I used to joke that auditioning for Love Island is a better alternative to dating, and now Tinder is taking it seriously. The app just announced that it's partnering with TikTok to launch a full-on reality dating show this summer called Double Date Island.
The concept is a little different from most dating shows. Instead of sending single people out to navigate an island or competition alone, Tinder is asking contestants to bring a best friend along for the ride. It's all part of Tinder's attempt to be relationship-focused while promoting its Double Date Mode. They're casting single duos from various countries (the U.S., UK, Brazil, Australia, France, Spain, Italy, and Germany), according to the press release, and flying them to Portugal for a summer of on-camera courting.
The show will follow real Tinder users as they go on double dates and participate in challenges and other activities, the app told Mashable. It's (unsurprisingly) inspired by the Double Date feature, and will be unscripted.
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I'm not sure if Tinder is taking a page out of InStyle's book — The InTern mockumentary series went viral soon after its first episode, and now it's so popular that celebrities like Drew Barrymore and Sarah Sherman have appeared in it — but a dating show built just for TikTok sounds like something I'd binge while huddled under my covers.
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If you want to try out for it, you have to move fast. According to a LinkedIn post shared by Tinder's Global Communications and Social Media Manager, Francisco Gonçalves, the casting window opened on June 22 and closes at midnight local time on June 28, this Sunday.
If you're 18 or older, all you have to do is open up Tinder. A special casting card will randomly pop up right in your usual profile stack over the next few days, and if you want to apply, you literally just Swipe Right on it.
Applications will then be reviewed by the production team, Tinder told Mashable. Selected applicants may be invited to participate in further casting stages, such as interviews, additional social or video submissions, social media reviews, background checks, welfare assessments, and other standard production checks.
The show will culminate in an international finale featuring contributors from multiple countries, according to Tinder. Double Date Island will premiere exclusively on TikTok (not Tinder or another streamer) this summer — apparently, if you're 18 and older.
It might be a promo for the app, but hey, traveling to Portugal with your best friend "for the plot" sounds way better than normal swiping.