Love in the Wild

Last updated

Love in the Wild
Created byEndemol USA
Presented by Darren McMullen (season 1)
Jenny McCarthy (season 2)
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons2
No. of episodes16
Production
Executive producersTom Shelly
Liz Schulze
Mark Allen
Eric Gardner
Production locations Costa Rica (season 1)
Dominican Republic and Hawaii (season 2)
Running time43–44 minutes
88 minutes (season 2 premiere)
Production companiesSteele Mill Productions
Endemol USA
Original release
Network NBC
ReleaseJune 29, 2011 (2011-06-29) 
July 25, 2012 (2012-07-25)

Love in the Wild is a reality television series that debuted on June 29, 2011, on NBC. The show is created and produced by Endemol USA. The first season was hosted by Darren McMullen; season 2 premiered on June 5, 2012, with new host Jenny McCarthy. [1] [2]

Contents

Format

Set in Costa Rica (season 1) or in Dominican Republic and Hawaii (season 2), the series begins with ten men and ten women, paired into couples. The couples must compete in challenges that test their own abilities and their compatibility as a team. Following each episode's adventure, the winning couple spends the night at a luxurious resort called the Oasis, while the other contestants stay in ordinary cabins and socialize with each other. The next day at the choice ceremony, contestants choose their partners for the next episode's challenge. The last remaining unmatched man and woman are eliminated. The series will conclude with one winning couple, who receive a trip around the world.

Choice ceremony and elimination rules

To illustrate the mechanics of the choice ceremony, the following example is provided using these fictional couples:

  1. Anna and Adam
  2. Barbra and Bob
  3. Connie and Carl
  4. Daisy and Doug

Couples are ordered by their finish in the previous day's challenge. (The gender that chooses first from each couple alternates with each ceremony; i.e., if women go first in one ceremony, men will go first in the next ceremony.)

Anna may choose first whether she would like to stay with Adam or ask someone else to partner with her. Because she and Adam finished first, if either of them wishes to partner with someone else, the other contestant cannot refuse. Anna chooses to stay with Adam, and Adam chooses to stay with Anna. They move on together.

Barbra and Bob are next. Barbra asks Carl to be her partner, and Carl accepts, so Barbra and Carl move on together. Bob asks Connie to be his partner, and Connie refuses. Bob moves to the Singles Area.

Connie may now choose between asking Doug or Bob to partner with her (despite having already rejected Bob). Connie asks Doug to be her partner, and Doug accepts. Connie and Doug move on.

Daisy and Bob are the final two unmatched contestants, and are eliminated.

If Doug had refused to partner with Connie, Connie would have joined Bob in the Singles Area. Daisy and Doug would then each choose to either stay together or ask Bob or Connie to partner up. If Daisy and Doug then both chose to stay together, Daisy and Doug would move on despite finishing last in the challenge, and Bob and Connie would be eliminated.

If there are more than two contestants in the Singles Area after all couples have chosen, the single contestants (in the order of their arrival in the Singles Area) may attempt again to create a partnership with one of the other singles. If all the single contestants continue to decline any partnerships with each other, they will all be eliminated. This feature resulted in the double elimination of Season 1, Episode 6, when the four remaining Singles Area competitors were unable to form any couples.

The show format gives a strong advantage to loyal couples, as they are guaranteed to move ahead as long as they do not finish last in a challenge. (Even then, they will advance if there is anyone in the singles area.) There are few circumstances in which betrayal can be advantageous. (One case being that a member of a last-place couple may accept a switch request, and certain survival for one round, rather than count on a partner's loyalty.) Attempted switches may leave a contestant vulnerable to subsequent retaliation, as in Season 1, when Steele's switch attempt led to a retaliatory rejection by Erica which eliminated both of them. In Season 1, the last three couples had formed romantic bonds which helped protect them from elimination.

Mike and Samantha won Season 1 and earned a trip around the world together.

Season 1 (2011)

Contestants

Source: [3]

Females
ContestantAgeHometown
Samantha Woods23 Huntington Beach, California
Heather Pond23 Sonoma, California
Theresa Trujillo24 San Jose, California
Brandee Dillehay25 Nashville, Tennessee
Erica Scherle24Nashville, Tennessee
Jessica "Jess" DeBolt24 San Francisco, California
Jessica Soares23 Bridgewater, Massachusetts
Kym Nguyen24 Quincy, Massachusetts
Vanessa Guerrero26 Phoenix, Arizona
Dawn Christjaener27 Scottsdale, Arizona
Males
ContestantAgeHometown
Michael "Mike" Spiro29San Francisco, California
Miles Haefner28 St. Louis Park, Minnesota
Skip Sullivan30 Milton, Massachusetts
Benjamin "Ben" Hooker27 Charleston, South Carolina
Steele Dewald24Scottsdale, Arizona
Derek Leach28 Venice, California
Jason Jackson28San Francisco, California
Adam Rose25 Taunton, Massachusetts
Peter Paris31Venice, California
Jared Ines28 Los Angeles, California

Men

Partners12345 (Mandatory Switch) [4] 678 (Finale)
MikeSamanthaSamanthaSamanthaSamanthaSamantha (Theresa)SamanthaSamanthaSamantha
MilesEricaHeatherEricaHeatherHeather (Brandee)HeatherHeatherHeather
SkipJessicaTheresaTheresaTheresaTheresa (Jess)TheresaTheresa
BenHeatherBrandeeBrandeeBrandeeBrandee (Samantha)Brandee
SteeleVanessaVanessaKymEricaErica (Heather)Erica
DerekKymJessicaJessJessJess (Erica)
JasonJessEricaJessicaJessica
AdamBrandeeKymHeather
PeterTheresaJess
JaredDawn

Women

Partners12345 (Mandatory Switch) [4] 678 (Finale)
SamanthaMikeMikeMikeMikeMike (Ben)MikeMikeMike
HeatherBenMilesAdamMilesMiles (Steele)MilesMilesMiles
TheresaPeterSkipSkipSkipSkip (Mike)SkipSkip
BrandeeAdamBenBenBenBen (Miles)Ben
EricaMilesJasonMilesSteeleSteele (Derek)Steele
JessJasonPeterDerekDerekDerek (Skip)
JessicaSkipDerekJasonJason
KymDerekAdamSteele
VanessaSteeleSteele
DawnJared
  Finished first and immune from elimination, except in episodes 5 and 7
  Eliminated
  Winner
  Runner-up

Updates

Mike and Samantha announced their engagement in March 2013 and got married on April 19, 2014, in San Francisco, California, where they have been living together since the show ended. [5] They have two children: daughter Audrey (born on December 29, 2015) and son Zachary (born February 1, 2018). [6] [7] Heather and Miles have also been residing in San Francisco. [8] The two announced their engagement in March 2015 and were married on June 18, 2016. [9] [10] Their son Macklin was born in August 2018. [11]

Filming

Principal photography for the first season took place in Cahuita, Limón, La Fortuna, and San Carlos, Costa Rica. The second season's filming was split between the Dominican Republic and Hawaii. [12]

Season 2 (2012)

Contestants

Source: [13]

Females
ContestantAgeHometown
Yanina Beccaria33 Chicago, Illinois
Michelle Sacco28Atlanta, Georgia
Summer Mack32 Indian Harbour Beach, Florida
Ali Leitza33 Little Rock, Arkansas
Jenna Gillund23 Dallas, Texas
Vanessa Ramirez30Phoenix, Arizona
Cina Luks22 San Lorenzo, California
Jenny Blatt27 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Lindsay Furman29Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Melissa Alatorre23Los Angeles, California
Natalie Korzon24 Ann Arbor, Michigan
Tara Locke26 Miami Beach, Florida
Shauna Dillard28 Kingsburg, California
Males
ContestantAgeHometown
Kenneth "Ken" Barrington33Miami Beach, Florida
Benjamin "Ben" Clark27 Bolsover, United Kingdom
Aaron "Chase" Chase28 Newport Beach, California
Jesse Wilson33 Manhattan Beach, California
Ryan Smith27San Francisco, California
Jason Ewell25 Dublin, California
Tim Parrish32Chicago, Illinois
Christian Seklecki34 Atlanta, Georgia
Darwin Zook32 Boston, Massachusetts
Franky Arriola31 Miami, Florida
Jason Holmes29 North Hollywood, California
Leonard "Leo" Borriello27Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Mike Sweet30Los Angeles, California
Quaison "Q" Dodd31Los Angeles, California

Men

Partners12345678 (Finale)
KenYaninaYaninaYanina & LindsayYaninaYaninaYaninaYaninaYanina
BenJennyJennyJenny & MichelleMichelleAliMichelleMichelleMichelle
ChaseCinaAliAli & JennaSummerSummerSummerSummer
JesseSummerTaraTara & MelissaAliMichelle
RyanShaunaShaunaSummer & NatalieJennaJenna
Jason E.CinaCinaCina & VanessaVanessa
TimTaraSummer
Jason H.Ali
LeoTara
Quaison Summer
FrankyJenny
DarwinAli
MikeYanina
ChristianShauna

Women

Partners12345678 (Finale)
YaninaKen & MikeKenKenKenKenKenKenKen
MichelleN/AN/ABenBenJesseBenBenBen
SummerJesse & QuaisonTimRyanChaseChaseChaseChase
JennaN/AN/AChaseRyanRyan
AliJason H. & DarwinChaseChaseJesseBen
VanessaN/AN/AJason E.Jason E.
CinaChase & Jason E.Jason E.Jason E.
JennyBen & FrankyBenBen
LindsayN/AN/AKen
MelissaN/AN/AJesse
NatalieN/AN/ARyan
TaraTim & LeoJesseJesse
ShaunaChristian & RyanRyan
  Finished first and immune from elimination, except in episodes 1,3 and 6
  Eliminated
  Winner
  Runner-up

Updates

Winners Ken and Yanina got married in the Dominican Republic on January 17, 2015. [14] They have two children: daughter Andi (born January 8, 2016) and son Lennox (born August 2018). [15] [16] Runner-ups Ben and Michelle were the first couple to get married, doing so on October 26, 2013. [17] [18] Summer and Chase announced their engagement September 2014. [19] They were married on March 4, 2016. [20] All couples remain together as of 2024.

Jesse Wilson was a contestant on Syfy's reality game show Opposite Worlds. [21]

Reception

Love in the Wild received mixed reviews from critics, with Metacritic scoring a 47 out of 100. [22]

Emily Yahr of The Washington Post said that the best part of the show was all about the "sweeping views of Costa Rica", however, it did not go "far enough in any direction to make the premise intriguing to watch." [23]

Love in the Wild premiered to a 2.2/6 rating in adults 18/49 and was watched by 6.48 million viewers. The premiere was the third most watched program of the night, and it was first in its timeslot. The premiere was the seventh most watched show that week.

References

  1. "NBC Announces Adventure-Dating Series "Love in the Wild" Will Return for Second Season". TheFutonCritic.com. October 20, 2011. Retrieved May 5, 2012.
  2. Margaret, Mary (April 19, 2012). "Jenny McCarthy: 'I'm Taking Baby Steps' with New Romance". Parade . Retrieved May 5, 2012.
  3. Bierly, Mandi (May 3, 2011). "'Love in the Wild' contestants revealed". Entertainment Weekly.
  4. 1 2 For episode 5, the first name listed is the partner chosen at the end of episode 4. The second name is the partner subsequently chosen when all contestants were forced to switch partners before the episode 5 challenge. Derek was forced out by an injury, and Jess refused all choices.
  5. Samantha Woods [@SamanthaWoods10] (February 14, 2012). "@katie492 - I am living in SF with Mike, still doing wedding planning :)" (Tweet) via Twitter.
  6. "Samantha Spiro on Instagram: "Welcome to the world Audrey Kay Spiro. You are our greatest adventure yet. 🎀 12.29.15"".
  7. "Samantha Spiro on Instagram: "We have a son!! We are thrilled to introduce you to our newest family member, Zachary Robert Spiro. 2.1.18 #spiropartyoffour #myheartisbursting #woahihavetwokids"".
  8. Stavarski, Melissa. "Love In The Wild Recap: Season 2 Premiere Features Jenny McCarthy, Double the Hotties with Bodies" Reality TV Magazine
  9. Heather Pond [@heatherpondSF] (March 9, 2015). "Amazing weekend at the beach in Carmel and exploring Big Sur with my FIANCÉ @mileshaefner #engaged @…" (Tweet) via Twitter.
  10. "Instagram".
  11. "Instagram".
  12. Fogarty, Paul. "Where was Love in the Wild filmed? Netflix show Locations".
  13. Schneider, Michael (May 4, 2012). "Exclusive: Meet the Contestants on Season 2 of NBC's Love In The Wild". TV Guide. Retrieved September 12, 2015.
  14. Yanina Beccaria [@yaninabeccaria] (December 8, 2012). "@Rboy_12 last 3 couples r together. Traveling is a pain in the behind. Specially when u think how many shoes u could buy instead of air tix!" (Tweet) via Twitter.
  15. "Yanina Beccaria on Facebook". Facebook . Archived from the original on April 30, 2022.[ user-generated source ]
  16. "Yanina Beccaria on Instagram: "As our Fire Chief dino enthusiast enters the Terrible 2s"".
  17. pic.twitter.com/xGBMfTLy
  18. https://www.facebook.com/benclarkLOVEINTHEWILD/posts/522343157785559 [ user-generated source ]
  19. "Chase on Twitter: "Happiest day of my life, so far! Happy to be engag…". Archived from the original on January 24, 2015.
  20. "Aaron Chase on Facebook". Facebook . Archived from the original on April 30, 2022.[ user-generated source ]
  21. "Opposite Worlds on SyFy". TV Guide (CBS Interactive Inc). Retrieved February 9, 2014.
  22. Love in the Wild Metacritic.
  23. TV review: NBC’s ‘Love in the Wild’ is a cross between lots of reality shows Washington Post. Retrieved on June 30, 2011.