Snuggle up to SBS 2 this Valentine’s Day with the If You Are the One Australian specials
Specials premiere over two weekends –
Ep 1: 7.30pm, Sunday 14 February and Ep 2: 7.30pm Sunday, 21 February
Is your Valentine’s Day shaping up to be a party of one? Cry not, oh lonely heart, because we are inviting you to ‘SBS 2 and chill’ with the premiere of the If You Are the One Australian specials.
In a network first, SBS 2 recently gave 10 Australian men and 16 Australian women the chance to find their soul mates as contestants on the world’s biggest dating show, filmed in both Australia and Nanjing, China.
With a viewing audience of up to 50 million people per episode, If You Are The One is a popular Chinese dating show and a cultural phenomenon. A lone male suitor has to impress a panel of single women, who can then register their interest or disinterest in the man through the use of their podium lights. Popular host and ringmaster extraordinaire Meng Fei oversees the action (and offers contestants blunt dating advice) in front of a large studio audience.
Ever since the series hit Australian screens in 2013, If You Are The One has developed a mass cult following proving popular with local audiences for its earnestness and the contestants’ business-like, sometimes brutal, approach to finding their life partners.
Potential contestants must be willing to bare it all, from break-up histories and dating criteria, to their potential partner’s income expectations and favourite body part.
Rumour has it that several of the single Aussie fellas were lucky in love during the filming of the two special episodes and sparked up new relationships. Tune in to find out who was successful and who fell victim to the program’s notoriously harsh rejections. You’ll also witness what is possibly the first (but certainly not last) time that a ‘Tim Tam slam’ has been used to woo a love interest.
SBS 2’s The Feed will also give a behind the scenes look at what really goes on to the world’s most popular dating show in a special airing 7.30pm Monday 15 February. With exclusive access, The Feed follows the group of Australian singles as they compete for love – or, at least, a date – on the toughest reality TV gig in China. It’s a wild ride from auditions, to the dressing room, and eventually to host Meng Fei’s side.
The If You Are The One Australian specials air on SBS 2, 7:30pm Sunday 14 February and 7.30pm Sunday 21 February.
The Feed behind the scenes special airs on SBS 2, 7.30pm Monday 15 February.
Join in the conversation on Twitter @SBS2 #IfYouAreTheOne