‘Perfect Match’ Has Perfected the Trash TV Formula

I’ll be the first to admit that, when Perfect Match premiered last February, I was not totally on board. More than anything, the show felt like Netflix’s attempt to construct its own collection of C-list stars akin to Bravo-lebrities or the Bachelor-verse. To do that, Chris Coelen (creator of Love Is Blind) assembled an Avengers-like crew that included some of the most abrasive personalities imaginable, including Too Hot to Handle troublemaker Francesca Farago and the insufferable Shayne James Jansen from Love Is Blind Season 2. The final result was as dramatic as one might expect but also, at times, pretty difficult to watch.

Nevertheless, I have bravely pressed play on Season 2, which premiered Friday. And by some sweet summer miracle, I have to say: It’s way better than the original. The personalities are popping, emotions are high, and, as always, the love games are brutal. It’s stunning what a difference a likable cast can make.

On Perfect Match, 22 singles search for their soulmate through a series of compatibility challenges and poolside make-out sessions. Each week, everyone pairs off in a game of romantic musical chairs; anyone left without a match must go home and hope that someone brings them back to flirt another day. The challenges, administered by our ringleader and stalwart Netflix dating show host Nick Lachey, determine which couple gets to bring new people into the villa and send their fellow competitors on dates. Although the series first premiered just in time for Valentine’s Day, Season 2 proves that summer is really the time to drop a show like this. This season, especially, it’s a perfect, raunchy escape from reality.

Based on the six episodes currently available, Season 2 is off to a spectacular start. Once again, we’ve got an infamous player from Too Hot to Handle in the villa—in this case, the caddish Harry Jowsey—and if that wasn’t chaotic enough, we’ve also got his friend Dom Gabriel, who won Perfect Match Season 1 alongside Georgia Hassarati, only for her to cheat on him with… Harry! I’m sure that won’t be awkward at all.

“Dom Cruise,” as he’s known, is in full bad boy mode this season, much to the chagrin of Tolú Ekundare—who is ready to fall in love after winning a cash prize on Netflix’s The Trust. Micah Lussier, who almost married a scientist with a house full of dead plants on Love Is Blind Season 4, catches several guys’ attention, including Izzy Zapata—whose most memorable moment on Love Is Blind Season 5 came when he revealed that he does not own any dishes or silverware and instead hosts women at his home with paper plates and Solo cups. The real star of this season, however, might just be Jessica Vestal, the fan-favorite single mom from Love Is Blind Season 6 who is never afraid to put misbehaving men in their places. My one complaint in terms of casting is that Myles Reed, aka “Yung Papi Fuego” from The Circle Season 6, is not in the mix, despite being absolutely perfect for this show.

Overall, the machinations that keep Perfect Match running remain the same. Most importantly, they’ve kept the kissing challenge—where couples kiss while wearing blindfolds and earmuffs to test their physical chemistry. No one fakes a cracked tooth like last season, but the results are just as messy.

And speaking of mess, let’s talk about Harry Jowsey. He couldn’t keep his hands to himself on Too Hot to Handle, and here, he’s once again pissing off everyone in the house—specifically, the women—with his reprehensible player antics. As much as his fellow Too Hot to Handle alum Elys Hutchinson might want him to settle down, he simply refuses to behave honorably. That said, maybe Jessica can whip him into shape. Izzy, meanwhile, somehow has even less game now than he did on Love Is Blind—which is unfortunate, because he’s mostly interested in the extremely popular Micah. I’d be lying if I said I took no pleasure in watching him crash and burn.

The real catch this season might just be Alara Taneris from Netflix’s Dated and Related. She doesn’t bring the same catty H.B.I.C. energy that Francesca did in Season 1, but she’s clearly the brunette all the guys are after. And besides, didn’t it get a little boring watching everyone in the house lust after Francesca last season? This time around, everything feels way more egalitarian, which actually makes for a better watch.

At the end of the day, the formula for any of these shows is pretty simple. We’re all just here to watch hot, oiled-up reality stars play games and hurt each other’s feelings in a low-stakes battle for bragging rights, and on that front, Perfect Match delivers. Come to the villa to see just how many unbuttoned patterned shirts these men can wear, and stay for the impromptu lap dances and toe-sucking. This is what the summer TV season is all about.