You the One? “Second Chances”, in which actors from previous seasons participated. The duo met after filming and got engaged in September 2019. The couple, who married in July 2021, announced in January 2022 that they were expecting their first child.
