Like "The Bachelor", "Coupled" is a dating show that hopes to connect young men and women who are seriously interested in a long-term relationship.
The show starts with 12 women in Anguila. They are living in bungalows on the beautiful island, waiting for some men to come visit. When a helicopter flies overhead, the women wave excitedly, hoping their dream man may be on board. When the bachelor lands, they each get a few minutes to meet him, hoping for some chemistry, trying to make a good first impression.
Then they vote with their feet, heading to a cabana if they are interested in the man, or back to the bungalows if they wish to pass. Afterwards, the man discovers at the cabana how many women are interested, if any. Then he makes a choice, selecting two women he wants to know better. The three of them are then transported to the "trio's villa", where they will have more time to become acquainted.
The next day, the gentleman selects one of the two women to take to the "couples' villa, where they will live as a couple. As the show progresses, the number of couples at the villa increases. So does the drama as some couples fail and the competition between the women sometimes becomes personal.
Like "The Bachelor", all of the hopefuls are attractive. As the women spend more time together, they form bonds and become supportive of each other. Unlike "The Bachelor", the daters are a racially diverse group.
The process moves quickly, but I am not sure how effective this dating method is. The power is distributed fairly equally between the women and the men, which is nice. Some viewers may watch just for the drama, but clearly the daters are serious about meeting a mate.
Update 8/3/16: Good news! The show has enough respect for the daters to let things go beyond the superficial. In the end, things become very real and serious, thanks to the show giving them the chance to move beyond the "dating in paradise" format.
