Since its premiere on August 23, Bon Appétit, Your Majesty has become appointment viewing, earning the highest domestic ratings of any tvN drama this year and a firm spot in Netflix's Top 10 for non-English shows. With the romance K-drama airing weekly through September, it's time to learn more about the global superstars and acclaimed actors bringing the time-bending court intrigue to life. Below, learn everything you need to know about the cast of Bon Appétit, Your Majesty.

Lim Yoon-a as Yeon Ji-yeong

When we first meet Yeon Ji-yeong in 2025, she's an acclaimed chef who has just won the grandest cooking competition in France. After crash-landing in Joseon, she utilizes her anachronistic cooking skills and knowledge of history to keep the favor of the king and survive until she can find a way home.

Lim Yoon-a (a.k.a. Yoona), 35, is an actress and K-pop singer who debuted in 2007 as a member of the legendary girl group Girls' Generation. She made her K-drama debut in the same year, and has appeared in dramas including You Are My Destiny, Cinderella Man, The K2, The King in Love, Big Mouth, and King the Land. She has also starred in movies including the Confidential Assignment franchise, Exit, A Year-End Medley, and Pretty Crazy.

Lee Chae-min as King Yi-heon

Joseon's monarch Yi-heon is an erratic tyrant who's despised for his practice of abducting women and bringing them to the palace as "entertainers," known as "chaehong" (This is inspired by the real-life ruler Yeonsangun.) We soon learn that all his cruelty (including the chaehong) is part of his single-minded mission to get revenge for his mother's murder. As each of Ji-young's meals reminds him of his late mother, his heart starts to soften toward the cook.

Lee Chae-min, 24, has had a meteoric rise as an actor and TV personality since his debut in 2021. He's best known for the romance dramas Crash Course in Romance, See You in My 19th Life, Hierarchy, and Crushology 101. He also co-hosted Music Bank (one of Korea's music shows, similar to TRL) alongside LE SSERAFIM member Hong Eunchae from September 2022 to May 2024. (Fun fact: He's publicly dating his Crash Course in Romance co-star Ryu Da-in.)

Kang Han-na as Kang Mok-ju

Seven years ago, Kang Mok-ju was imprisoned for killing the nobleman who had bought her from her mother. Prince Je-san freed her and installed her as Yi-heon's junior consort, to aid in the prince's plots. When the mysterious Ji-yeong begins winning Yi-heon's favor, Mok-ju becomes determined to get her out of the picture.

Kang Han-na, 36, earned a Baeksang Arts Award nomination in 2017 for her breakout role as the villainous princess in the historical romance Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo. Her best-known roles include the dramas Familiar Wife, Start-Up, My Roommate is a Gumiho, Bloody Heart, and Frankly Speaking. As for Korean reality shows, she has made the most guest appearances in the history of the variety show Running Man, and she recently served as a host/mentor on Netflix's dating show Better Late Than Single.

Choi Gwi-hwa as Prince Je-san

Prince Je-san, Yi-heon's uncle and the half-brother of the previous king, holds the position of head of the Royal Kitchen. On the surface, Je-san's a hedonistic playboy who's criticized for his scandalous life, but he's secretly been plotting to seize the crown.

Choi Gwi-hwa, 47, is a familiar face to Netflix fans; earlier this year, he had a featured role as Player 203 in Squid Game season 3. The veteran actor is best known for his film roles—including in iconic Korean horror movies like The Wailing and Train to Busan—though he also had a main role in the 2018 Korean remake of Suits.

Seo Yi-sook as Queen Dowager In-ju

Queen Dowager In-ju is the matriarch and the highest authority in the royal family, after losing both her husband and her son. Though she's the one who placed her biological grandson Yi-heon on the throne, they butt heads due to his mood swings (and the monumental secret she's hiding).

Seo Yi-sook, 58, started her career as a stage actress before making her film debut in the 1998 drama Spring In My Hometown. Since 2010, she has appeared in dozens of dramas, including The Heirs, Empress Ki, Mother, Hotel de Luna, The World of the Married, Start-Up, Under the Queen's Umbrella, Queenmaker, The Good Bad Mother, and Melo Movie.

Oh Eui-shik as Im Song-jae

Im Song-jae is the king's Chief State Councilor, a cunning strategist and trusted advisor. Sick of being ordered around by Mok-ju, he enlists Ji-young to slip him the information she learns from her meals with Yi-heon.

Oh Eui-shik, 41, began his career as a child actor in stage musicals. In 2015, he made his K-drama debut in the rom-com Oh My Ghost. He has since appeared in beloved romance dramas including Love in the Moonlight, Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok-joo, While You Were Sleeping, Familiar Wife, Romance is a Bonus Book, True Beauty, Crash Course in Romance, and Undercover High School.

Yoon Seo-ah as Seo Gil-geum

Soon after Ji-young arrives in Joseon, she meets Seo Gil-geum, an orphan whose home had been seized as part of the prince's hunting ground. Surprisingly, Gil-geum immediately believes that Ji-young is from the future, and the Joseon girl becomes the modern cook's closest confidant.

Yoon Seo-ah, 24, began working as a teen actress before her breakout role as Ji-wan, an art student who falls in love with her female best friend, in Nevertheless,. She has since appeared in supporting roles in dramas like Bloody Heart, Today's Webtoon, Goodbye Earth, and The Tale of Lady Ok.

Lee Joo-ahn as Gong-gil

Gong-gil is a member of the "namsadang," a group of all-male entertainers who serve as jesters for the king. The agile performer is enlisted for several nefarious jobs from both sides of the Yi-heon/Je-san power struggle. (Fun fact: Gong-gil is a real historic figure who was Yeonsangun's "favorite clown," even depicted in the 2005 film The King and the Clown.)

Lee Joo-ahn, 29, made his acting debut in 2018 as an orthopedic resident in the hit thriller K-drama SKY Castle. He has since appeared in supporting roles in popular dramas, including Save Me season 2, Chief of Staff season 2, True Beauty, Youth of May, Snowdrop, and Love Song for Illusion.

Netflix's latest true-crime documentary Unknown Number: The High School Catfish follows an intense case of cyberbullying with an unbelievable culprit. In October 2020, 13-year-old Lauryn Licari and her then-boyfriend Owen McKenny began receiving anonymous text messages. The sender seemed to be a fellow preteen who wanted Owen for themselves, but after months of harassment, authorities couldn't find the guilty party in the small town of Beal City, Michigan. It took the FBI getting involved to find the person behind the texts: Lauryn's own mother, Kendra Licari.

Since Unknown Number's premiere on August 29, viewers have flooded social media with their shocked reactions to Kendra's actions. The wildest part of the true-crime film is the inclusion of Kendra herself, first appearing as a concerned parent before it's revealed that she was the one sending the wildly inappropriate texts to children. For anyone still trying to pick their jaws up off the floor, here's a primer on the events of Unknown Number: The High School Catfish, including what we know about Kendra's life after the documentary wrapped.

What happened to Lauryn Licari and Owen McKenny in 'Unknown Number'?

By October 2020 in Beal City, Michigan, Lauryn Licari and Owen McKenny had been dating for about a year. The couple started receiving anonymous text messages; the sender claimed that Owen was in love with them and was going to break up with Lauryn.

The initial harassment only lasted a few weeks, but in September 2021, it restarted, with the pair receiving 30 to 50 texts a day. The sender called Lauryn by her nickname, "Lo," and mentioned knowledge that only someone close could be privy to, such as specific conversations in their classes. The messages were sent from multiple different numbers and area codes, so the teens could not stop receiving them without changing their numbers, which the families chose not to do.

In the documentary, Lauryn describes losing her confidence due to cruel messages which criticized her looks and her clothes. Many of the texts also included vulgar sexual innuendo toward Owen.

Lauryn began to lose trust in Owen, after receiving texts claiming that the sender was spending time with him. After two years of dating, the pair broke up due to the strain, but the messages worsened after the split. The sender began sending Lauryn threats like "kill yourself now b****" and "his life would be better if you were dead." Meanwhile, when Owen began dating a girl in another town, the sender started texting his new girlfriend's parents, leading to another break-up. Both Lauryn and Owen's parents were afraid for their kids' mental health and the emotional toll of the harassment.

How was Kendra Licari caught in 'Unknown Number'?

Fifteen months after the messages started, school administration got the police involved. The cops investigated several students—including Owen's friend Khloe Wilson, who allegedly had a history of bullying—but no hard evidence came up. In April 2022, the cops brought in the FBI, who tracked down two IP addresses behind all of the anonymous numbers. None of Owen's friends' phone numbers matched with the IPs, but one adult's number did: Lauryn's mom.

Unknown Number shows the body cam footage from August 2022, when officers confronted Kendra at home, got a confession, and informed Lauryn that her mom was behind the texts. In the doc, law enforcement and the school's superintendent lay out all of Kendra's suspicious behavior over the 20-month period. She had allegedly tried to "interject herself in the investigation," checking in with police multiple times. She worked in IT. She helped coach Lauryn's basketball and baseball teams and could've been present at the school to hear details that were included in the messages.

It's also revealed that Kendra had been lying to her family for a long time about her career. Though she'd made it seem like she was still working, she had lost both her jobs over a year prior, which was how she had the time to send so many texts. The Licari family had been going through financial difficulties, even been evicted from one home, but Kendra was the one managing the household's money and had somehow covered up her lack of income. (At one point, Kendra's cousin accuses her of possible insurance fraud.)

Why did Kendra Licari catfish her daughter Lauryn in 'Unknown Number'?

After the doc's big reveal, Kendra gets a chance to defend herself in a talking-head interview. She claims that someone else sent the first messages in October 2020, and that she later continued the texts to help catch whoever it was. (None of the doc's subjects believe this.) Kendra claims that she was in an "awful place mentally" during that period, that everything spiraled, and she didn't know how to stop sending the texts. She also compares her "mistakes" to driving drunk, arguing, "Realistically, a lot of us have probably broken the law at some point or another and not gotten caught."

When asked about the suicide messages, Kendra says she was never worried about Lauryn killing herself, because of the bond they shared. At the end of the film, Kendra says that unresolved trauma from a sexual assault in her past may have led to the harassment.

"As [Lauryn] started getting older, I had things that were suppressed come forward. A lot of it was previous trauma starting to resurface that I didn't know how to handle. When I was 17, I was raped, and as my daughter was hitting those teenage years, I got scared," Kendra says in the film. "I wanted to try to control the outcome of her journey. I was afraid of letting her grow up. I was scared of what could happen to her."

Though no mental health experts are interviewed in the documentary, the school's superintendent and Kendra's cousin do theorize that Kendra could have been suffering from a sort of "cyber Munchausen's" syndrome by proxy, where she was bullying Lauryn so that she would require her mom's love and support, and Kendra could "play the hero." Owen and his mother also allege that Kendra was inappropriately attracted to Owen to the point of obsession, mentioning that Kendra would attend all of Owen's sporting events, even after he and Lauryn broke up. (Kendra does not address the Owen allegations in the film.)

Where is Kendra Licari now after the events of 'Unknown Number'?

Kendra Licari was arrested in December 2022 and charged with five counts, including stalking of a minor and obstruction of justice. She took a deal and pled guilty to two counts of stalking a minor, one for Lauryn and one for Owen. On April 16, 2023, Kendra was sentenced to a minimum of 19 months and a maximum of five years in prison. She was released on parole on August 8, 2024, and will be a parolee until February 2026, per Today.

Kendra, who is now 45, is reportedly living in Michigan. Per The Cut, she is now divorced from Lauryn's father, Shawn Licari, who won full custody of Lauryn. Kendra has not spoken publicly since the documentary's release.

Speaking to Tudum, Unknown Number director Skye Borgman confirmed that Kendra still wants to be part of her daughter's life, but the filmmaker shared her doubts on whether that's possible. "She’s remorseful that she has severely altered her relationship with her daughter in most likely a negative way. I mean, will they have a relationship? Will they get through this? I don’t know," Borgman said. "There will probably be some kind of relationship. Will it be the same? Absolutely not. There’s no way it can be the same."

Where is Lauryn Licari now after the events of 'Unknown Number'?

Lauryn Licari was 13 years old when the events of Unknown Number began; as of the documentary's release, she is now 18. She not spoken publicly about the film since its release. The documentary's ending title card reads, "Lauryn is planning to attend college and study criminology."

According to Borgman, Lauryn's thoughts on her mother's actions changed throughout the documentary's filming. When Lauryn's initial interview took place in the spring of 2023, the teen was adamant that she wanted to reconnect with her mother. Lauryn and Kendra's closeness had even become a concern during the trial, and the judge had banned Kendra from contacting her victims.

While Kendra was incarcerated, the mother and daughter communicated via email; by the time Kendra filmed her scenes following her release, it had been a year and a half since the pair had seen each other in person. In another interview following Kendra's release, Lauryn said that she would see her mother "when the time is right."

"I think I want to trust her now, but I don’t think I can," Lauryn says in the film. "Now that she’s out, I just want her to get the help she needs so then when we see each other, it doesn’t go back to the old ways and how it was before."

Recalling the change in Lauryn's mindset, Borgman explained that by 2024, the teen had started to process her mother’s actions and "wanted to approach the relationship with more caution in our second interview."

The director added of the now 18-year-old, "She is at the beginning of figuring out that she can be the one in charge, that she can make all the decisions for herself and for her relationship with her mother,” Borgman says. “I think that’s going to be a really interesting place for Lauryn to explore."

On the latest episode of the Marie Claire podcast "Nice Talk", Christeson shares the piece of sexist feedback she still keeps in her “inspire folder.”

“In 2015, I was out raising money—not a lot, but just enough to get Argent off the ground, because there’s a high barrier for entry in apparel. It’s costly,” Christeson tells editor-in-chief Nikki Ogunnaike. “Our deck got in front of a man who’s a partner at a really reputable VC, and his feedback—and I have it saved in my inspire folder—was, ‘We’ve seen a lot of pitches for women’s workwear brands and utility does not belong in women’s clothing.’”

She continues: “This is a 50-ish-year-old straight white man. That’s the demographic that’s been leading this industry … They’re making decisions without having the lived experience.”

Christeson knew firsthand that women were “frustrated” by the options available. She had been working in a corporate job at Cisco Systems before launching Argent, and the evidence was everywhere.

“‘Utility doesn’t belong in women’s clothing?’ What’s, like, the most meme-d thing across the internet? It’s pockets. So I already knew there was an opportunity. But I love stuff like this. I love people who don’t believe in me.”

Today, Argent is worn by many high-profile women, including Hillary Clinton, Meghan Markle, and Kamala Harris. Christeson calls seeing celebrities in her designs “pretty surreal,” adding that it “legitimizes and gives credibility to our business, because we are still small.”

But it isn’t the big names that drive her. “I consider our woman to be time-constrained, a pioneer, and most often not a household name,” she explains. “The woman I get most excited about is behind the scenes—a chemist in a lab, someone creating a cure for morning sickness. I get really excited about that doctor who’s working on that. These are the women who are truly incredible and remarkable, leaving their mark on the world.”

For more from Christeson—including the study linking women’s appearance and income that inspired her to start Argent, and her take on the term girlboss—check out this week's installment of "Nice Talk". The episode is available everywhere you listen to podcasts.

This year's ceremony is once again all about the pop divas, with several of the biggest women in music expected to grace the stage and pick up a Moon Person or two. With just days to go, we've rounded up all the details of when the 2025 VMAs are, how to watch the award show, and what A-listers are expected to attend. Read on for everything you need to know about the 2025 VMAs.

When are the 2025 MTV VMAs?

The 2025 VMAs will air live on CBS and MTV, and stream live on Paramount+, on Sunday, September 7 at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT. For the second year, the event will be held at the UBS Arena on New York’s Long Island.

This will be the first year that the awards ceremony will air live on CBS and simulcast on MTV.

How to watch the 2025 MTV VMAs:

If you still have cable, you can tune into your local CBS or MTV channel or use your cable login to watch from your computer or phone via CBS or MTV's website or app.

The VMAs will also be available on the Paramount+ app in the U.S. only. However, the awards will only stream live for Paramount+ Premium subscribers, via the live feed of their local CBS channel. The app's Premium tier starts at $13/month and offers a seven-day free trial. The full ceremony will be available to stream on-demand the following day for all subscribers, including those at the Paramount+ Essential tier (at $8/month).

If you neither have cable nor a Paramount+ Premium subscription, there are still ways to watch the 2025 VMAs. Live streaming TV services like Hulu + Live TV, DIRECTV STREAM, Fubo, and YouTube Live provide access to CBS (and offer free trials).

How to watch the 2025 MTV VMAs Pre-Show:

MTV (but not CBS) will also air the 2025 VMAs Pre-Show on September 7, starting at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT, an hour ahead of the main ceremony. The red carpet show will be hosted by Nessa and Kevan Kenney, and global girl group KATSEYE will perform their latest singles "Gnarly" and "Gabriela."

Who is hosting the 2025 MTV VMAs?

LL Cool J will emcee this year's VMAs, pulling double-duty as the host and a nominee for "Best Hip-Hop Video" alongside Eminem for "Murdergram Dieux." The "Headsprung" rapper and five-time Grammy host has a long history with the VMAs; he was the first rapper to receive the Video Vanguard Award in 1997, and he co-hosted the awards in 2022 alongside Nicki Minaj and Jack Harlow.

Who is performing at the 2025 MTV VMAs?

Several of 2025's biggest artists are set to hit the VMAs stage: Alex Warren, Conan Gray, Doja Cat, Jelly Roll, Lady Gaga, J Balvin featuring DJ Snake, Post Malone, Sabrina Carpenter, sombr, and Tate McRae. Bailey Zimmerman ft. the Kid LAROI, Lola Young, and Megan Moroney are also set to perform, as part of the VMAs' Extended Play Stage.

There will also be several special performances. Busta Rhymes will take the stage and receive the Rock the Bells Visionary Award recognizing his cultural impact, while Ricky Martin will receive the Latin Icon Award honoring his four-decade career that "launched Latin music and culture into the mainstream," per MTV. Finally, a tribute to the late Ozzy Osbourne will feature Aerosmith’s Steven Tyler & Joe Perry, YUNGBLUD, and Nuno Bettencourt performing the Prince of Darkness's biggest hits.

Who is presenting at the 2025 VMAs?

MTV has announced that the presenters for this year's VMAs will range from pop royalty to Netflix stars both live-action and animated. The full list of presenters includes sisters Jessica Simpson and Ashlee Simpson Ross, Ciara, Drew Barrymore, Ice Spice, Latto, Livvy Dunne, The Hunting Wives stars Brittany Snow and Malin Akerman, Megan Stalter, Nikki Glaser, and Paris Hilton. Also, KPop Demon Hunters’ EJAE, Audrey Nuna, and REI AMI—the real-life singers behind HUNTR/X—will make their television debut (and maybe, hopefully sing a few bars of "Golden").

Alessandra Ambrosio, Big Sean, Busta Rhymes, Carson Daly, Cyndi Lauper, Damiano David (Måneskin), DANNA, DJ Khaled, Fat Joe, Flavor Flav, French Montana, Halle Bailey, Lil Nas X, Miranda Lambert, Naomi Scott, Paris Hilton, Suki Waterhouse, Thalía, and Tinashe.

Who is nominated at the 2025 VMAs?

Of the nominees, Lady Gaga is the most-recognized artist this year with 12 nods, followed by her "Die With a Smile" collaborator Bruno Mars with 11 nods. Mother Monster could also break or tie several records, including becoming the first artist to win "Song of the Year" twice, or becoming the second-ever artist to win "Artist Of The Year" on multiple occasions, after Taylor Swift. If Gaga sweeps, she would also tie with Swift and Beyoncé as the most awarded artist in the history of the VMAs, with 30 wins total.

Other frontrunners include Kendrick Lamar, who is up for 10 Moon Person awards; Sabrina Carpenter and ROSÉ with nine and eight nominations, respectively; Ariana Grande and The Weeknd with seven nominations each; Billie Eilish and Tate McRae with six each; Charli XCX with five; and Bad Bunny, Doechii, and Miley Cyrus with four each. First-time nominees this year include Alex Warren, Gigi Perez, KATSEYE, Lainey Wilson, Leon Thomas, Lola Young, The Marías, and a posthumous nod for Mac Miller, as well as first solo nominations for Jimin of BTS and ROSÉ, JENNIE, and JISOO of BLACKPINK.

Some news for Swifties: even though the singer is nominated for Artist of the Year, E! News has reported that Taylor Swift is planning to skip Sunday's ceremony. The first red-carpet look of her Life of a Showgirl era will have to wait.

Who will receive the Video Vanguard Award at the 2025 MTV VMAs?

Mariah Carey will receive the 2025 Video Vanguard Award at this year's VMAs. Mother Lamb's highly-anticipated, career-spanning performance will be her first time gracing the VMAs stage in 20 years, since her rendition of The Emancipation of Mimi singles "We Belong Together" and "Shake It Off" (with guests Jadakiss and Jermaine Dupri) in 2005.

Despite her legacy of iconic music videos for songs like "Honey," "Always Be My Baby," and "Obsessed," the Video Vanguard Award will be Carey's first-ever VMA award over her 35-year career.

The Queen of Christmas will also become the eighth female recipient of the Video Vanguard Award in a row, following Rihanna, Pink, Jennifer Lopez, Missy Elliot, Nicki Minaj, Shakira, and Katy Perry.

How can you vote for the 2025 VMAs?

Voting for the gender-neutral award show remains open at vote.mtv.com until Friday, September 5 at 6 p.m. ET, with fans able to vote up to 10 times a day in each category. In addition to the main slate, fans can also cast their vote for two social categories—Best Group and Song of the Summer—via MTV's Instagram stories. Voting for the social categories will remain open through Sunday, September 7.

We don’t make the rules: Back-to-school season unofficially marks the start of fall, even if your cute new cardigan is to combat the blasting A.C., rather than crisp autumn air. Regardless, there are still plenty of other cozy delights to help you start feeling the school spirit—like sinking your teeth into a dark academia novel.

These creepy books typically feature a school (bonus points if it’s haunted) and students untangling—or covering up—knotty crimes all before the first bell of the day. With the delectable blend of old-world lore, dreary backdrops, and a Shakespeare reference or two, dark academia novels are ideal for getting into the swing of the school year.

Fortunately, this genre has something for everyone. From realistic plots to others that include communing with the uncanny, all of these books will have you wondering what’s scarier: figuring out who to eat lunch with or facing down a poltergeist.

From grad students with a flair for witchcraft and a podcaster solving mysteries at her alma mater, these dark academia novels are heavy on suspense—and don’t skimp on the drama, either. Below, check out some of the top dark academia novels to read now.

The book-to-screen deals were made slightly out of order, with Henry’s second adult novel, People We Meet on Vacation, set to be the first to hit screens, with a Netflix movie due out in early 2026. But the film version of her first rom-com novel, Beach Read, should be close behind. 20th Century Studios claimed the distribution rights back in 2023, with a writer-director already in place.

We haven’t heard much about the project since then, but while we eagerly await more details about the film-ification of January and Gus's love story, we’ve rounded up everything we do know about the Beach Read film so far. (Plus, in the meantime, there are plenty more book-to-screen adaptations on the way for quite a few #BookTok-approved romance novels, from TV versions of Elle Kennedy’s Off Campus hockey romances and Rebecca Yarros’s Fourth Wing romantasy series to the long-awaited The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo movie, based on Taylor Jenkins Reid’s beloved best-seller.)

What is 'Beach Read' by Emily Henry about?

The 2020 novel—the first of Henry’s adult rom-com books, after she got her start in YA—tells the story of January Andrews and Augustus “Gus” Everett, two very different writers. January releases lighthearted romance novels with mass appeal, while Gus has earned critical acclaim for his darker literary fiction.

When they find themselves living in neighboring lake houses for a summer, both struggling with writer’s block due to respective personal issues, they strike a bet where each must write a book in the other’s genre. In typical “opposites attract” fashion, their very writerly flirting and regular hangouts soon blossom into something more than just a friendly professional relationship. (We’ll just leave a “moderate” spice rating here.)

Of course, as things ramp up, the aforementioned emotional baggage in each of their (recent) pasts seeps back in, leading to some unfortunate miscommunications and misunderstandings. Both January and Gus must decide whether they’ll take the leap into the unknown of a new relationship or stick with what’s comfortable and familiar.

When is the ‘Beach Read’ movie adaptation coming out?

There isn't a release date for Beach Reach available yet. It’s still listed only as “in development” on IMDb. Since 20th Century Studios acquired the rights to the novel in April 2023, a tentative release window hasn't been revealed, nor have any details about where the movie will be released. However, if the Disney-owned distributor is any indication, it may end up on Hulu.

Extrapolating from another EmHen adaptation, however, suggests that the Beach Read film could arrive within the next year or two. The first of her books to receive the page-to-screen treatment is People We Meet on Vacation, the rights to which were acquired in October 2022. The first casting announcements arrived about two years later, and the film is now set to be released by Netflix in January 2026. If Beach Read follows a similar-ish timeline, it could be here by the end of next year.

Something we do know is that at least a first draft of the script has been completed, as Henry reported as much to Variety in March 2024, adding that the next draft “should be ready to do more with very soon.” A few months later, writer Yulin Kuang confirmed that she’d delivered a draft to the studio and was “awaiting notes,” but said things were still in “the very early stages of development” at the time.

Who is in the 'Beach Read' film adaptation cast?

That’s another thing we don’t know for sure, but that hasn’t stopped fans from coming up with their own dream casting choices for January and Gus. The rumor mill kicked into high gear in the spring of 2024, when both Henry and Yulin Kuang—who’s set to write and direct the Beach Read movie—reposted a selfie of Ayo Edebiri and Paul Mescal on Instagram, leading many to speculate that the (frankly iconic) duo were in consideration to helm the Beach Read adaptation.

Unfortunately, for now, it remains only speculation, as Henry told Variety at the time that she couldn’t “confirm or deny anything with casting for any movie.” However, she did admit that the actors would be “amazing” choices to play characters from multiple of her books.

Who else is involved in the 'Beach Read' movie?

Yulin Kuang has been attached to the Beach Read movie as writer and director since the beginning of the project. It’s in capable hands: Not only is Kuang a romance writer in her own right, having published her debut novel How to End a Love Story in 2024, but she’s also serving as screenwriter for another EmHen production, People We Meet on Vacation. Her other Hollywood credits include the Hulu comedy series Dollface and The CW's I Ship It.

In a July 2024 interview with Brit + Co, Kuang said she was “pretty focused on Beach Read at the moment,” but held back from revealing too much about her adaptation of the novel.

“I truly believe that art belongs to the audience once it’s out in the world. And so saying too much, it feels prescriptive, you know?” she said. “So I hope they enjoy it. I hope that they know that a lot of care is going into the adaptations. I remember what it’s like to be watching with anxious hearts about the announcements of all my favorite adaptations. And so that’s the main thing. I hope they know that I really, really care.”

Meanwhile, also attached to the film is the production company ORIGINAL Film. It's existed since 1990 and is responsible for iconic franchises like I Know What You Did Last Summer and Cruel Intentions, while its rom-com bona fides include '00s favorites like Sweet Home Alabama and Made of Honor.

What has Emily Henry said about bringing 'Beach Read' to the screen?

In the March 2024 Variety interview, Henry called Kuang’s first draft of the Beach Read script “fantastic” and said her take on the story “feels really different and special.”

The author explained, “It’s so different than I would have thought to approach it. It feels like a big swing, which I am all about, because I think the worst thing that a movie can be is boring and mediocre. If we’re doing this, let’s really go for it,” the author said about Kuang's work on the film so far.

She also spoke more broadly about the role she plays in the various screen adaptations of her novels, saying, “I trust the directors that we have, and I think that they really get it. They also know that I’m always watching my readers, and I want them to be happy. So in my involvement in every single adaptation, my main goal is to represent the readers’s interests.”

The only problem? Trying to choose just one Elin Hilderbrand book. The author—dubbed "the Queen of the Beach Read"—has written 30 novels over her career that spans over 25 years. However, in a 2021 interview with the Associated Press, she first teased her plans to step back from writing, and, in 2024, she confirmed that she would no longer be crafting books solely set on Nantucket. While 2024's Swan Song was her last title in the beach read genre, her upcoming book, The Academy, which she co-wrote with her daughter Shelby Cunningham and is set to hit shelves on September 16, will mark her next chapter.

As Hilderbrand put it best in an essay for Oprah Daily, "These books will provide a look at Nantucket—and at the notion of an ‘American summer’—in the first quarter of the 21st century."

In honor of the next phase in Hilderbrand's career, and our love for all of her feats thus far, we went ahead and ranked her 10 best books. So, kick back and prepare yourself for plenty of surf, sand, and sunshine—these are the best Elin Hilderbrand books for reveling in the season.

How to read Elin Hilderbrand’s books in order

You can read Elin Hilderbrand’s books in several different ways.

You can go in the order that she published them, which would be as follows: The Beach Club (2000), Nantucket Nights (2002), Summer People (2003), The Blue Bistro (2005), The Love Season (2006), Barefoot (2007), A Summer Affair (2008), The Castaways (2009), The Island (2010), Silver Girl (2011), Summerland (2012), Beautiful Day (2013), The Matchmaker (2014), Winter Street (2014), The Rumor (2015), Winter Stroll (2015), Here’s to Us (2016), Winter Storms (2016), The Identicals (2017), Winter Solstice (2017), The Perfect Couple (2018), Winter in Paradise (2018), Summer of ‘69 (2019), What Happens in Paradise (2019), 28 Summers (2020), Troubles in Paradise (2020), Golden Girl (2021), The Hotel Nantucket (2022), Endless Summer (2022), The Five-Star Weekend (2023), Swan Song (2024), The Blue Book (2025), and The Academy (2025).

You can also read them by topic. Currently, Hilderbrand has four different series available. There’s the Winter Series, which includes Winter Street, Winter Stroll, Winter Storms, and Winter Solstice; the Paradise Series, which consists of Winter in Paradise, What Happens in Paradise, and Trouble in Paradise; and the Academy Series, which is so far limited to the author’s upcoming September 2025 novel of the same name. (Hilderbrand revealed in a 2024 essay for Oprah Daily that a second novel will follow.)

Hilderbrand’s remaining 25 books bear no official series name, but are all classified as “Summer books” on her publisher’s website.

What is Elin Hildebrand's best-selling book?

Hildebrand’s team keeps her individual book sales figures relatively close to its chest, which means her best-selling book of all time is not publicly known.

That said, her website cites Summer of ’69 as her first novel to debut at No. 1 on The New York Times Best Seller list, with USA TODAY reporting 2022’s The Hotel Nantucket as her second No. 1 hit.

According to CBC, she has sold 20 million books overall worldwide.

Why is Elin Hildebrand not writing anymore?

Hilderbrand explained her decision to retire from writing her "summer books" in a 2024 essay for Oprah Daily. “I am retiring for my readers’ sake,” she wrote. “I live in fear of repeating myself, and of the quality of my books slipping. I never want anyone to pick up my latest novel and say, ‘She’s lost it.’…Or even ‘This just wasn’t as good as the last one.’”

She elaborated in a 2024 podcast, saying, "I'm stopping writing these books because, frankly, I am out of ideas. Nantucket is small. I've covered every part of the island, every festival, every time of year...I've gotten to the bottom of the well."

Ultimately, Hilderbrand chose her literary legacy over riches. “I have called my decision to retire the 'purest' decision I have ever made," she wrote. "The standards I keep for my body of work are more important [than money and fame].”

In addition to being creatively challenged, Hilderbrand also said that she wanted to spend more time with her family. “I...find myself with kids in their early 20s and late teens who still (thank goodness) want to hang out with me, and I want nothing more than to be a full-time parent to them in these precious years before they move out and start their own families,” she wrote.

Which of Elin Hilderbrand’s books are being made into movies?

In addition to The Perfect Couple, which premiered on Netflix in September 2024, Hilderbrand told Boston.com that several of her other novels are in the works with different networks, including The Five-Star Weekend, which is currently in development with Peacock. (Jennifer Garner and Chloë Sevigny are set to star.)

The novelist revealed that Swan Song, the entire Winter series, and 28 Summers had all been optioned as of June 2024, with the latter slated for movie development by MRC Film. “I can be as involved or as uninvolved as I want to be on those,” Hilderbrand shared.

Deadline reported in March 2025 that Swan Song would be the basis for the second season of The Perfect Couple, albeit with a new writer at the helm. According to the outlet, leads Leslee and Bill Richardson will be "spiritual successors” to Kidman and Liev Schreiber’s characters of Greer and Tag Winbury.

In 2021, Winter in Paradise was also announced as in development with ABC and Ellen Pompeo, while Warner Bros. TV optioned the rights for The Hotel Nantucket in 2022. However, little news has been shared about either project since then.

Why Trust Us

Marie Claire’s editors and writers are some of the most voracious readers around (present company included). There’s an entire section on MC dedicated to our love of the written word. It's chock-full of book rankings, news on our fave authors (why yes, we have scoured the internet for every possible detail about the upcoming Netflix adaptation of The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo), writer Q&As, and reviews on the titles our editors loved best.

In short? We’re not only devouring books at a breakneck pace, we’re dissecting every little detail about them (which is precisely why and how we have our pulse on the literary juggernaut that is #Booktok).

In some cases, we’re even writing them ourselves (shoutout to Marie Claire’s digital director, Jenny Hollander, whose debut novel was published in 2024).

While season 2 has taken almost two years to hit our screens after the debut installment premiered in late 2023, fans won’t have to wait too long for the third season. Netflix has already announced that the next season will arrive in 2026. Below, we break down how season 2 ends and what to expect in My Life with the Walter Boys season 3.

How does 'My Life with the Walter Boys' season 2 end?

Spoilers for the entire second season of My Life with the Walter Boys ahead. When Jackie leaves town abruptly at the end of the first season, it’s because she’s torn between Alex and Cole, who have made two very different types of love declarations. Alex literally said the words, “I love you,” drunkenly at his brother Will’s (Johnny Link) wedding (which Jackie didn’t reciprocate in the moment), while Cole meticulously—and secretly—fixed a broken teapot belonging to Jackie’s late sister; she gives him a long overdue kiss after finding it in his room.

In season 2, the love triangle continues and has only gotten more complicated. Though he’s had a bit of a glow-up while training for the rodeo and is getting more attention from women than before, Alex is still in love with Jackie. Jackie chooses to date him again, only this time they keep it a secret until they’re sure of their feelings. Still, even after they say, “I love you,” to each other, Jackie isn’t ready to broadcast their relationship.

The main reason for this is her residual feelings for Cole. When she returns to Silver Falls, Jackie initially asks him for space, and they settle on being friends despite the kiss that ended season 1. But Cole eventually witnesses Jackie and Alex together and pulls away, hiding his good SAT score and his football coaching triumphs from her. Confronting him, Jackie realizes that she needs Cole in her life and soon admits that she loves him. In fact, the feeling with him is so intense, she says, that it makes her feel free—and like she’s out of control. In one of the finale’s cliffhangers, Alex witnesses this interaction and asks Jackie to clarify what he overheard.

The other major cliffhanger occurs moments later, when an ambulance arrives at the Walter ranch. Will rushes in to inform everyone that it’s for their dad, George (Marc Blucas), whom he’s been at odds with over the future of their land, though the series doesn’t specify whether he had a medical issue or got hurt while working.

Is 'My Life with the Walter Boys' renewed for season 3?

Before the second season even premiered, Netflix renewed the YA drama for a third. Netflix announced the renewal in early August 2025 with a social video featuring stars Rodriguez, LaLonde, and Gentry, captioned, “when you are still waiting for season 2 but we just started production on season 3.”

When will 'My Life with the Walter Boys' season 3 come out?

Tudum confirmed the renewal news along with an expected premiere timeframe: My Life with the Walter Boys season 3 will be released in 2026. “We’ve got a lot of things to do,” showrunner and executive producer Melanie Halsall told the streamer’s editorial platform.

According to a production schedule on the Directors Guild of Canada’s website, pre-production for the third season began in June 2025, and filming began on August 6, 2025—the same day the announcement video was released. Filming is expected to run until December. Using the season 2 production timeline as an indicator, it’s safe to expect season 3 by next summer.

Who in the 'My Life with the Walter Boys' cast will return for season 3?

The central trio of Rodriguez, LaLonde, and Gentry will all certainly be back when the show returns in 2026. The rest of the extended Walter family can also be expected to return, including Sarah Rafferty’s matriarch Katherine; Walter siblings Danny (Connor Stanhope), Will (Johnny Link), Nathan (Corey Fogelmanis); and cousins Isaac (Isaac Arellanes) and Lee (Myles Perez). Despite his character’s cliffhanger accident, Blucas will also likely remain part of the cast.

Other members of the Silver Falls community can also be expected to return, as season 3 will likely pick up moments after the events of the season 2 finale. That would include Jaylan Evans as Skylar, Zoë Soul as Haley, Ashley Tavares as Tara, Dean Petriw as Jordan, Alix West Lefler as Parker, Lennix James as Benny, Alisha Newton as Erin, Ellie O’Brien as Grace, Kolton Stewart as Dylan, Mya Lowe as Kiley, Gabrielle Jacinto as Olivia, Jesse Lipscombe as Coach Allen, and Nathaniel Arcand as Mato.

Are there any new cast members in 'My Life with the Walter Boys' season 3?

Thus far, Netflix has announced one new cast member for season 3. According to Deadline, Chad Rook will join the series as a recurring guest star in at least four episodes, though character details are not yet available.

What will 'My Life with the Walter Boys' season 3 be about?

There are currently only two published books in Ali Novak’s romance novel series, so the third season will chart new paths for Jackie and the Walter family. With George’s fate hanging in the balance, the series will surely address whatever health scare closed the second season. In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, showrunner Melanie Halsall confirmed that "this is a huge thing" going into season 3, adding that "the fallout from this will continue to affect the whole family for some time."

Based on her comments, we can assume that his medical issues will likely play into the Walters’s ongoing financial problems. The incident may cause George to reconsider his plans for the family ranch, which he is currently opting out of turning into a tourist attraction in favor of leasing it to a local winery.

At Silver Falls High School, Jackie will take up the mantle of Student Body VP under Erin’s guidance, per their conversation at the town fair, which will surely stir up emotions from the mean girls at school. Erin and Danny will probably continue figuring out their future together, even if it diverges after graduation, and Nathan and Skylar will likely continue circling each other post-break-up. Cole’s test scores seem good enough to give him a chance at college, and paired with his promising meeting with the UT recruiter, we could see him preparing to leave the Walter home for a chance at a new beginning. Alex, too, has a bright future ahead as his rodeo training is fruitful.

And of course, Jackie will have to contend with the fact that she told two different brothers she loved them in the span of a few days. According to Halsall, the next chapter in their complicated relationships will, of course, be a major focus in season 3. "At the heart of our show is a love triangle, and I don’t know if those can ever really be truly resolved, as someone is always going to get their heart broken!" the showrunner told THR. "Jackie’s dilemma is that she genuinely loves both brothers. In terms of where they go from here, I think they all have some work to do emotionally in order to come back from the repercussions of that night."

We can only speculate how heartbroken or not everybody might be in the forthcoming episodes, but it's possible Alex might start looking for love elsewhere. Halsall noted that Blake and he "have great chemistry" and "share a love of horses," teasing, "Who knows what might happen there?" Were he to pursue Blake (or change how he feels about Kiley), season 3 could give Jackie-Cole shippers something to celebrate. We'll have to wait and see in 2026!

Among the groups is Billlie, a seven-member girl group that is split into two teams to perform alongside vocal legend Patti LaBelle and rapper Megan Thee Stallion, who pulls double-duty as an executive producer on the series. In fact, the Grammy-winning rapper hit it off with Billlie so much so that five months after filming wrapped late last year, she took to TikTok to tell her 16 million followers to give them a listen.

They're sure to get even more exposure on KPOPPED, where they kick the series off with a standout first episode. Since their debut in November 2021, the seven-member girl group composed of Moon Sua, Suhyeon, Haram, Tsuki, Sheon, Siyoon, and Haruna has drawn in fans with their viral powerhouse performances and chameleonic range. The group has been widely lauded for taking on and perfectly embodying new genres of music with every comeback—from EDM to rock to bubblegum pop to jazz—according to their concept, bridging dreams and reality.

“To us, a performance isn’t just about the act itself; it’s about sharing a story and emotions,” Haram tells Marie Claire, in an emailed interview with the group. “I felt that [KPOPPED’s] theme of ‘connection beyond borders and generations’ perfectly matched Billlie’s identity. While preparing the stage, we tried to convey how much we love music and how sincerely we want to connect with people.”

Below, the members of Billlie chat with Marie Claire about rehearsing with Western artists, their dream collaborations, and the Billlie songs that new fans need to check out.

Marie Claire: What was your first response when you heard about the opportunity to be part of KPOPPED?

Moon Sua: I felt both excited and honored. It wasn’t just about having the chance to perform on a new stage—it was the significance of participating as a representative artist on a global platform like Apple TV+. Naturally, thoughts like, ‘What kind of performance can we show?’ and ‘How can we tell Billlie’s story?’ kept running through our minds, and the excitement grew day by day. Above all, having a stage with respected artists, exchanging our music with them, brought us so much joy. Just the idea of showing Billlie’s energy to a wide audience made us happy, and I felt that this project would become another important chapter in our journey.

MC: You’re the only group in KPOPPED who got the chance to work with star/executive producer Megan Thee Stallion. What was that process like?

Sheon: Every moment was so enjoyable. Megan wasn’t just energetic on stage—her honesty and vitality throughout the preparation process inspired us tremendously. Especially as we rehearsed together to perfect the performance, her confidence and free-spirited approach reminded us that enjoying the stage is the greatest strength.

We put a lot of effort into bringing out Megan’s energy while staying true to Billlie’s unique style. I feel this stage wasn’t just a collaboration, but a display of teamwork that drew out the best in both sides.

Siyoon: As a rapper, Megan has always been a huge inspiration to me. Her flow, the power in her lyrics, and the way she owns the stage felt even more special in person. During recording and rehearsal, Megan paid close attention to our ideas and tone, which gave us the confidence to really bring the performance to life. It also strengthened my desire to collaborate with her officially in the future.

MC: Siyoon and Moon Sua, was it nerve-wracking at all to perform your new rap verses for “Savage” for Megan?

Siyoon: Rather than feeling nervous, I felt motivated by the overwhelming confidence and energy I’d seen in Megan’s performances. So I practiced tirelessly, paying attention to every detail, from live performance to English pronunciation, and carefully adjusted the tone and breathing for the rap.

Moon Sua: I felt the same way. Of course, there was a pleasant sense of nervousness, but my desire to make the stage with Megan a success was even stronger. From the very beginning of practice, we focused on aligning every little detail together. I was more focused on enjoying the moment, and performing in sync with the members created a memory I’ll always treasure.

MC: One of the sweetest moments on the show is Tsuki tearing up hearing Patti LaBelle’s voice. What was it like rehearsing and performing with a vocal legend?

Tsuki: I’ve danced countless times to Patti LaBelle’s music since I was very young, so hearing we would perform together was unbelievable. Preparing alongside her and hearing her voice in person was overwhelming in the most wonderful way, and I couldn’t help but cry. Her voice carries not only technical perfection but genuine emotion, and each phrase on stage fills the space with resonance.

Suhyeon: It was truly an honor. Patti LaBelle is widely recognized as a legendary artist, but being close to her voice and performance showed me why. It’s not just skill—it’s how her voice can dominate a stage while warmly embracing the audience. Performing alongside her was a moment we felt really proud of as a team, and that feeling will stay with us for a long time. It was an experience that made me think deeply about the music and performances I want to create as an artist.

MC: Haram mentions in the show that “Lady Marmalade” is a song she's wanted to cover since she was a trainee. What are some other songs that have been on your wishlist to cover?

Haram: We even have videos from when we were trainees practicing “Lady Marmalade,” learning the choreography, and singing along. It was always a song we dreamed of performing on stage. Getting the chance to perform it with the legendary Patti LaBelle made the experience even more meaningful for me and the members.

Sheon: Our wishlist also included songs like [Megan’s] “Mamushi,” but the one that drew me the most was “Savage.”

Suhyeon: I’ve long admired Tori Kelly, so as a trainee I spent a lot of time singing her songs. “Confetti” and [her cover of Stevie Wonder’s] “Don’t You Worry ’Bout A Thing” were songs that accompanied me through my growth and training. Performing songs I once sang only in practice in front of fans, as an artist, would feel truly special.

MC: If you were to have another K-pop/Western pop crossover moment, who would you want to collaborate with?

Haram: I really admire Jorja Smith, and if I had the chance, I would love to work with her. Her music has depth while feeling very contemporary.

Sheon: I’d love to collaborate with my musical role model: Daniel Caesar. His soulful melodies and heartfelt lyrics have always inspired me. Listening to songs like “LOVE AGAIN” [featuring Brandy] or “Best Part” [featuring H.E.R.] makes me imagine what it could be like with Billlie.

MC: What songs would you recommend to someone who just discovered Billlie and wants to dig in deeper?

Haram: “RING ma Bell (what a wonderful world).” Its hard rock-driven energy and powerful band sound showcase the force of our performance and our passion for the stage. It’s also one of the stages that helped shape Billlie’s powerful image, so I definitely recommend it.

Haruna: “trampoline” from our fifth mini album. With a nu-jazz foundation and warm melody, it highlights our vocals delicately and lets listeners naturally feel Billlie’s colors. Inspired by childhood memories of bouncing on a trampoline, it conveys freedom and hope. The song has been well-received on jazz charts both domestically and internationally, so I hope new fans give it a listen.

Suhyeon: “remembrance candy,” the title track from the same album. With lyrics written by IU, it’s a truly precious song that reflects on reclaiming lost memories and moving forward. It is important to understanding Billlie’s story and contains emotions everyone can relate to, so I think it resonates well with fans discovering us for the first time.

Tsuki: “GingaMingaYo (the strange world).” This song is especially meaningful to me, as it’s when I started receiving recognition for my expressive facial performance. Beyond the choreography, it expresses the confusion and questions everyone experiences growing up through bold sounds and unique moves. It showcases Billlie’s experimental and daring style, making it a perfect introduction to our diverse musical charms and stage presence.

MC: As you approach the group’s fourth anniversary on November 10, what goals do you have for the future as Billlie?

Moon Sua: Looking back, every moment wasn’t easy, but I know better than anyone that we’ve come this far because of the love and support from our fans. Looking ahead, we want to return that energy on even bigger stages. We hope to meet fans directly through various domestic and international performances and tours, while continuing to share music that carries our own stories and colors, expanding the world of Billlie. Our team has always aimed to push past our own limits through new challenges, and we want to carry that spirit forward—growing into artists who, five or ten years from now, will still be remembered for deep storytelling and powerful performances.

Suhyun: One of my biggest goals for the future is to expand Billlie’s musical boundaries through collaborations with artists from around the world. We’ve always enjoyed taking on new challenges and experimenting, and working with artists from different cultures and musical backgrounds is itself a huge source of inspiration. If we can use these encounters to express Billlie’s story and colors in new ways, we can share our music in fresh ways with even more people. Continuing Billlie’s story alongside diverse global artists is one of our major goals for the future.

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.

For anyone not in the know, Hazelwood's contemporary STEM romance has been a staple on romance recommendation lists since it was first published in September 2021. After 40 weeks on the NYT Best Seller List, PhD student Olive and professor Adam's love story was greenlit to become a feature film. Amazon MGM Studios later took the reins, and filming has been taking place this summer. (You've probably seen behind-the-scenes clips on your For You page.)

As we wait for news of an official release date, buzz for the romance's long-awaited release continues to build. Below, read on for everything we know about The Love Hypothesis movie adaptation so far.

What is 'The Love Hypothesis' about?

The first of Ali Hazelwood's beloved "STEMinist" romances, The Love Hypothesis centers on Olive Smith, a third-year Ph.D. student studying biology at Stanford and navigating the male-dominated field. When Olive needs to pretend that she's seeing someone, she kisses the first man she sees: Adam Carlsen, a superstar professor who's known for being a grump. (Of course, Olive is sunshine.) Olive and Adam agree to fake a relationship for mutually-beneficial reasons, and a trope-y romance commences.

The Love Hypothesis also has a deep connection to, of all things, Star Wars. Hazelwood, a former neuroscience professor writing under a psuedonym, first posted the narrative as a Rey Skywalker/Kylo Ren (a.k.a. Reylo) alternate-universe fanfiction on Archive of Our Own. (The original fic has since been taking down.) Per Vulture, Hazelwood's agent reached out after the then-fanfic author expressed she was interested in reworking her fics for traditional publishing. Not only did The Love Hypothesis's success help propel a Reylo trend in publishing, Hazelwood has since transitioned to writing full-time, publishing nine books and four novellas in the past four years.

When will 'The Love Hypothesis' film be released?

As of late August 2025, Amazon MGM Studios and MRC have yet to announce when The Love Hypothesis movie will arrive on our screens. Thanks to plentiful updates from the cast, we do know that filming began in July and is currently underway. Based on the buzz around the adaptation so far, it's possible that post-production will be fast-tracked for a premiere sometime in 2026.

Who has been cast in the 'The Love Hypothesis' adaptation?

On July 16, 2025, Deadline announced that Riverdale alum Lili Reinhart has signed on to both star in and executive-produce The Love Hypothesis. Per the outlet, Set It Up director Claire Scanlon is helming the film, and Ali Hazelwood also serves as an executive producer.

Reinhart celebrated the announcement by sharing a selfie of herself in costume as Olive Smith—brunette hair, lab coat and all—holding Hazelwood's book.

Meanwhile, British actor Tom Bateman will play Dr. Adam Carlsen. The 36-year-old is best known for appearing in the murder-mystery movies Murder on the Orient Express and Death on the Nile, as well as the series Da Vinci's Demons and Based on a True Story. (Fun fact: He's also married to Star Wars alum Daisy Ridley, who was his Orient Express co-star.)

Rounding out the cast in unconfirmed roles are Adults' Rachel Marsh, The White Lotus's Nicholas Duvernay, Internet legend Jaboukie Young-White, and Daredevil: Born Again's Arty Froushan.

In a statement pegged to Reinhart's casting, shared by Deadline, Hazelwood shared her excitement for the upcoming adaptation. "Honestly, I still can’t believe this is happening?" she wrote. "Elizabeth Cantillon [the film’s producer], Claire Scanlon, and Lili Reinhart have all created, produced, or starred in works that I’m absolutely feral about, and I am beyond honored that they’re choosing to bring their talent to this project."

She continued, "Books and films are very different media, and I have complete trust in this brilliant team. I cannot wait to see the final product they’ll come up with. I hope they have as much fun filming as I had while writing the book."

Where can I watch 'The Love Hypothesis' film?

As of late August 2025, the studios have also yet to confirm whether the film will receive a theatrical release, or if it will head straight to streaming on Prime Video. (A quick plea to the higher-ups: Let us see this in theaters! You don't need to pull another The Idea of You.)

Why Trust Us

Everyone on Marie Claire's Culture team considers themselves pop culture experts with an enduring love of all things TV, film, music, books, and more. Collectively, we have decades of experience writing about movies and television—from reviewing new releases and crafting hot takes on industry trends, to writing retrospectives about excellent shows no longer on air and interviewing stars and behind-the-scenes talent. Members of our team pride themselves on having deep knowledge of pop culture history and being part of associations like the Television Critics Association and GALECA. You can trust that we've triple-checked all of the information included in our explainers with trusted sources, and we have our eyes glued to Lili Reinhart's feed for any updates on our next favorite romance movie.

DeVard has hosted the podcast since 2016, launching it while working full-time in marketing at Viacom. At first, she handled every aspect herself.

"I'm uploading everything. I'm editing everything. I'm doing the cover art. I'm doing it all," DeVard explains on the latest episode of "Nice Talk" with Marie Claire editor-in-chief Nikki Ogunnaike.

At that stage, balance was impossible. All of her free time went into the podcast.

"Sometimes—when you're building something, especially—there's a lot of sacrifice," she says. "I feel like 'sacrifice' is the word that comes to mind for me more than 'balance'. There are so many things I missed out on as I was building 'Naked Beauty' while having a full time job ... parties, birthdays, but I'm like, I have to get this episode out on Monday, and I'm editing it myself."

The trade-offs paid off. Today, she still hosts Naked Beauty, but with the support of a team.

"There was a lot of sacrifice, but what that sacrifice has done is it's allowed me, now, nine years later, to be in a position to have a team and to have that support," she explains. "So I think balance is a little bit of a myth, because I think when you are ambitious and you're building things, I think it's really hard to have balance. You're not going to be able to get to the gym every day, eat a balanced meal, catch up with all your girlfriends, make sure you're on top of all of your emails and texts, and have a great relationship with your partner. You just can't do all of that."

After Viacom, DeVard spent several years at Instagram before eventually making the podcast and content creation her full-time career. Most recently, she took on another major role: in June, she became chief content officer at Refinery29. ("Naked Beauty" is now part of the media company, too.) She's also a mother of two children.

And while she calls balance a myth, DeVard did recently find a way to reset her focus—by taking a social media break earlier this year.

"I loved this period in my life. I talk about it like it was this, like, year sabbatical I took in Italy, and it was two months of my life. But I reflect on it so fondly. This December and January, I had offline ... I highly recommend it to everyone."

She took the break while on maternity leave, deleting apps from her phone to break the “muscle memory” of checking them.

"The first week was really hard. I felt like I missed it. I kept kind of opening my phone and going to check something, but very quickly I realized I'm not really missing anything, and I actually don't really care."

Her biggest takeaway: "We get very comfortable getting things pushed to us through an algorithm. And I think there's an exercise a little bit in this of remembering your taste, remembering, like, what is the media you seek out, independent of it being fed to you?"

For more from DeVard—including her thoughts on plastic surgery and the beauty trends she's loving right now—check out this week's installment of "Nice Talk"" The episode is available everywhere you listen to podcasts.

Series enthusiasts have been waiting several long years for the small screen version of Sarah J. Maas’s best-selling romantasy books to come to fruition, with only scraps of information about the project to sustain them in the interim. While the TV show was first announced as in development by Hulu and 20th Television in 2021, it was in limbo for some time, until the streamer ultimately officially dropped it in February 2025.

However, just like when the book's heroine Feyre faced off against the Wyrm in the cavernous pit Under the Mountain, all hope is not lost. Word on the street is that Maas is looking to take the series to a different network once its option expires at Disney’s 20th Television. Below, find everything we know about the fate of the A Court of Thorns and Roses TV series adaptation, from the status of its development to the cast and release date.

Where will the 'A Court of Thorns and Roses' adaptation be released?

A Court of Thorns and Roses was originally slated to run on Hulu with Disney’s 20th Television producing until the streaming service dropped it in February 2025.

Many speculated that the show was not moving forward long before it was announced that Hulu had dropped it, considering the original showrunner had left 20th Television. Ronald D. Moore (known for sci-fi and fantasy hits like Battlestar Galactica and Outlander) was to be the showrunner, but departed the project in July 2024 after leaving Disney for Sony, where he signed a multi-year deal. Since he was no longer with the studio, he would no longer be attached to the series—though he opened up about some of the challenges it faced during a 2024 Comic Con interview. He explained at the time, “The thing about it was [going] from COVID to the [SAG-AFTRA actors’s] strikes to a lot of shakeup in terms of [Disney CEO] Bob Iger leaves, Bob Iger comes back, and as a result, that piece of development just never got traction.”

He added, “I spent a lot of time working on it and then it didn’t happen, so okay, I just move on.”

Hulu has yet to release a big, fantasy franchise on par with HBO's Emmy-winning Game of Thrones and its various spinoffs or Prime Video's Lord of the Rings prequel The Rings of Power. So, it made sense that the streamer would go after something of ACOTAR's caliber. Now that Hulu is no longer attached, Variety reported Maas is interested in shopping the project around to another network. It's currently unclear where, but fans can rest easy knowing that the series isn't totally dead.

When will the 'A Court of Thorns and Roses' TV show be released?

With no official network attached and the ACOTAR show basically back to square one, it will be a long while before it premieres. It's hard to say when, probably not before 2028 at the earliest.

We can look to another beloved fantasy series, Fourth Wing, getting the series treatment from Prime Video as a comparison. The project was first announced in 2023 and has undergone similar behind-the-scenes changes, with casting still underway. No release date has been confirmed for Fourth Wing either, so these things take a lot of time.

What has Sarah J. Maas said about the 'A Court of Thorns and Roses' TV series adaptation?

Maas is heavily involved with the ACOTAR TV show and has expressed her excitement.

When the project was first announced, she shared on Instagram just how thrilled she was that Ronald D. Moore was on board and revealed she was a part of the writing process. Per TVLine, the author wrote in a now-deleted post, “​​It’s official … Ron Moore (creator of Outlander and one of my creative idols) and I will co-adapt ACOTAR as a TV show for Hulu! I’m currently hard at work writing the pilot with Ron (!!!!!).”

She added, “It just feels so great to finally be able to talk about this! Stay tuned for more details!!”

Maas opened up further about how she was "heavily involved" in a 2022 interview with The New York Times. “It just seemed like a new creative mountain for me to climb,” she said. “It’s a whole different way of telling stories, bringing them to life, and a whole different way of seeing my characters.”

She told the outlet that she was spending up to four hours a day on Zoom calls with Moore to help her story come to life.

In November 2023, amid the actors's strike, the writer gave another update. “We’ve written some scripts, and we’re just sort of waiting,” she told TVLine at the time. “I think the whole town is kind of waiting to see if we have actors before things really move forward, but it’s still in development.”

Since the change-ups, Maas has not publicly commented on Hulu's decision to drop the show. It's been said that she's interested in shopping it around, though, so we'll have to wait and see if she weighs in further.

What is the plot of 'A Court of Thorns and Roses'

How to explain the fantastical, faerie-fueled fiction that is A Court of Thorns and Roses? Essentially, it’s a story about a young woman experiencing the splendors of love (and sex—lots of sex) for the very first time when she is forced to journey far from home.

However, in this story, the young woman is a self-made warrior named Feyre who has trained herself to hunt to provide for her family—and the object of her affection is a royal faerie named Tamlin, who has taken her to his lands against her will as penance for unwittingly slaying a member of his court.

In addition to their ongoing battle of wills (which, of course, is never not fraught with sexual tension), dangers lurk around every corner for Feyre, who must learn to coexist in a world full of monsters she never knew existed.

Who has been cast in the 'A Court of Thorns and Roses' adaptation?

Casting was never officially announced when the ACOTAR series was at Hulu, and no updates have been made since then. However, that hasn’t stopped fans from taking their best guesses as to who might play their favorite ACOTAR characters.

At the top of their list for Tamlin? Outlander’s own Sam Heughan. The actor’s character in the Starz series, Jamie Fraser, was Maas’s reported inspiration for Lucien, Tamlin’s BFF. Adding fuel to the fan theory fire is the fact that Heughan is also mentioned in the first book’s acknowledgements.

Heughan played coy when our sister site, Marie Claire Australia, asked if he was working on the project. “I guess we’ll have to wait and see, won’t we?” he teased.

The rumor mill also had a heyday with Margot Robbie. The Barbie actress was spotted having coffee with the romantasy novelist in March 2024, sparking buzz that they might be collaborating on something—like the ACTOR adaptation. The Oscar-nominated star notably helms LuckyChap Entertainment and is known for her work as a producer, so she may very well be interested in getting involved behind the scenes.

She's already said to be a major Maas fan: Robbie told Harper’s Bazaar that she’s read all of the books in the novelist’s series “like, a million times over.” When asked if there was anything she could do to help her new friend move the project along, she joked, “We all need that—the world needs that. I’ll see what I can do.”

Other names that have been floated by fans for ACOTAR parts include Henry Cavill, Theo James, Thomas Doherty, Tyler Blackburn, and Katherine Langford, among others.

Stargirl’s Brec Bassinger threw her own hat into the ring while speaking to TVLine in 2023. “Literally, after I finished the first [book], I emailed my team and I was like, ‘Listen, I don’t care if I have one line. I have to be a part of this,” she said. “I’m not fiery enough for Nesta. I don’t present old enough for Feyre. I feel like I’d make a good Elain, but I’ll be whoever.”

Nothing has been confirmed yet, so, for now, keep the fan casts coming—and continue to check back to this story, as we'll continue to update it when more information becomes available.

As a cohort of way-too-online reality TV fans already know, season 7 cast member Huda may have found love with a new man after leaving the villa single, following her mid-finale breakup with Chris Seeley. Despite having already gone public with her new beau, Huda did not address her new relationship during the reunion. She instead mentioned "legal reasons" and claimed, "It’s Netflix, I’m not allowed to talk about it."

For LIUSA viewers who don't have time to trudge through another show's lore for all the tea, below, read on for everything you need to know about Huda Mustafa's love life post-season 7.

Who is Huda Mustafa dating after 'Love Island USA' season 7?

Just days after Huda left the season 7 villa, she was spotted out and about in L.A. holding hands with Louis Russell, a 24-year-old mainstay of Netflix's Reality Universe who recently appeared on Perfect Match season 3. Two weeks later, Huda and Louis stepped out for their first public appearance together; on July 31, they walked the red carpet holding hands at the premiere of the horror movie Weapons.

The new couple made waves for several reasons. On the Netflix side of things, Huda and Louis's red-carpet outing took place the night before Perfect Match's season 3 premiere. By debuting his new relationship, Louis was essentially spoiling the season for fans tuning in to see whether his showmance with The Ultimatum alum Sandy Gallagher would turn into an off-camera relationship.

It's possible that the streaming giant was not too happy with him about the big reveal. Though Netflix didn't give an official statement, Sandy did call Louis out for the red-carpet appearance. During an episode of the podcast "The Viall Files," she said, "It was very disrespectful to the cast, to myself, to production, and most importantly to the audience."

What do 'Love Island USA' fans need to know about Louis Russell?

Serial dating show alum Louis Russell has appeared in at least one reality show per year since his TV debut in 2023, including two seasons in a row of Too Hot to Handle. This year, he was in Perfect Match, Netflix's competition show Battle Camp, and the currently-airing(!) British series Celebs Go Dating. As a TV persona, Louis is known for being a ladies's man whose youth, cockiness, and wandering eye get the best of him (and of course, he makes great TV).

Louis actually had a connection to Love Island USA before he met Huda. The former semi-pro football player was previously friends with season 6 finalist Miguel Harichi, before they fell out earlier this summer.

Has Netflix responded to its mention during the 'Love Island USA' season 7 reunion?

Though Love Island USA fans didn't get a Huda-Louis hard launch during the season 7 reunion, we did get a surprising new feud in the reality TV streets: Andy Cohen v. Netflix. After Huda claimed that Netflix wouldn't let her speak about her and Louis's relationship, the longtime Bravo host ended his questioning by adding, "Tell Netflix this was the No. 1 streaming show of the summer."

While Netflix doesn't have a de facto spokesperson like Peacock (by way of Bravo), the streamer did respond. Soon after the reunion aired, Netflix's official X/Twitter account changed its bio to read, "DON'T @ ME IDK!!!"

Besides that chef's kiss response, it's unclear what Netflix's place is in all this. Did they really send a cease-and-desist to keep Louis and Huda from speaking out about their romance? Couldn't Huda have talked about it anyway, since the season 7 reunion aired a full week after Perfect Match ended? Have Louis and Huda booked a Netflix reality gig? As with all reality couples's trajectories post-filming, only time will tell.

Who is the kidnapper in 'Hostage' and what was their motivation?

The main kidnapper, who is seen but not named for the first half of the series, is a former military man named John Michael Shagan (Martin McCann). He orchestrates the kidnapping as well as a few other destructive events. He sewed chaos amongst citizens at a vigil, as well as bombed Downing Street via a laptop planted by one of his co-conspirators, Saskia (Sophie Robertson), who was posing as Matheo’s girlfriend to ingratiate herself into the political inner circle.

But Shagan wasn’t the main mastermind of the kidnapping plot. After identifying Shagan’s involvement via CCTV footage, Dalton goes up the ladder and pinpoints his boss—the U.K. army’s commanding officer, Livingston (Mark Lewis Jones)—as the brains behind the operation. When she and her closest employees descend upon the army base, Livingston initially denies the accusations. But when he slips up and accidentally refers to the laptop bomb (the details of which had not been made public yet), he confesses and is led out of the room and presumably straight to jail.

Before he’s carted off, he lays his motivations bare: A lifelong army employee, he’s pissed about the cuts that Dalton’s administration had made to the military budget. Coupled with a years-long grudge about an order Dalton made about pulling troops out of Belize, Livingston believes her leadership has left the country vulnerable to present and future threats. “You have no idea what it takes to keep a nation safe,” he snarls at Dalton before he exits.

Belize is why Shagan was brought into the crisis, as well—though his reasons are more personal. While stationed in the Central American country, Shagan fell in love with a local translator who was pregnant with his child. Dalton’s orders to pull the troops resulted in the death of both his fiancée and his unborn child—a heartbreak he has been hoping to avenge by killing Dalton herself.

Does anyone die in at the end of 'Hostage?'

While the laptop bomb at Downing Street was intended for Dalton, it instead found another target: French President Toussaint. Additionally, midway through the season, Dalton’s ailing father’s death was sped up by a lethal injection administered by Saskia.

The bulk of the finale features a long-awaited showdown between Alex (Ashley Thomas), Shagan, and, eventually, Abigail Dalton herself. Taking Alex hostage for a second time—this time, at a safehouse—Shagan lures Dalton to the house to face his wrath, while Saskia holds Matheo and Sylvie, Alex and Abigail’s daughter (Isobel Akuwudike), at gunpoint in the kitchen. Matheo appeals to Saskia’s conscience, telling her he still loves her while secretly calling the police for backup. As the police descend, Matheo tells Saskia to run, while Sylvie picks up the gun.

She heads to the room where her parents are being threatened and points the gun at Shagan. He calmly mentions his hand in her grandfather’s death and invites her to pull the trigger, which she does just as the police burst into the room. Sylvie is handcuffed and taken away as Shagan bleeds out.

What happens to Sylvie in at the end of 'Hostage?'

The final moments of the series flash forward three months. Dalton initially sits in her daughter’s room, seemingly contemplating what her position has done to her family. But the scene is a fake-out: Sylvie is not in jail, but rather in the kitchen with Alex.

Still, the day is not insignificant. Dalton heads downstairs to give a speech, calling for a general election. The events of the series have affected her deeply, and she promises to be an honest candidate who is always straight with the public, even when the answers are hard.

Reneé Rapp will be the first to admit that working on her sophomore album Bite Me “was a bitch.”

“The first eight or nine months of writing this album was just me crashing out every day,” Rapp tells Marie Claire ahead of the record’s August 1 release. The 25-year-old singer/actress recalls feeling “slumpy” after a tumultuous period that spans the release of her 2023 debut Snow Angel, her departure from Sex Lives of College Girls, and her press run for Mean Girls. She explains, “When you want it so bad, sometimes those anxieties turn into a desperate need for control, and you are just being your worst critic and not allowing yourself any joy. It’s not the environment you want.”

On the other side, Rapp found an unrepentant bliss that she infused into Bite Me, a messy and masterful confessional filled with rock-tinged anthems, bombastic hooks, and soaring pop ballads. With standout tracks like “Shy” and “You’d Like That Wouldn’t You,” it’s an unrestrained record from someone who’s made it through burnout to discover her coolest self on the other side.

“I remember having so many days of feeling just so proud and impressed by myself—and I’m not typically impressed with myself,” she says. “I wanted to make songs that I thought were amazing, and I did. So whenever I get caught up in the promotion of it all, and the anxious soul sucking parts of it, I have to go back and remember that I made a body of work that I really fuck with.”

Here, Rapp shares the eclectic music that powers her life, from her ‘70s rock inspirations to the shared party playlist she and her girlfriend, singer-songwriter Towa Bird, listen to.

I stayed up until midnight on the East Coast to download and listen to [Chance the Rapper’s] Coloring Book. I was so fucking excited to listen to that album in full, and it did not disappoint.

I really wish I could’ve experienced Hall and Oates’s prime. Also, the early 2000s. The No Doubt era was really inspiring to me, [and] hip hop in the 2000s was so fucking fantastic.

There’s not an era of music I don’t like, except for maybe the majority of music that came out in 2020. There was some really fucking amazing music, still. But you know how that era was like, What seven-second clip is going to make a cute TikTok dance? That’s not really my kind of music personality, even though I can respect it, and there’s definitely a place for it. But I really love every era of music. It’s all so inspiring to me, and I have kind of an eclectic music taste, so I think it all serves a purpose.

I didn’t even watch it, but I just keep seeing clips of it: The 1975’s Glastonbury set. I was just like, damn. When you see “Somebody Else” in the car, I was like, I’m gonna kill myself, this is awesome.

And [when] I saw Beyoncé live for the first time. I saw Cowboy Carter. The fucking “Texas Hold ‘Em” riff actually puts the “Drunk in Love” riff to shame, which I thought could never happen.

It’s always Frank Ocean. That poor man, he’ll never hear the end of it [from] me. Every interview, I’m like, ‘Frank.’ He’s probably like, I need a search warrant on this woman.

Another one would probably be with Kendrick [Lamar]. One of my fucking dreams has always been to work with a rapper that I love so much and do a pretty singing hook on something, kind of like what [he and SZA] did with “luther.” My favorite kind of music is something that has a really gorgeous hook and amazingly written verses.

It’d be all my favorite artists: The Carpenters, Jazmine Sullivan—but an acoustic set—Frank, Beyoncé, Heart, Journey with Steve Perry, Hall and Oates. What I wouldn’t give to see “Sara Smile.” I know they don’t fuck with each other. Such a loss!

I know that everybody fucking loves Dijon all of a sudden. Everybody’s like, ‘Oh my god, Dijon, Mk.gee.’ I’m like, You guys are so late. But what am I, if not a head? I’ve listened to “The Dress” every day for a really long time.

My girlfriend and I have a playlist. This is our before we go out or in the gym kind of thing: It’s a lot of Stormzy, Kendrick, [FKA] twigs, RAYE, oh my god, there’s so much Charli [xcx], Pop Smoke, Megan [thee Stallion], J HUS, Syd, Burna Boy, Bad Bunny.

People wouldn’t want me there. I would play the best of Etta James. It would be bad. I don’t do well with passive listening to music, so I’m not really most trusted with the aux. Also, I get too drunk too fast, and you can’t trust me to be on my phone. Everybody always takes it away from me.

Aggressive people.

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.

Ahead of the season 7 reunion, Amaya Papaya—who won this installment with her beau Bryan—sat down with Marie Claire to give some Solicited Advice to all of us who miss seeing her on our TVs. The people's princess answered our questions on everything from hair care to bedroom tips to how to cut off an ex. She also gave a new set of remixed aphorisms for situations, including clapping back to the haters—"If I'm too much for you, find something that's less"—and telling if a crush likes you—"If he's not meeting you in a middle ground, baby, let him fall through those cracks."

Watch the special clip above, and tune in to the Love Island USA season 7 reunion on Monday, August 25, 2025, at 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT, streaming on Peacock.

Jones and Delpy lead the cast of mostly European stars in this miniseries written by Bridge of Spies screenwriter Matt Charman, which arrives on Netflix on August 21, 2025. Ahead, find out the major players in both the U.K. and French contingents in the Hostage cast.

Suranne Jones as Abigail Dalton

Abigail Dalton is the U.K. Prime Minister whose husband is kidnapped and taken hostage, forcing Dalton to fight for both her country and her family. “They have weaponized my family,” Jones’s character says in the teaser trailer. “I will not be threatened. I will not negotiate. My loyalties are to this country. I will not allow it to be held to ransom.”

Suranne Jones, 46, is an English actress who has primarily appeared in British programming, including the police procedural Scott & Bailey, the soap opera Coronation Street, and the historical drama Gentleman Jack. She is a longtime collaborator of screenwriter Sally Wainwright, who contributed to the aforementioned projects.

Hostage scribe Matt Charman wrote the show with Jones in mind, telling Tudum, “I’ve been dying to find the right story to tell with Suranne, and I honestly believe what she’s done with this character is going to blow the Netflix audience away…She’s fierce, ruthless, and you can’t take your eyes off of her.”

Julie Delpy as Vivienne Toussaint

Julie Delpy stars as Vivienne Toussaint, the French President who is visiting the U.K. Prime Minister and being blackmailed by the kidnappers with a sex tape to force the PM’s resignation. “[Toussaint] is good at handling situations and power, but her weakness is her hidden side,” Delpy tells Netflix’s Tudum. “She puts herself and her entire career in danger for something that could have been avoided.”

To The Guardian she added, “She starts off as someone who isn’t flirting with the extreme right, and she slowly starts to go there—which is something you see happening a little bit to everyone in the center; they’re not necessarily ideologically far right, but they’re feeling they have to flirt with it, to comply with the perceived demands of the electorate.”

French star Julie Delpy, 55, is best known for starring in Richard Linklater’s Before trilogy (Before Sunrise, Before Sunset, and Before Midnight) opposite Ethan Hawke. A filmmaker in addition to being an actress, she has also written and directed films, including 2 Days in Paris, The Countess, and the TV series On the Verge.

Corey Mylchreest as Matheo Lewis

Matheo is Vivienne’s politically left-leaning stepson. Their relationship is difficult, as Matheo initially campaigned for Vivienne but is disillusioned by her shift towards the right.

Corey Mylchreest, 27, broke onto the scene as King George III in the Bridgerton prequel Queen Charlotte. Continuing his Netflix partnership, he starred in the romance film My Oxford Year opposite Sofia Carson, and he’ll soon appear in the streamer’s Agatha Christie adaptation The Seven Dials Mystery.

Lucian Msamati as Kofi Adomako

Kofi Adomako is a member of the Prime Minister’s team, helping uncover the truth and motivation behind the kidnapping.

Lucian Msamati, 49, is best known for his roles in the Oscar-winning film Conclave as Cardinal Adeyemi, the Emmy-winning series Game of Thrones as Salladhor Saan, and the critically acclaimed series Gangs of London and His Dark Materials. In addition to his film and TV career, Msamati was the first Black actor to portray Iago in Othello at the Royal Shakespeare Company in 2015, and has since appeared in productions of Ma Rainey's Black Bottom, Amadeus, and Clybourne Park.

Ashley Thomas as Dr. Alex Anderson

Dr. Anderson is the titular hostage of the series, kidnapped by those trying to extort his wife, the U.K. Prime Minister Abigail Dalton. In the hostage tape shown in the series trailer, his captors demand he ask his wife to resign as Prime Minister within 24 hours or face the consequences.

Ashley Thomas, 40, began his acting career in British independent films like Shank and 4.3.2.1. before starring in acclaimed TV series like Black Mirror, Top Boy, Great Expectations, and The Serpent Queen. He is also a rapper who performs under the moniker Bashy. His 2024 album Being Poor is Expensive won two MOBO Awards.

James Cosmo as Max

Max is the Prime Minister’s father, who is in the hospital with a chronic illness. In order to not worsen his condition, Abigail keeps the kidnapping a secret from him.

James Cosmo, 77, is a Scottish character actor who has appeared in films, including Trainspotting, The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, Ben-Hur, and Wonder Woman. His TV work includes Game of Thrones, Sons of Anarchy, His Dark Materials, and Jack Ryan.

Jehnny Beth as Adrienne Pelletier

Adrienne is part of the French delegation, acting as Vivienne’s right-hand woman during the negotiations with the Prime Minister—and the kidnappers.

Jehnny Beth, 40, might be recognizable from her film roles in Anatomy of a Fall and An Impossible Love. However, Beth is primarily a musician in the indie rock duo John & Jehn, as well as the frontwoman for the punk band Savages. Since 2020, Beth has been releasing solo music.

Isobel Akuwudike as Sylvie

Sylvie is Abigail’s daughter who can’t understand why her mom won’t resign to save her father’s life.

Isobel Akuwudike is a relative newcomer—the British actress appeared in three episodes of the Paramount+ series The Road Trip before her supporting role on Hostage. Akuwudike is a 2024 graduate of the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London.

"I wanted my hair to look a certain way, so then I wore extensions forever. And I was so insecure when I would wear extensions, because as someone who's, like, very obsessed about their hair, I was always nervous you could see [them]," Webb tells editor-in-chief Nikki Ogunnaike on the latest episode of the Marie Claire podcast "Nice Talk".

"I never went anywhere without a handheld mirror. Every time I went to a bathroom, I would look at the back of my hair, make sure nothing was fucking showing," Webb continues. "I felt this pressure that I had to have this long, beautiful, perfect hair, and my hair wasn't. It was broken and damaged."

Webb says she felt "so blessed" to be featured in magazines, do photoshoots, and appear on Shark Tank—but admits she was wearing extensions during "all these very big moments in my life."

"I can't tell you how many times they were like, 'Will she put extensions in?' Because it was just, like, I was supposed to have this perfect, beautiful hair." But rather than boosting her confidence, the extensions made her feel "terrible."

"I felt almost, like, not enough. It's funny, I've never actually talked about this, but I remember that made me feel very insecure."

Webb says the pressure to project perfection went far beyond her hair.

"I really felt like I had to be perfect, and I had to have the perfect hair, and—I was married to my co-founder—this perfect marriage, and these perfect kids ... And it just was a little hollow, you know, and a little unrealistic, and I kind of kept up that facade."

Still, she adds, "I loved what we were doing, and I loved the fact that we were giving women confidence. And at that time, 15 years ago, it felt like the world needed it, and it was the right thing at the right time."

These days, Webb says the “pendulum has swung” in the opposite direction. Her new brand of haircare products, called Messy, is all about embracing ease—using low heat or letting hair air dry. Even the products’ names are affirmations: the styling cream, for instance, is called is called "I Am Enough." (And now, Webb says she feels “giddy” about her hair.)

"I was 35 when I started Drybar, and our tagline was 'crafted for the perfect blowout.' But, you know, as my own personal evolution and journey, I'm like, I just don't subscribe to that anymore," the now 50-year-old shares. "It's like, yeah, I did start Drybar, and it was a huge success, and I'm so incredibly proud of it, and I always will be. And now I'm just in a different place. You can be, too. We don't have to be who we were yesterday."

For more from Webb—including how she started Drybar, the best career advice she's received, and how the pandemic inspired Messy—check out this week's installment of "Nice Talk". The episode is available everywhere you listen to podcasts.

Both Rachael and Michael fall on the non-religious side of the show's contestants: She's a 30-year-old Tampa-based cocktail waitress (and romantasy author!) looking for love, and he's a 26-year-old stand-up comedian who is a familiar face to viewers of the short-lived Netflix show Twentysomethings: Austin. By the end of the show, Michael and Rachael are the only day one couple left standing, and with all episodes streaming now, fans are wondering whether they became each other's firsts after filming ended. (No, none of the show's cast actually had sex for the first time on reality TV, thankfully.)

Below, read on for everything to know about Michael and Rachael's relationship timeline, including any clues to whether they're still together.

What happened between Michael and Rachael on 'Are You My First?'

When Michael first saw Rachael, he quickly declared that she was the hottest woman there and out of his league. However, on the first night, they quickly hit it off with their similar sense of humor. Rachael is also upfront that she has vaginismus, a disorder in which the vaginal muscles involuntarily tighten and make penetrative sex painful. She says in a confessional that Michael makes her feel safe and secure, and she could see herself losing her virginity to him.

Rachael makes a big power move up front during the night one white party, painting a ring onto Michael's finger to show that she's only interested in him. By episode 2, the couple are cuddling in a beached canoe and sharing their first kiss, which Rachael says is her first in years. She's so happy that she even gets emotional and tears up in a confessional.

Unfortunately, midway through episode 3, Michael has to leave the island early due to a family emergency. (He later shared that he traveled back home due to a death in the family.) Rachel immediately breaks into tears about her connection being ripped away, and she spends the next several episodes making it clear that her mind is still firmly on Michael.

Luckily, his departure from the show was only temporary! Before the second "virgin sacrifice" in episode 7, Michael returns to the show and is reunited with Rachael. Michael is happy to hear that Rachael waited for him, and just an hour later, he declares that he had a romantic connection with her at the ceremony.

However, they face a bit of awkwardness when they become the first couple to head into the Love Shack (the show's version of a Hideaway, but even more so since the cast usually sleeps in gender-separated dorms). Rachael is enthusiastic about spending the night together, but once they try to cuddle, she has a "visceral reaction" in which her body feels uncomfortable. They end up leaving the Love Shack without staying the night, and the next day, Rachael cries in frustration over her physical intimacy issues.

In a very good scene (that seems like a first-ever on reality TV), Rachael asks host Kaitlyn Bristowe for advice. It turns out that the former Bachelorette has vaginismus as well and experiences the same impulse to freeze up, even if she feels safe with someone. Rachael admits that she has a "fear of being loved back," but she wants to work on it with Michael. In episode 9, they have a good conversation about the Love Shack incident and her struggles with intimacy, before they cover each other in paint and faux-propose to each other.

In episode 10, each of the final couples moves into their own Love Shack for three days to spend quality time together. Rachael is initially nervous, and when Michael returns from a confessional interview, he finds her crying in the bathroom because she's overwhelmed. However, they get more comfortable sleeping together every night. Then, they hit a snag when discussing long distance for the first time, and Michael is much more hesitant about making that commitment.

Still, at the end of it all, Michael tells her, "I'd be a fool to end this. We have something so good."

Are Michael and Rachael still together after 'Are You My First?'

Despite their sweet romance, it's currently unclear whether Michael and Rachael are still dating a year after the Hulu series was filmed. Several days after the premiere of Are You My First?, neither of them follows the other on Instagram, though they both follow other cast members from the show. It's possible that the long distance between Texas and Florida affected them, or they may have tried to remain spoiler-free immediately after the show's premiere.

There is a bit of hope for the pair! A scroll through Rachael's Instagram shows that she visited Michael's home base of Austin, Texas, last January, and went on what could've been a romantic dinner. Fingers crossed that means the love birds at least made it work for a while—and may still be together. We'll have to wait and hear from them if they're still going strong.

The spy drama, which premiered all six episodes on August 13, concludes with a shocking scene that leaves viewers wondering what the father-daughter spy duo could be facing in a future installment. Below, read on for everything we know about Butterfly season 2 so far.

Has 'Butterfly' been renewed for season 2?

Prime Video has yet to reveal whether Butterfly will return for a second season, but it's still early days for the spy thriller. Streamers tend to wait several weeks for viewership numbers before making a renewal decision, so we'll have to wait for news over the next month or so.

In a bit of good news for fans, the series has remained in the streamer's Top 10 for its first week out, alongside The Summer I Turned Pretty season 3.

When would 'Butterfly' season 2 be released?

While we'll have to wait for a renewal announcement, we can look back at the season 1 filming timeline to estimate how long it could take for season 2 to arrive. The first installment of Butterfly began filming in February 2024 in South Korea and ended in July, before arriving on Prime Video a little over a year later.

The series's return would also depend on all the actors's schedules, and Daniel Dae Kim is currently filming season 3 of Netflix's Avatar: The Last Airbender. Knowing all this, there's a good chance that new episodes of Butterfly wouldn't come out until 2027.

Which of the cast members would return for 'Butterfly' season 2?

Despite the high body count from season 1, most of Butterfly's main cast is likely to return for a second season. This includes Daniel Dae Kim (David Jung), Reina Hardesty (Rebecca), Piper Perabo (Juno), Louis Lando (Oliver), Sean Dulake (Hollis), Nayoon Kim (Minhee Jung), and Charles Parnell (Senator George Dawson).

Meanwhile, the fates of many of the K-drama actors in the cast are up in the air, including Kim Tae-hee (Eunju Kim), Sung Dong-il (Doo Tae Kim), Lee Il-hwa (Young Sil Kim), Kim Ji-hoon (Gun), Park Hae-soo (Yong Shik Choi). To discuss them, we'll have to get into spoiler territory.

What would 'Butterfly' season 2 be about?

Spoilers for the Butterfly finale ahead. Like any good thriller, Butterfly's finale ends with a major cliffhanger. After David and Rebecca succeed in dismantling Caddis, they reunite with David's wife Eunju and their daughter Minhee, and have a family dinner. In the final scene, after Eunju and Rebecca go to the bathroom together, David discovers that Eunju has been shot, and Rebecca is nowhere to be found. (As of the end of season 1, Eunju is severely hurt but seemingly still alive.)

The big lingering question is whether Rebecca is the one who shot her new stepmom, as well as whether she fled willingly or was kidnapped. Throughout the first season, the extent of Rebecca's psychopathic tendencies is constantly in question, as well as her loyalty to her mother figure, Juno. After all, Rebecca got David to spare Juno's life, and a couple of days of whirlwind spy adventures likely weren't enough for Rebecca to completely shift her trust to her long-lost dad. Their strained relationship is the heart of the show, so her betrayal could power another season.

The other, and more interesting option, is if the attack on Eunju is related to her mysterious father. In the handful of excellent scenes with the elder Kims, all we learn is that Doo Tae is very intimidating, has a small army (or enough money to fund one) at his disposal, and is the type of man that you don't want to owe a favor. It's hard to imagine him having his own daughter shot, but David already had reason to be wary of his father-in-law even before Eunju got shot. There are several places the next season could go with Doo Tae as either the main antagonist (maybe paired with Juno), or a slippery, quick-to-double-cross ally against a whole new Big Bad.

Also, speaking for K-drama fans, hopefully Butterfly season 2 will add more Korean actors in new supporting roles, since neither Gun nor Yong Shik made it out of season 1 alive.

What has the cast and crew said about 'Butterfly' season 2?

Since the show's debut, Daniel Dae Kim has been very vocal about his hopes for a Butterfly season 2. When asked about what comes next after Eunju's attack, he told TVInsider, "What can I tease about it? Well, I’ll say that the ramifications of that event lead to some serious soul searching and in some cases, changes of personality."

He added, "I hope there is a second season, first of all. But what I like about the show is that we’re already establishing that it’s an international show. So it makes the world our oyster. We could go anywhere. And given the nature of what David and Rebecca do, you could see them traveling. You could see them settling somewhere else. That’s kind of the goal at the start of season 1. So we’ll see."

Meanwhile, Reina Hardesty shared her hopes that Rebecca will explore a whole new path (and maybe get some professional help).

"I think for Rebecca in season 1, you’re seeing her being pulled between two worlds and deciding whether or not to kind of please her father or be good or please Juno," she told the outlet. "And it would be really nice to see Rebecca decide what she actually wants, instead of coming from this place and needing to be loved and really sit with herself and meet herself and process these feelings. I’m really interested to see who she would be without her reactive tendencies. So essentially, therapy for Rebecca would be interesting."

At the beginning of the Prime Video series, created by Jenny Han, Spencer’s Taylor is a popular girl who is ride or die for Belly and one of the few on “Team Jellyfish” from the get-go. Her performance is at first big and posturing—playing the cool girl who wants to be cool about everything. But her longtime crush on Belly’s brother, Steven (Sean Kaufman) begins to break those walls down, showing Taylor’s vulnerability as the two embark in a constant game of will-they-won’t-they that, frankly, rivals Belly’s love triangle.

In the show’s final season, audiences get to see another side to Taylor as she helps her mother, Lucinda (Kristen Conolly) deal with messy financial troubles and as Taylor’s relationship with Steven evolves into something unexpected: just friends. Speaking with Marie Claire over Zoom mid-way through the season, the 25-year-old actress analyzes Taylor parenting her mother, her fierce bond with Tung, and what she’s learned from playing Taylor.

Marie Claire: How are you feeling about Taylor's arc this season?

Rain Spencer: I feel grateful to be here. A lot of Taylor’s story this season is not in the books, so it's been really fun to see what Jenny comes up with. I have to understand where Taylor comes from in order to play the character, and I can't afford to judge her because I have to portray her. It really is a lot about her protecting herself and that manifesting in different ways. Whether she gets weirdly angry or defensive or snarky or sassy, whatever way it's coming out is because she is so sensitive.

MC: This season especially, she's just taking care of everyone around her so deeply at the expense of herself. I'm very curious about if and when that comes to a head, because of everything that's happening with Taylor’s mom, but also everything that’s happening with Steven as well.

RS: It's one big ‘don't leave me, don’t go away.’ She's picky about who she lets into her life. For that reason, she's got this big fear that people are going to leave. I don't think she's conscious of the patterns that are happening. When you're in it, you can't see it. But from an outside perspective and from someone who's studied her, it's a fear of abandonment. She's abandoning herself in order to not be abandoned, but that just means she's not taking care of herself and not doing the things that she loves and wants to do. That in and of itself is very depleting and it's just giving your power away all the time.

MC: We are learning so much about her this season by getting to know her relationship with her mother better. How is it working with Kristen and exploring that dynamic?

RS: Kristen is so funny and easy to work with and just genuinely a joy to be around. So I felt really lucky to have her come on as my mom. As far as the characters, that is a challenging dynamic: to parent your parent. It is interesting to dive into a dynamic that isn't always seen. It's so true for some people and maybe makes someone feel less alone. I've said before, Lucinda is also a human and is trying her best; our parents don't know what they're doing either. I think holding onto resentment is poison and there's room for grace. I'm going to change my perspective and learn how to love you in this other way because I'm an adult now. I think Taylor's learning how to do that.

MC: That seems to be what she’s trying to do with Steven as well. Taylor’s clearly still in love with him, but she’s trying to respect his boundaries.

RS: It's funny about episode six, with the lemon squares scene, Steven says he just wants to be friends. Obviously, she's not super happy about that, but I think Taylor genuinely is willing to give him that. Later, when she's on the couch stalking Denise on Instagram, her mom comes over and her mom instantly goes into ‘What a great tactic to get him back!’ I don't think Taylor was thinking about it like that. Now it becomes this thing of how much do I take from my mom versus learning something different?

MC: There have been so many crazy theories about literally everyone on the show. There’s one about Taylor where fans think she’ll end up with Jeremiah or that the wedding at the end of the season is Taylor and Steven’s. I even saw one where there’s a theory that Taylor is pregnant. Do you follow these theories about your character?

RS: I love watching people come up with theories. I haven't seen all of them, but the ones that I've seen, I think it's just so fun that people are this passionate. We're really lucky to have such an amazing fan base that really cares and is into the details. Also, the memes are hilarious.

MC: The music on the show is so incredible. Do you have a favorite Taylor Swift needle drop throughout the seasons or a general needle drop?

RS: Jenny is so good at these needle drops. Just as a fan watching the show, I'm affected. Some of my favorite songs are not out yet. They're later in the season, so I can't talk about them yet. Jenny is just so talented, I mean, she's the creator of this entire world and she does it so beautifully.

MC: How’s it been bonding and working with Lola for the past three seasons? For me, they are the love story of the show.

RS: Taylor and Belly are the love story. That's right. Print! With Lola, it's been so beautiful because it was my second project, her first project, but my first TV show and her first TV show. It's been really special to grow up with her and experience this crazy wonderful transition of our careers. The show has completely changed both of our lives. And it's special to have someone as kind and beautiful and sweet and funny. I absolutely adore her and she's such a good friend. She'll forever be in my life.

MC: Do you have a favorite Taylor moment throughout the series?

RS: That's a hard question. There are moments that I really love that are out and some that are not yet that I'm really excited for and her arc. The moments that are my favorite are the moments where, like I said earlier, she's breaking down some of her walls. I love that Steven is the catalyst for that. Most of the time, he's the one that's like, ‘It's safe. You can come out. I love you. You can be weird and dance in front of me. You don't have to be this perfect thing.’ The moments where he brings that out of her. It's also really fun with certain moments of Taylor where she's just full of confidence in her walk and her posture, and she's going to tell somebody off or she is about to get loud and mean. It is so opposite of my personality. It's really fun to pretend to be this queen bee.

MC: We're over halfway through the final season. Can you tease a little bit about what we can expect from this back half to the finale or the series finale about Taylor?

RS: I can just say that she is still on this journey herself. Just personally, some of my favorite stuff for everyone from the whole series is coming up.

MC: Since Taylor was such a big role for you, what do you feel like you've learned from playing this character?

RS: Before Taylor, I did not wear a bikini. I didn't wear any form-fitting clothes. I was wearing baggy everything. I didn't brush my hair really. And I didn't know how to wear makeup. So that's Rain before Taylor. When you play a character like Taylor, I knew that she was going to have to exude this confidence and this certain posture. And like I mentioned earlier, this sway in her hips and this just pure confidence, even though that's not how she's feeling on the inside. By learning that feeling in my body, I learned what it felt like to be confident. I now have that stored in my body because of Taylor and I can be confident on the inside and on the outside.

Aanu, 29

Instagram: @aanumusic

Location: Essex, England

Occupation: Singer

Backstory: Her four-year relationship ended due to infidelity.

Gets Engaged? No, but she has a flirtation with Patrick.

Amy, 33

Instagram: @amyjanevs

Location: Brecon, Wales

Occupation: Primary school teacher

Fun Fact: She set her brother up with his partner of eight years.

Gets Engaged? No.

Ashleigh, 30

Instagram: @ashleighberryy

Location: Surrey, England

Occupation: Cabin crew manager

Backstory: She was an Army Cadet growing up, and was nicknamed "Combat Barbie."

Gets Engaged? Yes, to Billy.

Bardha, 32

Instagram: @praddz

Location: London, England

Occupation: Sales and marketing director

Backstory: She emigrated to the U.K. from Kosovo as a child.

Gets Engaged? Yes, to Jed.

Billy, 35

Instagram: @billy_jervis_jnr

Location: Bangor, Northern Ireland

Occupation: Army physical trainer

Looking For: "A life partner who’ll accompany him on group dates with his married friends, enjoy a pint of Guinness, and build a family with him [and] his beloved dog Ollie."

Gets Engaged? Yes, to Ashleigh.

Charlie, 28

Instagram: @charlie_antony1

Location: Essex, England

Occupation: Electrical engineer

Backstory: "As a self-described former party boy, cheeky Charlie is known for being outspoken, but his personality hasn’t always led to success in romance."

Gets Engaged? No.

Chris, 33

Instagram: @cobyrne5

Location: Sussex, England

Occupation: Project manager

Looking For: "A family-oriented and funny woman who loves animals."

Gets Engaged? No.

Christine, 35

Instagram: @christineh12489

Location: Athlacca, Republic of Ireland

Occupation: HR operations lead

Backstory: A "very experienced bridesmaid" who has "a habit of falling for bad boys"

Gets Engaged? No.

Danielle, 33

Instagram: @imdaniellekelly

Location: Portsmouth, England

Occupation: Estate agent

Looking For: "Someone low-key, who's reserved and hardworking" and has ambition

Gets Engaged? No.

Holly, 30

Instagram: @hollyjkingdon

Location: London, England

Occupation: Private chef

Looking For: "Someone driven, emotionally available, and appreciative of her nurturing nature will get her attention."

Gets Engaged? No.

Demola, 30

Instagram: @demolaayilara14

Location: Essex, England

Occupation: Financial analyst

Backstory: "An old-school gentleman, Demola has been marriage-minded from a young age, even fantasizing about the details of his wedding as a boy."

Gets Engaged? No, but he has a flirtation with Katisha.

Jack, 33

Instagram: @jackrogers7

Location: London, England

Occupation: App creator

Backstory: After a health scare, "this triathlon runner has fully recovered, he’s realized life is extremely precious—and much better with a partner by your side."

Gets Engaged? No.

James, 36

Instagram: @jamesclarky_

Location: Skegness, England

Occupation: Real estate manager; DJ

Backstory: "As a father of two, James’s proudest achievement in life is raising his daughters—and he has his heart set on having more kids in the future."

Gets Engaged? No.

Javen, 28

Instagram: @javenspalmer

Location: Kent, England

Occupation: Health coach; former professional soccer player

Why He Joined LIB: "Javen believes he just 'attracts the wrong types of girls.' In the pods, however, he aims to break free of his usual type and build a 'genuine connection.'"

Gets Engaged? Yes, to Katisha.

Jed, 31

Instagram: @jedchouman

Location: Essex, England

Occupation: Configuration manager

Backstory: "The highlight of Jed’s’s week is Sunday roast dinners with his big Lebanese family. He’s a doting uncle to two nieces and can’t wait to one day be a 'girl dad.'"

Gets Engaged? Yes, to Bardha.

Jordan, 29

Instagram: @pugs.94

Location: Bristol, England

Occupation: Life engineer

Why He Joined LIB: "As he approaches 30, and after a year of being single, Jordan finally feels ready for a serious romantic partnership."

Gets Engaged? No.

Kal, 31

Instagram: @kaleemxpasha

Location: Wigan, England

Occupation: Gym owner

Why He Joined LIB: "If he wants to find a partner to go the distance, he’ll have to rethink his approach to dating: All seven of his previous relationships have ended before the 12-month mark."

Gets Engaged? Yes, to Sarover.

Katisha, 31

Instagram: @katkinson1

Location: Dumfries, Scotland

Occupation: Nanny and makeup artist

Why She Joined LIB: "To branch out of her small hometown to connect with the 'right type of men' who are seeking long-term commitment and love."

Gets Engaged? Yes, to Javen.

Kieran, 28

Instagram: @kieranhdarby

Location: London, England

Occupation: Gaming entrepreneur

Backstory: "Kieran is a member of Mensa and has even been featured on Forbes 30 Under 30 list, so he’s no stranger to success. Let’s just see if he finds it in romance."

Gets Engaged? Yes, to Megan.

Laurie, 37

Instagram: @llauriemariee

Location: London, England

Occupation: Interior stylist

Looking For: "A serious guy, who embraces her Celtic and Caribbean roots."

Gets Engaged? No.

Loll, 31

Instagram: @lollsturgess

Location: Bedfordshire, England

Occupation: Account manager, sales

Why She Joined LIB: "Though her natural confidence attracts all kinds of people, she has a habit of letting the wrong guys into her heart."

Gets Engaged? No.

Megan, 28

Instagram: @meganjupp

Location: London, England

Occupation: Dancer/fitness instructor

Looking For: "A man who supports her career and shares her desire to start a family and quick-witted sense of humor."

Gets Engaged? Yes, to Kieran.

Patrick, 33

Instagram: @projectorpatrick

Location: London, England

Occupation: Human Design coach

Why He Joined LIB: "Partick ended his longest relationship because he didn’t know himself well enough, but after putting in the work and feeling secure about himself once again, love is what he’s after."

Gets Engaged? No, but he has a flirtation with Aanu.

Ross B, 32

Instagram: @rossbfrd

Location: Dunstable, England

Occupation: Builder

Backstory: "'A movie kind of love'" with "a partner who will be his best friend for life, long after the credits stop rolling"

Gets Engaged? No.

Ross M, 30

Instagram: @rossmillington1

Location: Cheshire, England

Occupation: Barber shop owner

Why He Joined LIB: "After a year of being single, he’s ready to give it another go and hopes to meet someone with whom he can be completely himself."

Gets Engaged? No.

Sarover, 29

Instagram: @saroveraujla

Location: Buckinghamshire, England

Occupation: Medical company owner; former competitive kickboxer

Why She Joined LIB: "Romance has been calling, but online dating and being set up by relatives haven’t been successful."

Gets Engaged? Yes, to Kal.

Sophie, 28

Instagram: @slw.3

Location: Manchester, England

Occupation: Senior commercial manager

Biggest Turn-On: "A guy who can 'stand up for himself' and doesn’t let her walk all over him."

Gets Engaged? No, but she has a flirtation with Kieran.

Tara, 33

Instagram: @tarakmason

Location: Wicklow, Republic of Ireland

Occupation: Cafe owner

Looking For: Someone who's "genuinely interested in all aspects of her life, including her favorite pastimes: running, night diving, and walking her Great Dane."

Gets Engaged?: No.

Tom, 35

Instagram: @tom.jackson88

Location: London, England

Occupation: Retired pub landlord

Looking For: "Having grown up in a large family with foster siblings, Tom hopes to get married and foster some kids of his own with a partner one day."

Gets Engaged? No.

Yolanda, 26

Instagram: @simply_yolandita

Location: Hampshire, England

Occupation: Specialist occupational therapist

Why She Joined LIB: "As an adrenaline junkie who enjoys sky diving and bungee jumping, she’s had plenty of experience taking big leaps of faith."

Gets Engaged? No.

Like its international counterpart, the surprising sincerity of Are You My First? belies its eyebrow-raising title (and Iain Stirling-style voiceover narration). Especially after a summer of intense reality drama, the cast of this series feels like a breath of fresh air, with a handful of ready-made TV personalities (and alums from other shows) sprinkled in. Leave your expectations at the door; there are way fewer corny challenges and way more genuine conversations (and sex-education trivia) than you'd expect.

To build out its roster of virgins, Hulu found hopeful singles including L.A. models, Florida entrepreneurs, a pageant queen, a romantasy author, and a handful of Mormons. Below, read on to meet the cast of Are You My First?.

Andrew

Instagram: @andrewmarino_

Age: 25

Hometown: Salt Lake City, UT

Occupation: Sales consultant; entrepreneur

Why They're Waiting: "Saving it for the one who will 'be his forever.'"

Brooklyn

Instagram: @brooklynhbenson

Age: 24

Hometown: Los Angeles, CA

Occupation: Model; actress; dance instructor

Why They're Waiting: "Believes the right one is 'worth the wait.'"

Carissa

Instagram: @carissaestellee

Age: 27

Hometown: Long Beach, CA

Occupation: Social media manager

Why They're Waiting: "Holding space for 'the one who's truly right.'"

Deya

Instagram: @deyabazan

Age: 28

Hometown: Fort Lauderdale, FL

Occupation: Small business owner

Why They're Waiting: "Looking to create a lasting 'storybook love' with the right one."

Farha

Instagram: @farhakhalidi

Age: 25

Hometown: Miami, FL

Occupation: Writer; content creator

Fun Fact: She has 1.7 million TikTok followers.

Why They're Waiting: "'Late bloomer' who figures she might as well wait for true love."

Godwin

Instagram: @godwin__asamoah

Age: 27

Hometown: Ghana; Edison, NJ

Occupation: Actor; model

Fun Fact: He was in Rihanna's Savage X Fenty Vol. 3 fashion show.

Why They're Waiting: "Still looking because he's 'holding out for his queen.'"

Hakeem

Instagram: @hakeem_kiser

Age: 27

Hometown: Atlanta, GA

Occupation: Voiceover artist; poet

Why They're Waiting: "Approaches with caution because he 'knows the risk.'"

Jade

Instagram: @jadee_t

Age: 28

Hometown: New Orleans, LA

Occupation: Marketing specialist

Fun Fact: She's a former NFL cheerleader and Miss New Orleans USA '22 and '23.

Why They're Waiting: "She's 'never been in a serious relationship'—but never say never."

Jake

Instagram: @jakerohrs

Age: 32

Hometown: Los Angeles, CA

Occupation: Caregiver

Why They're Waiting: "Waiting for marriage because his 'faith calls him' to."

Katya

Instagram: @katyaferrer

Age: 28

Hometown: Orange County, CA / New York, NY

Occupation: Theater artist

Why They're Waiting: "Holding out because everything is about sex except sex. 'Sex is about power.'"

Krash

Instagram: @krashpavic

Age: 24

Hometown: Miami, FL

Occupation: Social media manager

Why They're Waiting: "'Strict upbringing' taught him to wait for the right one."

Layne

Instagram: @layne.gwartney

Age: 24

Hometown: Hammon, OK

Occupation: Commercial pilot

Why They're Waiting: "He's never had a 'serious girlfriend'...so far."

Madi

Instagram: @madikolodgie

Age: 28

Hometown: Houston, TX / Austin, TX

Occupation: Influencer marketing manager

Why They're Waiting: "Her fear of intimacy is making her wait 'to meet her true love.'"

Michael

Instagram: @michaelaaronfractor

Age: 26

Hometown: Austin, TX

Occupation: Tour guide; stand-up comedian

Fun Fact: He was previously on the Netflix reality show Twentysomethings: Austin.

Why They're Waiting: "Needs to work through his 'fear of intimacy' first."

Mike

Instagram: @mikeyplaneta

Age: 34

Hometown: San Diego, CA

Occupation: Gym owner / entrepreneur

Fun Fact: He was a contestant on season 17 (Katie Thurston's season) of The Bachelorette.

Why They're Waiting: "His faith called to say he needs to 'wait until marriage.'"

Noah

Instagram: @noahtokjenson

Age: 25

Hometown: San Clemente, CA

Occupation: Business owner

Why They're Waiting: "'Waiting' to walk down the aisle before hopping into bed."

Rachael

Instagram: @rachael_staudt

Age: 30

Hometown: Tampa, FL

Occupation: Cocktail waitress; romantasy author

Why They're Waiting: "Navigating a 'health challenge' that impacts physical intimacy."

Sara

Instagram: @sarabrito29

Age: 28

Hometown: San Diego, CA

Occupation: Student

Why They're Waiting: "Holding out for love after she 'prioritized her studies growing up.'"

Spencer

Instagram: @spencer.johnsons

Hometown: Vancouver Island, Canada / Boise, Idaho

Occupation: Residential solar salesman

Why They're Waiting: "Looking for someone who makes his first 'fulfilling and meaningful.'"

Ty

Instagram: @ty.cannon

Age: 25

Hometown: Provo, Utah

Occupation: Software engineer / web developer

Fun Fact: He's Mormon and graduated from BYU.

Why They're Waiting: "He's still waiting for the 'right one' and he's not afraid to admit it."

Vivek

Instagram: @vivek__sun

Age: 23

Hometown: Los Angeles, CA

Occupation: Financial accountant; model

Why They're Waiting: "Wants to share that moment with 'someone he truly trusts.'"

One of the film’s breakout stars, singer-songwriter Aiyana-Lee, got her start in the industry in the exact same way. “That was me in every label,” the 24-year-old musician says. “I was sitting outside, pretending I had a meeting, waiting for the CEO, literally with a guitar and a karaoke mic. It made the film feel hyper-realistic.”

Now, the British-American artist (whose full name is Aiyana-Lee Anderson) has traded her makeshift impromptu stage for the theatrical spotlight. In Highest 2 Lowest, she plays Sula Janie Zimmie, another aspiring superstar who appears in King’s life as he contemplates the next stage of his career. Sula’s sanctioned audition in the film’s momentous ending scene leaves King—and the audience—moved by the singer’s undeniable talent.

Aiyana-Lee’s collaboration with Spike Lee began when she caught his attention on Instagram. Ahead of the A24/Apple film’s August 15 theatrical release, the singer tells Marie Claire that she was in “complete disbelief” when the auteur filmmaker slid into her DMs. “I had to check it a few times to make sure I wasn't tripping. My jaw dropped to the floor. I got up out of my bed. It was like 6:00 in the morning, and I woke my mom up and said, 'Girl, I think Spike Lee just DMed me.'”

Her title track on the film’s soundtrack is a joyous, gospel-tinged ode to resilience, making for the perfect coda to the genre-bending neo-noir about art versus commerce in a creative industry. While writing the song, the singer connected with the film’s “hyper-realistic” portrayal of the cutthroat music industry as it tries to adapt to the changing times. From moving to the U.S. at the age of 15 with just a karaoke mic and a dream, to building an online platform with over a million followers, Aiyana-Lee hopes her breakout moment can lend to the song’s message: “You can go from being at your lowest to reaching your highest potential.”

With Highest 2 Lowest in select theaters and the soundtrack out now, Aiyana-Lee chats with Marie Claire about sharing her first-ever movie scene with Washington, working closely with Lee, and how her family is integral to her music.

MC: Had you already read the film’s script when you were working on the title track? Did you know that it would be this triumphant final scene as you wrote the lyrics?

AL: For sure. It's funny because we probably wrote 10 songs before we got to this one. We have a folder full of Spike Lee joints on the hard drive, but it was such a great collaboration. Spike was super involved. He would call me every single day, and we would go back and forth on how we can get the best vibe for that moment, because it is such a big moment in the movie. He really knew what he wanted people to feel when they saw it and heard it, so we definitely went through a process of making sure that the energy fit for that moment. Everything that the characters go through and the vibe of the entire movie inspired having that 'crescendo,' as Spike would call it, moment at the end of the film with this song.

MC: What was it like when you got onto set to film the scene with Denzel Washington?

AL: I mean, it's Denzel! You know what I'm saying? I was super nervous beforehand, because you never know what you're going to get, and you're always afraid to meet your idols. But in this case, Denzel surpassed my expectations—firstly as a human being, let alone an actor. He was so welcoming, such a joy to be on set with, so electrifying to watch him in his element. I've never seen anything like it. [He] and Spike really made me feel so comfortable and so seen. They really encouraged me and believed in me, and took a chance.

MC: You share a lot of similarities with your character Sula, both musically and in your career trajectory. What was it like balancing playing someone so similar to you in real life?

AL: Spike has such a great mind and really knows what's going to fit for who and how it's going to work. In this scene, I felt like I had to be as authentic as I possibly could and stay as true to myself as I could, because I'd been through a similar situation, if not the exact same situation that this scene portrays in my own life—to the point where I was like, 'I'm having a bit of déjà vu.' It felt so close to home, and it was a joy to be able to bring myself to this character.

MC: You have a lot of songs like “My idols lied to me” and “Table for Three” that sound like they’re meant to be on a film soundtrack. What draws you to that style of music?

AL: I've always been drawn to things that feel cinematic and theatrical because I'm a very big persona in my own life, and I like to reflect it in my music. I definitely feel a comfort in that raw storytelling element. Storytelling in every form has always been the goal, whether it's acting or writing books or writing music.

MC: Your mother, Daciana-Nicole Anderson, is your creative partner and co-writer on the title track. What's it like working with her and having your family be involved in your singing career?

AL: It's amazing. She taught me everything I know when it comes to writing. We collab so much and so often, and I feel like we're literally the same person in two different fonts, so it's so easy to work together. Even on this song, I really was like, 'I can't play the piano, bro. Can you help me come up with some chords just for writing purposes?' She's been able to co-write so many songs with me on my own projects as well, and protect me from a lot of the crazy stuff that goes down in the industry. [She’s been] a guiding light for me, and she inspires me to push myself, not settle for things that are mediocre, and surpass what's accepted to pursue something that creates legacy. Without her, I don't know who I would've turned out to be.

MC: Who were your musical inspirations growing up?

AL: Because I grew up around my mom—who has always been a songwriter and an incredible one—I got to experience all kinds of music, from The Temptations with my uncle being David Ruffin to Christina Aguilera, who was off the charts, going crazy. I love Whitney [Houston], Mariah [Carey], Céline [Dion]. I've always enjoyed all the classic female vocalists. I love Michael Jackson. To me, he's the best artist in the world, the greatest that will ever be and has ever been. I think growing up around different types of music has helped me craft and pave my own way.

MC: You often discuss your mental health and your come-up as a musician on social media. What makes you want to be so open about your personal life rather than creating a separation?

AL: To me, it's one and the same. I wanted to be almost the quote, 'Be the change you wish to see in the world.' I saw so many different artists blow up, but I never really understood the story or got to see the step-by-step. You can compare yourself to so many different people online, but then you degrade yourself to a degree, thinking that they don't go through the same struggles you do. I never wanted to be that. I wanted people to see the grit of it all and be part of that daily journey and struggle, because if someone can see my journey and be inspired and think, ‘You know what, maybe I can do it as well,’ then that's a job done.

MC: What do you hope that both the general audience and aspiring musicians feel after they watch your final scene?

AL: I hope the takeaway is that you can go from being at your lowest to reaching your highest potential. If you stick through the times when you're broke, the times when you have nothing, and still see that bigger picture and vision despite whoever doubts you and tries to make you feel smaller than what you are. That's really what the song is saying as well: If a person can go through all that and still make it on top, then maybe I can do it as well.

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.

During its run, Cruel Summer became a word-of-mouth hit and Freeform's most-watched series debut at the time. Despite fan pleas for a continuation after the finale's jaw-dropping cliffhanger, the Jessica Biel-produced series became an anthology and released a second season with an all-new cast and showrunner. Though the series was canceled in late 2023, it turns out that Kate Wallis's story may not be over yet. Below, read on for everything we know about a possible Cruel Summer season 3, including where the cult-loved drama could go next.

Has 'Cruel Summer' been renewed for season 3?

Though the thriller series was canceled after its second installment (which was not as popular as the debut season), it seems as though summer's not over quite yet. In a major surprise, Variety reported in August 2025—two years after the show went off the air—that a season 3 of Cruel Summer is in development at Hulu and Freeform. What's even more exciting? Olivia Holt is reprising her role—meaning, the series will at least somewhat continue its season 1 storyline.

After the news broke, Holt, who is coming onto season 3 as an executive producer, took to Instagram to share a screenshot of the report and express her excitement. "kate wallis, it’s good to be you again," she wrote in the caption.

Joining Holt behind the scenes of the production are showrunners Cori Uchida and Adam Lash, and returning executive producers Jessica Biel and Michelle Purple. Bert V. Royal, who created the series but left after filming the pilot due to "creative differences," is not involved.

So, queue your favorite '90s banger and throw on some butterfly clips or a choker because it's happening!

When will 'Cruel Summer' season 3 come out?

It's unclear when Cruel Summer season 3 will premiere, but it will likely be a while. With the new season still in early development, the team is probably still writing the next chapter in Kate Wallis's story. When the show moves into production, it may be a relatively quick turnaround. (Season 1 was filmed in early 2020 before it premiered in summer 2021. Meanwhile, season 2 was ordered amid season 1's run, shot in 2022, and aired in 2023.) We're crossing our fingers that we'll be back in Skylin, Texas by late 2026 or early 2027.

What will 'Cruel Summer' season 3 be about?

All we know about Cruel Summer season 3 is that Olivia Holt is reprising her role as Kate Wallis. It's unconfirmed whether the upcoming episodes will immediately follow the events of season 1 or if there will be a time jump.

As fans will likely remember, season 1 famously ended with a jaw-dropping twist that revealed that while Jeanette didn't see Kate when she was held captive by Martin (Blake Lee), as she alleged, she did hear her. The 1994 timeline shows Jeanette breaking into Martin's home, as she had a habit of doing, and hearing Kate yelling for help from the basement. While she nearly put her hand on the locked basement door to help her out, she ultimately decided against it. We then understand just how calculated her following choices were, and how much she lied upon Kate's return.

Still, Jeanette was able to get away with everything and have the court case thrown out, as it also came to light that it was Mallory (Harley Quinn Smith) who saw Kate, unbeknownst to her at the time, and all the girls apologized to one another.

Season 3 could see Jeanette's truth somehow coming out (perhaps Kate can't let the confusing holes in the case go!), and the ramifications of it. Alternatively, Jeanette could make another sinister decision that goes awry, causing the case to return to her.

However, considering all parties involved in the original case were trying to move on, it's possible that the show could go a different direction, focusing on what's next for Kate. Perhaps she becomes obsessed with finding out if Martin had any other victims, or she becomes somewhat of an armchair detective, hoping to help other girls. Or, maybe now she's in college and something happens on her campus. There are endless possibilities, but regardless, we're looking forward to be back with the OG queen bee of Skylin.

Which cast members will return for 'Cruel Summer' season 3?

The only confirmed name in season 3 is Holt. It could be a while before any news regarding who else from the debut season might return, or whether the show will tell a new story with a new ensemble.

If the show continues the drama between Kate and Jeanette, Chiara Aurelia would likely return. Since Cruel Summer, she's made a name for herself on and off Broadway, where she led the buzzy play Dilaria and took over for Sadie Sink in the main role of John Proctor Is the Villain when the Stranger Things star's run ended. However, John Proctor Is the Villain closes in early September, and Aurelia's availability opens up.

Other characters who might be back include Mallory (played by Harley Quinn Smith), since she and Kate began dating at the end of season 1, and Kate's family, including her typical Southern belle mother Joy (Andrea Anders), her stepfather Rod (Ben Cain), and her sister Ashley (Ashlei Sharpe Chestnut). As fans may recall, Kate shot and killed Martin (Blake Lee) before she escaped, so he likely won't be back unless there are additional flashbacks or she delves more into his past.

With the show's return still in early development, we'll have to stay patient—but we'll be sure to update this story as more information becomes available. We can't wait for next summer!

They seemed to have a smooth path toward wedding bells in the initial episodes of the hit Netflix reality series, but as the couple got deeper into the logistics of a marriage, Billy’s concerns about Ashleigh’s job as a flight attendant rendered him undecided about walking down the aisle. Below, we’re breaking down Love Is Blind: UK season 2 stars Ashleigh and Billy’s relationship—and whether they might still be together now.

What happens between Billy and Ashleigh on 'Love is Blind: UK' season 2?

For 35-year-old Army veteran and physical trainer Billy, it’s an instant connection with Ashleigh, a 30-year-old cabin crew flight attendant and former Army Cadet. Their shared military training is grounds for the immediate spark, but the more they talk in the pods, the stronger their bond grows. They’re able to be vulnerable with each other; Ashleigh reveals she hasn’t dated in over four years after her previous relationship “knocked who she was,” while Billy admits that he got divorced five years ago and is looking to find his forever person.

The banter between Billy and Ashleigh only increases as time goes on—but before things get too far, Billy expresses some hesitation about her career, knowing that it will require her to be away from home for long periods. When they discuss this potential hiccup, Ashleigh reassures him by saying she’s open to switching to a more traditional 9-to-5 if and when they have a family. This is enough to assuage his fears, which stem from a previous relationship with a flight attendant in which he and his partner were essentially living separate lives.

As their relationship grows, Ashleigh gifts Billy a thimble, a souvenir she collects from every travel destination. It’s a symbol of the adventure they’re going on together, and it makes Billy so emotional that he tells her he loves her—the first time he’s said the words since he was married. She says it back, and soon they’re the first couple to get engaged in the new season.

At the in-person reveal, they have immediate chemistry and adorably twirl each other around, taking in their partner for the first time. Ashleigh even jokingly tells the confessional camera that “Billy’s a good kisser” and jumps on a couch like a giddy teenager after their first meeting, in awe of her happiness.

Billy and Ashleigh’s bliss continues when they travel to Cyprus, unable to keep their hands off each other while still deepening their emotional connection. “You’re my type every day of the week and twice on Sundays,” Billy tells her after they both compliment each other’s physiques. Things are trending in an upward direction even after they meet up with the other couples, with no signs of jealousy or nefarious behavior at this time.

At first, they seemed to be this installment’s version of Love Is Blind season 1 standouts Lauren and Cameron, or season 4 fan-favorites Tiffany and Brett—couples who smoothly sail to the altar and beyond. However, the second batch of episodes released on August 20 reveals that their honeymoon phase may not have lasted all that long.

The complications begin when they move in together, and Ashleigh observes just how regimented and methodical Billy’s life is. A trait picked up while in the Army, Billy is a man of routine, which extends to the way he shops for groceries and eats his meals. While they are out grocery shopping, he struggles to be open to changes in the grocery list or to her desire to add dessert to the mix. Ashleigh is worried that Billy can’t compromise, and tells him that his reaction to food specifically brings up complicated emotions for her: Ashleigh was bullied as a child for being a “bean-pole” and sought refuge in food. She tells him that she doesn’t want to feel guilty for indulging, and Billy promises that he will try to drop his restrictions.

Meeting each other’s families isn’t exactly a walk in the park, either. While Billy’s mom and sister and Ashleigh’s dad are all extremely supportive of the relationship and give their blessings, Billy’s dad reminds him that he went into the experiment with only one plan: He wanted anyone except a flight attendant. This memory not only makes Ashleigh uncomfortable, but it also reignites Billy’s fear that her job could get in the way of them being a whole, present family.

In the final moments of the eighth episode, Billy tells Ashleigh that he’s not sure about marriage and is now 50/50 about whether he’ll say yes to her at the altar, which absolutely shatters her, considering she’s all in. With only two episodes remaining, we hope that Ashleigh’s reassurances in the pods about shifting her job structure will be enough to carry them into marital bliss.

Do Billy and Ashleigh get married in the 'Love Is Blind: UK' season 2 finale?

Billy’s concerns about Ashleigh's job don’t relent in the final two episodes. He seeks advice from his father, who may have poured water on his son's initial seed of doubt, but now tells him not to build a wall between himself and Ashleigh. Billy even confides in Kal at his stag do (a.k.a. his bachelor party) that if the wedding were to happen that day, he’d say no. Kal does his best to provide empathy, saying that while he believes it’s worth the risk, he’s not in Billy’s head and doesn’t know how big the doubts are.

Ashleigh is a trooper, unwavering in her commitment, but his uncertainty does weigh on her and her friends notice that this stress is dimming some of her shine. Her mindset is similar to Kal’s: she’s processing the idea that Billy could say no, but she still feels that she has to take the risk. She’s all in, but wants the commitment that has eluded her in previous relationships.

On the day of the wedding, their vows speak to how much they mean to each other. She tells him that he’s restored her faith in love, while he says she’s made him into a better man. And when it comes time to finally say, “I do,” it’s a genuine sigh of relief when both say yes. With the stress of the moment behind him, Billy tells Ashleigh that he was split down the middle simply because of fear and the baggage from his previous relationship, but seeing her walk down the aisle made him calm and confident in his decision.

Are Billy and Ashleigh from 'Love Is Blind: UK’ season 2 still together?

While there isn’t much to glean from their social profiles yet, both Billy and Ashleigh have been posting (and reposting) Instagram stories about the wedding since the final two episodes dropped. From the cast watch party and reunion, she also uploaded a photo of the drink decorations with hers and Billy’s faces emblazoned on them, adding a caption with three pink hearts.

Still, it’s not necessarily a foregone conclusion that they’re still together. But for now, some of the signs—like Ashleigh not wearing her wedding ring in any of the photos, and the couple not following each other on Instagram—might just be the long tentacles of Netflix PR. The reunion, airing Sunday, will likely be when we find out whether Ashleigh’s work schedule wound up being as big of a deal as Billy feared.

Heading into the final two episodes, Kieran and Megan seem to be the right pairing: the couple has easy banter, sexual chemistry, and emotional vulnerability with each other. But will that be enough to say, "I do," at the altar? Here, we break down Kieran and Megan’s relationship in Love Is Blind: UK season 2, what caused Sophie to walk away from Kieran—and the show—and whether Kieran and Megan might still be together.

What happens between Kieran and Megan on 'Love is Blind: UK' season 2?

For a while, 28-year-old dancer and fitness instructor Megan wasn’t Kieran’s only connection. The 28-year-old gaming entrepreneur was also balancing a relationship with Sophie, a 28-year-old senior commercial manager. But Kieran was struggling to break through Sophie’s icy exterior—walls that she admits she puts up because of a falling out with her mother after her parents divorced.

By comparison, Kieran’s relationship with Megan is easier. They laugh over their shared interest in dancing and that they’re both naturally sweaty people; following their first date, she admits in a confessional that there’s an immediate spark and tells Aanu in the women’s living quarters that he’s her top choice. Kieran, meanwhile, says that he can feel the sexual tension between them through the wall. But even more than some of their superficial attraction, Megan is vulnerable with him about her parents’s divorce and her lack of relationship with her birth father, whereas Sophie’s inability to open up and show her true self halts the growth of her relationship with Kieran.

Feeling like his connection with Megan is stronger, Kieran gifts her a sentimental Japanese ornament called an omamori, which signifies good fortune. He sprays the packaging with his aftershave, a flirty detail to give her a sniff of what he’s like in real life. It’s a big step forward with Megan, and a clear signal to Sophie that she isn’t on the same playing field as Kieran’s other connection. She confronts him about the gift, which hurts a bit extra after they bonded over their interest in traveling to Japan. She feels disrespected by his gesture and breaks up with Kieran, leaving the experiment altogether.

While he does apologize to Sophie, Kieran doesn’t skip a beat. Megan asks him about it on their next date, as she felt she was unknowingly put in the middle, and he is transparent about his desire to only continue the dating show with her. By the end of the third episode, Kieran proposes to Megan through the wall. She says yes, and there are palpable sparks when they meet at the reveal. Adorably, he repeatedly calls himself a “lucky boy” to have found love with Megan.

Their blissful union continues in Cyprus. Being a gentleman, Kieran doesn’t reveal anything about their physical connection behind closed doors, but he does say they cuddled all night (whether that’s a euphemism or not, we’ll never know).

Megan and Kieran then move seamlessly into the apartment living stage during the second batch of episodes, which arrived on August 20. However, there is one thing hanging over their heads: Megan hasn’t said, “I love you,” to Kieran yet, though he has expressed the depth of his feelings to her. Her fear stems from seeing her mom in bad relationships growing up, and, while Kieran is patient with her, he wants to hear the words from her before the wedding stage of Love Is Blind.

Luckily, he doesn’t have to wait long. During a romantic dinner at home, where he’s cooked their meal and given her a silly floral arrangement, Megan feels confident enough to tell him she “loves him so much.” It’s exactly what Kieran needed to feel secure in the relationship, and he says it back to her. Later, when they see each other’s real apartments, Megan is tickled by his gaming obsession and says she loves everything about him—even his nerdy passions that he’s turned into his career.

Instead of meeting family members, Kieran introduces Megan to his friends—the “biggest step” of the experiment for him. His friends are protective, and even though they all like Megan immediately, they question whether this relationship is real enough to weather the ups and downs of marriage. Kieran’s best friend, Jack, is especially skeptical of what he thinks is a honeymoon phase, but Jack also conveys that he is ultimately excited and supportive of whatever Kieran decides.

With his friends’s blessing in tow, Kieran plans another romantic date at Blackfriars Tavern to learn a dance for their wedding. Megan calls this a “pinch me date,” as it’s a venue she’s familiar with as a lifelong dancer. They communicate their confidence in their relationship and even recognize that others may find this process insane, but it makes sense to them.

Not even a reunion with Sophie could kick these two off cloud nine. At the recurring gathering of all Pod Squad contestants, Kieran comes face-to-face with Sophie, whom he admits would be his type in real life. But he doesn’t make any moves, and Sophie, thankfully, isn’t looking to win Kieran over either. She dismisses him as not her type (she doesn’t usually go for blondes, she tells the girls) and makes a few comments about his wardrobe to get under Megan’s skin. Still, Megan isn’t fazed and sticks by her man.

Importantly, Kieran also sticks by Megan during a confrontation with Javen in the eighth episode. After Megan told Katisha that her fiancé, Javen, allegedly flirted with other women at a bar, Katisha leaves the experiment, and Javen blames Megan for spreading rumors. During a combative argument, Kieran backs up Megan’s claims and reassures her that she did the right thing by telling her friend what she observed. It’s a really promising sign that Megan and Kieran are acting as a unit going into the final stretch, and they’re suddenly one of the strongest remaining couples on the show as we approach the final two episodes.

Do Kieran and Megan get married on 'Love is Blind: UK' season 2?

Following the initial hurdle of Kieran’s secondary connection in the pods, it’s been smooth sailing for Kieran and Megan post-engagement. They’re both genuinely sad to leave the apartment stage of the experiment and not be able to wake up next to each other, and their time apart only deepens their connection. On wedding day, both of Kieran’s parents have a tender moment with him. First, his mom calms his nerves and tells him that he’s always been a sunshine child. His dad echoes the sentiment when Kieran admits that his nerves stem from being a child of divorce. He tells his son that he’s happy that he’s emotional about marrying Megan because it means that it matters to him. Kieran’s dad gifts him a pocket watch to wear on his wedding day, an additional accessory to his top hat and cane get-up.

Megan, meanwhile, has a similar conversation with her mother. She admits that it’s been hard for her to trust based on what she’s seen her mom go through, and her mom reassures her that her experiences don’t dictate Megan’s.

At the altar, their vows are emotional. Kieran cries multiple times, conveying that he can’t believe how perfect she is for him and calls her his happily ever after. She gushes equally about him, and they both reference their dreams for having a family together one day. Of the couples that made it to this portion of the experiment, Kieran and Megan were the most slam dunk “yes.” After saying, “I do,” they both brag that they never had any doubt about what the other one would say. In the small glimpse we get of the reception, Kieran and Megan perform the dance that they practiced together earlier in the season.

Are Kieran and Megan from 'Love is Blind: UK' season 2 still together?

Like their fellow castmates, both Kieran and Megan’s Instagram pages are filled with reposts from friends and fans watching the final episodes as well as from the cast reunion, but nothing that flat out confirms the current status of their relationship. They’re also not yet following each other on Instagram, but as we’ve noticed with some of the other married couples, this may not be as telling as it seems.

Though we likely won’t have definitive answers until after the reunion, which is airing this Sunday, fans found a clue that Megan and Kieran are still together after dancing into the sunset. A post shared on Reddit on August 17 spotted that the pair had a very similar background in their recent social media posts, hinting that they were taken in the same room. Between that and Kieran’s recent hair transformation, it seems that the couple is still going strong.

She’s done worrying about that.

On the latest episode of the Marie Claire podcast “Nice Talk”, Koshy opens up to editor-in-chief Nikki Ogunnaike about her acting career and the imposter syndrome she battled when transitioning from social media sensation to film and TV star.

“I can't depend on somebody else's perception to be my definition of myself,” Koshy says. “And at one point, I allowed that perception to be my definition, and that perception was ‘just an influencer.’”

Now 29, Koshy feels “the world is catching up” to the fact that she’s an actor, not a YouTuber—a platform she stopped posting to four years ago, leaving 16.7 million followers to process her pivot. While audiences have been getting to know her in a new light, she’s had to adjust her own view of herself, too.

“Although I've been acting since 2015, since Tyler Perry gave me my first role in Boo! A Madea Halloween. Although I've been acting consistently since, and I've had movies like Family Affair and Work It—which was my utmost pride and joy with Sabrina Carpenter in a dance movie, like, that was summer camp for me—in my soul, there is a neutral feeling in my gut when I say ‘I'm an actor.’ And I feel so proud to be able to own that now fully.”

That confidence came slowly, and not without some stinging moments.

“I totally had imposter syndrome in the very beginning, and that was due to some actors being like, ‘You're only here for marketing reasons,’” Koshy says. “I had, unfortunately, someone that I was in a deep relationship with tell me that ‘you're only getting hired because you're ethnically ambiguous. You're getting hired because you're a brown woman and Cardi B is working, so you kind of look like her, and you're gonna work, too’ … It just hurt, and it makes you feel like, oh, my value’s only in what I look like.”

Koshy says she no longer gives comments like that “power.” Time, experience, and relentless auditioning helped her build self-assurance.

“I think auditioning, hearing ‘no, no, no, no, no, no’ and just hearing instead, ‘go, go, go, go, keep going, girl’ …. and you just keep going,” she explains. “You do the jobs that excite you, and then you meet people that are excited by you. And then you continue to foster a creative community that taps into each other.”

For more from Koshy—including how she started her content creation career as a teen, why she decided to quit YouTube, and why she has an email account for a fake assistant—check out this week's installment of "Nice Talk". The episode is available everywhere you listen to podcasts.

The new physical competition show recruits 25 former athletes, who walked away from their careers and are looking for another chance at glory and security. Over several days, the contestants compete in strength, agility, perseverance, and stamina games that range from climbing an icy mountain to the ultimate monkey bars challenge. The last one left standing will walk away with a grand prize of 30 million yen (about $204,000) to support their families and the next stage of their careers.

For the must-watch reality series, producers gathered a range of athletes, including sports legends wanting to prove they still have it, underdogs hoping to amplify their lesser-known sports, and players whose careers were cut short. Below, read on to meet the athletic phenoms in the cast of Final Draft.

Akira Kaji

Akira Kaji, 44, is a former professional soccer player and member of Japan's national soccer team.

Atsushi Arai

Atsushi Arai, 31, was a member of Japan's national water polo team for 10 years. He competed in both the 2016 and 2020 Summer Olympics, and later won a gold medal at the 2022 Asian Games in Hangzhou. He says that he wants "more people to know how strong water polo players actually are."

Final Draft is his second appearance on Netflix; he was previously a contestant on the Japanese dating show Offline Love.

Instagram: @a2desu

Eri Tosaka

Eri Tosaka, 31, is an Olympic wrestler who won a gold medal at the 2016 Rio Games. She retired from wrestling in 2022, a year after welcoming her first child, a baby boy. On Final Draft, she says that she wanted to show how strong both wrestlers and mothers could be.

Instagram: @eri_tosaka

Goson Sakai

Goson Sakai, 29, is a former professional soccer player of Japanese and German heritage. He comes from an athletic family, as his brothers Gōtoku and Noriyoshi Sakai are also footballers. He now owns a coffee shop and makes a third of what he used to as a soccer player.

Instagram: @__g.sakai__

Hozumi Hasegawa

Hozumi Hasegawa, 44, is a former champion boxer who has won world titles in three different weight classes. He retired in 2016 with a 36-5 record, and he received the MVP award from the Japan Boxing Commission four times. The standout competitor is idolized by some of his younger competitors in Final Draft.

Instagram: @hozumi_hasegawa

Kaho Mita

Kaho Mita, 28, is a former gymnast and trampoline athlete who now competes in bodybuilding.

Instagram: @kaho_fitness

Katsuma Yonemura

Katsuma Yonemura, 29, is a former professional judo athlete who's currently working as a barber. He says on Final Draft that he's saving money to open his own barber shop.

Kazuhiro Goya

Kazuhiro Goya, 32, is a former professional rugby sevens player who represented Japan on the national team at the Rio and Tokyo Olympics. He says on Final Draft that he wants to use the prize money to buy a bigger house for his family, which consists of him, his wife, and his young daughter. In March 2025, he and his wife welcomed their second child, a baby boy.

Instagram: @kazuhiro_goya

Kenta Tsukamoto

Kenta Tsukamoto, 29, is a competitive bodybuilder and model who runs his own YouTube channel. He played rugby as a kid until he had to retire due to a brain condition. In his Final Draft intro, he mentions that he's probably the most "hungry" for the prize money, since you can't earn a lot from bodybuilding in Japan. He also says that his goal is to open a gym.

Instagram: @tsukaken_fitness

Koji Tokuda

Koji Tokuda, 36, is a former American football player (who was a former teammate of fellow competitor Kurihara) and a former comedian. He made his TV debut as a professional comedian and member of the comedy duo Brilliant in 2016. Now, he says that he joined Final Draft to show he hasn't lost his athletic abilities.

Kouzi

Kouzi, full name Koji Tanaka, stands out as one of the only active athletes competing in Final Draft, according to the show. The martial arts fighter has competed in kickboxing, MMA, and exhibition boxing throughout his career.

Instagram: @1_kouzi

Masato Yano

Masato Yano, 31, is an athlete and YouTuber who does "street workout," a gymnastics/calisthenics hybrid that is popular on Instagram and TikTok.

Instagram: @masato_antigravity

Masayuki Shimokawa

Masayuki Shimokawa, 36, is a former professional athlete who played kabaddi, a contact team sport that originated in India. He says on Final Draft, "I'm here to show everyone just how incredible the sport truly is."

Instagram: @shimo_kabaddi

Naoto Hayasaka

Naoto Hayasaka, 29, is a former member of Japan's national gymnastics team who won gold at the 2015 World Championships in Glasgow.

Instagram: @naoto.hayasaka

Ryosuke Miyaguni

Ryosuke Miyaguni, 33, is a former pro baseball player who now works in real estate after retiring in 2023. He also runs a TikTok with other baseball players.

Instagram: ryosuke.miyaguni

Ryudai Onikura

Ryudai Onikura, 30, is a former amateur boxer who retired after losing the final match in the qualifiers for the Tokyo Olympics. In 2021, he began acting. He's since appeared in over a dozen Japanese dramas, including Teppachi! and The Diamond Sleeping in the Sea.

Instagram: @onikura_ryudai

Sari Baba

Sari Baba, 31, is a former professional tennis player who began training at just 5-years-old.

Takashi Kurihara

Takashi Kurihara, 37, is a former member of Japan's national American football team, who also played at both the collegiate (Hosei University Tomahawks) and professional (Japan's X League) levels. In 2015, he was considered "the Japanese man who was the closest to becoming an NFL player," according to The Japan Times. (To this day, no Japan-born man has played in the NFL).

He now works as a high-performance fitness coach and lives between Japan and Hawaii.

Instagram: @iam_tk_81

Tomoe Tamura

Tomoe Tamura, 35, is a former member of Japan's national ultimate frisbee team, who joined Final Draft to show that people shouldn't underestimate the sport. She now works as a personal trainer.

Instagram: @t0m0e_tamura_13

Yoshio Itoi

Yoshio Itoi, 44, is a legendary baseball player and athlete known by his nickname "Superhuman." He was a nine-time all-star in the Nippon Professional Baseball League, where he played as a pitcher for 18 years before retiring in 2022. He also won multiple accolades, including receiving the Best Nine Award—awarded to the top player at each position—five times.

Instagram: @itoiyoshio_7

Yoshito Okubo

Yoshito Okubo, 42, is a famous former member of Japan's national soccer team. He's known as the first J-League player to lead the league in scoring for three consecutive seasons, per Netflix. To prepare for Final Draft, he resumed intense training and lost 12.4 kg (27 lb), which he described as "harder than anything" he did during his professional career.

Instagram: @yoshito13

Yosuke Kashiwagi

Yosuke Kashiwagi, 37, is a former member of Japan's national soccer team, who retired in 2023 after 13 years as a pro.

Yu Kato

Yu Kato, 29, is a former professional basketball player who played in Japan's Women's Baseball League. She's passionate about inspiring young girls to play baseball, and she joined Final Match determined to prove that she could beat the male players. Since her retirement, she has started a YouTube channel for her music.

Instagram: @y_k_009

Yujo Kitagata

Yujo Kitagata, 31, is a former baseball player on a redemption arc. While he was drafted as the first pick overall, he was eventually released from the major league twice without ever pitching. He says that if he wins, he wants to use the money to "provide better training for young athletes and ultimately make these kids' dreams come true."

Yuya Shozui

Yuya Shozui, 29, is a former professional baseball player who says on the show that he was "forced to retire" before he could prove himself. After he was cut from his former team in 2023, he worked as a part-time mover to support his family.

Instagram: @yuya.shozui

What happens between Kal and Sarover on 'Love is Blind: UK' season 2?

Kal, a 31-year-old co-owner of a gym in Wigan, England, immediately connects with Sarover, a 29-year-old co-owner of a medical company from outside of London. He initially compliments her “posh” accent, and they quickly find many similarities in their upbringings. As it turns out, Kal and Sarover are both children of divorce who value family, gym rats, entrepreneurs, and share a similar heritage, since she is of Indian descent and he is half-Pakistani.

But that last detail isn’t as much of a slam dunk as it may seem on paper, given India and Pakistan’s fraught history. (The neighboring countries that were formerly one nation under colonial British rule have been at odds with each other since their 1947 Partition.) “I’ve met Indian girls before who haven’t been able to date Pakistani guys, and vice versa,” Kal says of the stakes of his relationship with Sarover to some of the other men in the living quarters. Luckily, Kal and Sarover discuss this potential complication head-on and agree that this isn’t a dealbreaker for them and likely wouldn’t be one for their families either, who ultimately value their happiness above all.

Kal and Sarover were each other’s number one connections from the start, and they get engaged in the second episode of the new season. “I know she’s the one because of the excitement I feel before I’m getting to speak to her,” Kal says in the confessional before popping the question. In the pods, he affectionately calls her “Princess”—which he repeats when he sees her for the first time—and cites their similarities and his gratitude for finding her during this process. “Will you join me on this insanely crazy, beautiful rollercoaster we call life and marry me?” he asks. Giddy on the other side of the wall, she responds, “100 percent, no doubt, I’m so ready for our next chapter together.”

During their in-person reveal in episode 3, it’s clear that they immediately find each other attractive. Kal wears a sherwani, a traditional South Asian wedding garb, for the occasion, once again highlighting the beauty of their shared background. As he says, Sarover is a welcome departure from his typical type of blonde white girls—but this quickly becomes something that Sarover latches onto and feels insecure about once they are in person.

When the engaged couples meet and mingle in Cyprus in the fourth episode, Kal tells the cameras that Bardha embodies the type of woman he’d normally chase IRL before the show. He hopes that Sarover won’t feel insecure about it, but she later admits to Ashleigh that she’s in her head about his potential attraction to others on the show. Ashleigh encourages her to let her guard down and be open about her struggles.

Sarover takes Ashleigh’s advice in the second batch of episodes that landed on Netflix on August 20. It helps that Kal is hellbent on ensuring that Sarover is comfortable, explaining that his white blonde type is driven by his upbringing in the largely white working-class neighborhood of Wigan. He continues by saying his love for her has only gotten stronger, which reassures Sarover.

The four latest episodes bring on the most important moments for the couple yet: living together and meeting each other’s families. First, they travel to Wigan to meet Kal’s mom and grandmother (his father, who lives in Dubai, does not appear), and they immediately warm up to the idea that Kal has found bliss with Sarover. His grandma, in particular, is very open to the idea of immediate connections, as it mirrors her own story of meeting Kal’s grandfather. Their main question regards where the pair will live after marriage, but both his mom and grandma seem satisfied with their answer.

The only Wigan hiccup comes in the form of Kal’s brother, Junaid, who pokes holes at whether his brother is ready to put someone else first in his life. Kal doesn’t entirely refute his point, but he also doesn’t seem to contemplate this idea in any of the episodes before heading to the altar.

By far the biggest hurdle is Sarover’s family, who are fiercely protective of her and repeatedly remind her that they are not the ones who signed up for the experiment—meaning they won’t buy in as easily as she did. Sarover is adamant that they meet Kal, though, as it’s the first time she has put her dating desires first. They meet her mom, Bali, and sister, Sharan, over dinner—and it’s edited to look like a trainwreck.

Kal trips over his answers about what made him certain Sarover was the one (he says he likes her accent and they’re both into fitness, which is a face-palm moment), and Bali looks like she is ready to pounce. But Sarover jumps in and explains their connection more eloquently, sharing that she is dating from her heart for the first time in her life. Her confidence in the relationship allows everyone to relax, and Kal begins to finally say the right things, which eventually wins Bali over. She gives them her blessing, which is a huge weight lifted off Sarover’s back. Religion and the Pakistani-Indian relationship doesn’t seem to be an issue for Bali, either, which is also refreshing.

With the family stress out of the way, Kal opens up about the nerves he felt before living with Sarover, as he has never shared a space with a significant other before. Despite having reservations about it, he tells her that sharing an apartment with her has been really easy for him. Sarover, in turn, is happy that he didn’t tell her about his anxieties before they moved in, as she would’ve changed her natural demeanor at home to give him more space and assuage his initial fears. Heading into the final two episodes, Kal and Sarover’s communication is one of the strongest of the couples.

Do Kal and Sarover get married on 'Love is Blind: UK' season 2?

The final two episodes of the second season of Love is Blind: UK begin with their stag and hen do’s (that’s bachelor and bachelorette parties for all the Americans), before the couples pick out their outfits and head down the aisle. For Kal and Sarover, most of these events are largely uneventful. Kal jokes to his friends that, “love is blind, but she’s not,” when asked whether he thinks she’ll say yes, and Sarover confirms this to him while packing her bag. “I’d say yes if the wedding was tomorrow,” she tells him.

Those days apart only solidify their feelings for each other, and not even Kal’s skeptical brother can shake his confidence. When asked again about whether he’s ready for this, his answer is reality-show-vague: he says he missed her while they were apart and feels strongly about her, but also doesn’t want to get six months into a marriage and have things change. It’s enough to cast doubt in audiences, which only doubles when he rips up his vows at the altar. But it ultimately doesn’t amount to that kind of drama. Kal speaks from the heart, saying that Sarover checks off every box—and then some—of the qualities he was looking for in a partner when signing up for the experiment. She notes how he’s brought her walls down and is the type of person she envisioned as the father of her future children.

Moments later, Kal and Sarover both say yes at the wedding, touting their cross-cultural relationship and their ability to overcome those cultural differences. It’s only right that they celebrate with some South Asian touches, including his traditional baraat (wedding processional) and her reception lehenga outfit.

Are Kal and Sarover from 'Love is Blind: UK' season 2 still together?

Despite their happy ending in the finale, Kal and Sarover's marriage did not last long. The pair revealed at the season 2 reunion that they separated after less than three months together.

Per Sarover, after they spent Christmas together, Kal ended things on January 2, with a cold explanation that there was "no spark," they were "very different people," and Sarover was "more emotional and affectionate." Kal tries to defend himself by saying that he couldn't reach her level of PDA and physical intimacy. He adds that they had a fight on their honeymoon, but when Sarover pointed out that the fight was in October, he responded, "Sorry for booking you a five-star honeymoon off my own back."

Both Sarover's mom Bali and Kal's brother Junaid attend the reunion as well. Bali's mom points out that he didn't try to communicate any of his issues with Sarover until the day he blindsided her. His response: "You don't usually consult on a breakup." Instead of saying "I told you so," Junaid admits that he believes Kal went into the marriage with good intentions, but obviously it didn't work out.

Kal and Sarover aren't the only couple to separate before the reunion; Billy and Ashleigh also broke up—coincidentally, Billy initiated it on January 1. When Emma Willis points out that the relationships ended around the same time, the women reveal that the men used a similar "script," and that they had "been together not even a week before." This is just left to speculation, and either way, that's two marriages ended when they'd barely begun. (At least we still have Kieran and Megan.)

It seems that fans of reality dating series have reached their maximum limits for toxic drama, after a year where producers couldn’t find the love. For as many Reddit posts as there are tracking reality stars’s every update and examining who’s mad at who, there are tweets and threads about how insert-upcoming-show is coming to claim whatever peace fans have found while taking a reality TV break. It’s enough to make you wonder whether fans are close to changing the channel altogether.

Months before it debuted, Perfect Match season 3 promised a love story. The series—which produced one failed engagement and zero long-term relationships in its first two seasons—spoiled itself during Love Is Blind’s season 8 reunion in March 2025, when Amber “A.D.” Smith and Ollie Sutherland announced their engagement after meeting while filming the dating competition. However, fans who tuned in expecting to see a meet-cute and honeymoon period between the financés (and expectant parents) instead saw a rehash of the typical reality dating mess: After he and A.D. were split up due to an arbitrary gameplay twist in episode 6, Ollie quickly moved on and made out with Justine Ndiba. When A.D. returned the next day during the boys’s mixer, Ollie lied directly to A.D.’s face. Though she eventually forgave him, Ollie’s many red-flag behaviors left viewers much less enthused about Perfect Match’s one fairytale couple.

I won’t go as far as to call this a bait-and-switch. Anyone who’s seen an episode of Perfect Match (or any other Netflix Reality Universe show) should be used to fights and crash outs superseding actual love stories. Each season so far has received love-hate criticism for being overly chaotic and full of manufactured conflict, while season 3 flew too close to the sun by having its one confirmed couple’s storyline hinge on breaking up the house’s two strongest pairings. Sure, the change-up provided novelty, but it also betrayed fans who were tuning in for the parasocial feels A.D. and Ollie’s story could’ve provided. There’s a difference between seeing Ollie self-sabotage organically—which undoubtedly would’ve happened at the boys’s mixer if A.D. wasn’t there—and watching him fail a producer-planted test.

It also didn’t help that the episode 6 twist followed a trend that reality TV fans had already gotten their fill of by the time Perfect Match aired. Unlike previous years, season 3 debuted after Love Island USA season 7 had concluded—racking up over 18 billion minutes watched, per Peacock—and sucked up most reality viewers’s energy and goodwill. After season 6’s breakout year, season 7 failed to replicate its mix of authentic yet heightened drama, genuine friendships, and romances. Instead, producers prioritized chaos via fan votes over traditional recouplings, creating an environment where playing the field was mandatory and promising relationships were punished. One of the final couples, Huda Mustafa and Chris Seeley, broke up during the finale—a first in franchise history that showed how far season 7 strayed from the ethos that made the series an international phenomenon. Meanwhile, the most popular out of the season by far, Nicolandria, is the stuff of fan theory come to life; though they’re a charming couple, it’s concerning in a season where fans were arguably given too much power.

As summer 2025 comes to an end, the future of the dating show looks bleak. Love Island USA isn’t technically over, since the season 7 reunion special isn’t until August 25, but its notoriety, fueled by cast member racism scandals and toxic fandom, will loom over season 8’s production. Bachelor in Paradise has undergone a total makeover that has divided fans over its brand-new location and the addition of a cash prize. The U.S. iteration of Love Is Blind returns in October for its whopping ninth season, following its most boring installment yet earlier this year. And Love Is Blind: UK’s second season begins two days before the Perfect Match season 3 finale, as Netflix reaches a peak of unscripted-TV saturation. As someone who watches reality TV for a living, it feels like the genre could face a turning point: Will producers course-correct, or will future seasons only give fans dread in the pit of their stomachs, with no room for butterflies? Is this the beginning of reality TV’s enshittification?

It’s time for mainstream American reality TV to press pause and invest in low-stakes drama and slow-burn relationships. It would mean a return to reality’s roots; many of today’s most-watched franchises grew their popularity by balancing jaw-dropping storylines with fan-favorite romances. Love Is Blind didn’t grow into a behemoth without Lauren and Cameron; Bachelor Nation survives off couples like Sean and Catherine and Trista and Sutter. American shows can also take a note from series that have found popularity with much lower stakes. International shows like The Boyfriend and Better Late Than Single are breaths of fresh air that suck viewers in despite their slower pacing.

Despite the trend of 2025’s dating shows turning up the conflict, people don’t watch reality TV just for the drama. Whether their viewing is prompted by an attachment to their favorite cast members, voyeuristic observation as an escape from day-to-day life, or meta analysis of unscripted editing and cultural tropes (okay, that last one may be just me), viewers of these shows don’t want or need wall-to-wall misery when we can get that elsewhere (like the news). Producers need to remember that if they continue to take the fun out of reality TV, fans can easily stop watching.

Listen, travel is amazing. Whether you’re sticking close to home or crossing time zones, visiting new places can open your eyes to other cultures and help you reap once-in-a-lifetime experiences. But it can also be expensive, draining your PTO days faster than you can say, ”Mon dieu, in this economy?” These days, we’re all about being thoughtfully frugal while remaining eager to learn how different folks live around the globe. Enter novels in translation, which can whisk you away from the doldrums of daily life and plant you anywhere from the Swiss Alps to a Berlin nightclub, no baggage fees required.

That’s why we’ve rounded up some of the most exciting translated novels and short story collections to check out when you can’t leave home, whatever the reason. From a debut book of short stories about resilient Mexican women to a #Booktok-approved Italian series and the latest novel from the first South Korean author to be awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature, these books are sure to stamp your (literary) passport. Below, check out some of the top translated novels and short stories to read now. Bon voyage!

Three years later, The Gilded Age has reached new heights, with season 3 drawing in more viewers than ever and growing to surprisingly life-or-death stakes compared to the show's low-stakes beginnings. (Remember when season 1's finale hinged on getting Mrs. Astor to attend a ball?) Following the season 3 finale on August 10, 2025, fans are clamoring for news of the show's future. Below, read on for everything we know about The Gilded Age season 4 so far.

Has 'The Gilded Age' been renewed for season 4?

Yes! HBO announced the renewal on July 28, two weeks before the season 3 finale. The renewal came as the series continued to reach new viewership feats week after week. According to Deadline, ahead of the season 3 finale, The Gilded Age was "adding viewers at a rate nearly 50 percent higher than in previous seasons."

"We couldn’t be prouder of the undeniable viewership heights The Gilded Age has achieved this season,” said Francesca Orsi, EVP, HBO Programming, Head of HBO Drama Series and Films. "Transporting us to 1880s New York City, Julian Fellowes and the enormously talented cast and crew have created a 'cant-miss it' entertainment experience from week to week, and we’re delighted to continue exploring these characters’ grand ambitions for what we promise will be a thrilling fourth season."

When will 'The Gilded Age' season 4 come out?

There's no official release date for season 4 yet, so the timeline for new episodes is unclear. In the past, season 1 premiered in January 2022, followed by season 2 in October 2023, and season 3 in June 2025. However, the 2023 Hollywood strikes contributed to the delay between seasons 2 and 3, so season 4 could likely arrive even sooner. Fingers crossed that new episodes could start airing in late 2026!

Which of the cast will return for 'The Gilded Age' season 4?

As of the season 3 finale, most of the show's stacked cast will likely return for season 4. This includes *deep breath*: Carrie Coon (Bertha Russell), Morgan Spector (George Russell), Taissa Farmiga (Gladys Russell), Harry Richardson (Larry Russell), Christine Baranski (Agnes van Rhijn), Cynthia Nixon (Ada Brook), Louisa Jacobson (Marian Brook), Blake Ritson (Oscar van Rhijn), Denée Benton (Peggy Scott), Audra McDonald (Dorothy Scott), Jordan Donica (Dr. William Kirkland), Ben Lamb (Hector, Duke of Buckingham), Kelley Curran (Enid Winterton), Kelli O'Hara (Aurora Fane), Donna Murphy (Mrs. Astor), Ben Ahlers (Jack Treacher), Douglas Sills (Monsieur Baudin), Celia Keenan-Bolger (Mrs. Bruce), Simon Jones (Mr. Bannister), Jack Gilpin (Church), Debra Monk (Armstrong), Phylicia Rashad (Elizabeth Kirkland), and Brian Stokes Mitchell (Frederick Kirland.)

Meanwhile, we'll have to wait and see if characters who were ousted from society will return in some capacity. Fingers crossed that Nathan Lane (Ward McAllister) will be back at some point!

What will 'The Gilded Age' season 4 be about?

Spoilers for The Gilded Age season 3 finale ahead. Season 3 of The Gilded Age ends with the unthinkable: The Russells may be done for good. After the show's most fascinating and ambitious couple spent the season at odds over their daughter Gladys's marriage, George recovers from being shot, but his near-death experience prompts him to leave his wife Bertha after her Newport Ball. The Russells's marriage is the best part of the show for most fans, so their separation and reconciliation (I'm manifesting it) will be a large part of season 4. (Also, George gets addicted to laudanum? We'll see.)

Both Russells shared their thoughts on the split in the hours following the season 3 finale. Morgan Spector was optimistic, telling TVLine, "Because we know how good this couple can be together, it would be really fascinating to see them spend a season figuring out how to get back to each other."

Meanwhile, when asked by Variety whether the pair will be able to put their differences aside, Carrie Coon answered, "I don’t know. It depends what George wants." She added of George's near-death revelations, "That feels very real to me in long-term relationships. One person can go through a very transformative experience that the other person doesn’t have access to, and it takes them a while to find their way back to each other."

Season 4 will also be a big season for engagements: Marian and Larry are still on course; Peggy is newly betrothed to her beau William (despite his mother's objections); and Oscar may be headed toward a lavender marriage with Enid. Also, despite her initial devastation at marrying a stranger, Gladys is happily pregnant by the season finale.

While speaking with Marie Claire about the season 3 finale, Taissa Farmiga shared her hopes for Gladys in season 4, including whether she might continue her arc in England or return to America. "What sets us apart from Downton Abbey is that it's American history, and I'm curious how much they [will] show Gladys in England, or would she be able to come back and, I don't know, bring some English manners and chaos to New York?" she said. "I hope I don't have to play pregnant too long. I don't want to have to wear a corset with a pregnancy belt. Let's just throw this out there—maybe Julian reads this. But also I'll do what I have to do!"

As for how Gladys will approach being a mother, Farmiga said, "I think she will be more inspired by George's parenting than by Bertha's parenting. I think she's going to want to give more of the emotional comfort that Bertha doesn't give, even though we know Bertha loves her children. She loves them so much, but sometimes a child needs a hug and a gentle smile, not like a firm guiding hand. Sometimes it's just acknowledging their feelings."

Of the pair, Recchia remained in the villa for most of the season and kissed a lot of frogs before she found a potential prince in Ray Gantt, a former finalist from Love Island USA. So, did the pair continue their romance outside of the show's filming? Read on for everything we know about Rachel and Ray’s journey on Perfect Match season 3 and where they are now.

What happened between Rachel and Ray on 'Perfect Match' season 3?

Rachel arrived in the villa early in the season's run, after being put on a date with Freddie (Love Is Blind: UK). However, any potential she and Freddie had was completely overshadowed when she reunited with Clayton (The Bachelor). For anyone unfamiliar with their history, Rachel made it to the top three contestants in Clayton's season alongside Gabby Windey and Susie Evans. Clayton slept with both Gabby and Rachel and told them he loved them, before dumping them to run after Susie after she self-eliminated. Rachel and Gabby went on to become the first-ever joint Bachelorettes, but Rachel ultimately left her Bachelorette run single.

Despite their previous relationship being the reason he's considered one of the worst Bachelors ever, Clayton convinced Rachel that their meeting in the villa must be fate, and that they should give things another chance. Fast forward 24 hours later—after Clayton went on a date with Sandy (The Ultimatum), and they're both rated the best kissers—and Clayton told Rachel that he had just gotten swept up in the excitement of seeing her again, and that he didn't want to pursue things with her.

Thankfully, Clayton at least gave Rachel a chance to stay in the house, as he and Sandy set her on a date with Scott (Love Island: UK). The pair hit it off enough to match and stay together for a few episodes, but Rachel questioned whether he sincerely liked her or if he was waiting for new women to come along.

Meanwhile, Ray entered the show in episode 6, when Madison was set up on a double date with him and Jalen (Too Hot to Handle). He doesn't have much luck with the women, though his banter with Lucy instigates an unnecessary fight between Lucy and Daniel. Of course, Ray immediately came back again for the gender-separated mixers, where the coupled cast members could spend time with the singles. Rachel took the chance to speak with the guys without Scott around, and she and Ray instantly hit it off as lover-girl met lover-boy. Even though Rachel was also attracted to Carrington (Love Island USA), she decided to match with Ray, who seemed to be looking for the same future as her.

As soon as they matched, Rachel and Ray showed off their chemistry and teamwork by winning the season's final compatibility challenge. The pair had a very cute lucha libre wrestling date, and the only hint of discord was when Carrington made one more pass at Rachel. She shut him down quickly, and Rachel and Ray ended the night by matching and making up a couple handshake.

At season 3's finale ceremony, when the entire cast returned to vote for the winning couple, Rachel and Ray gushed about how similar-minded they are and how happy they were to find each other. Clayton and Justine (Ray's Love Island USA bestie) even chimed in to say how much they made sense. However, this season added one last compatibility challenge, a newlywed game that narrowed the final five couples down to two. Rachel and Ray were unfortunately knocked out of the running because they could not remember exactly where their first kiss took place.

Are Rachel and Ray still together after 'Perfect Match' season 3?

Unfortunately for fans who were rooting for the pair, Rachel and Ray ultimately weren't meant to be. While Ray made it out to L.A., Rachel revealed to Elite Daily that their connection was more platonic, even while they were on the dating show.

"I have seen him in L.A. quite a bit. We are friends," she told the outlet. "We were super late in the process when we formed a relationship, so it didn’t have much time to progress past friendship. I don't know if we ever really were in a real relationship."

Though things didn't work out with Ray, Rachel did confirm to Parade that she is seeing someone from the show. "I’m talking to someone actually, but we’ll see where it goes," she told the outlet. "The person I’m talking to is actually from the show. But who knows? Who knows?"

Even before season 3 ended, Rachel had hinted that several cast members had been dealing with dating drama recently, especially after they all reunited for Netflix's Summer Break press junket and party last month.

"There's a lot still going on, like, even just from that Netflix [Summer Break] event," she said on "The Viall Files" podcast on August 5. "There’s a lot happening. Oh, my god, there might have been more drama at that Netflix event [than on the show]. There’s still stuff going on, [even though] filming was a year ago. [There were] lots of people fighting [and] couples getting back together."

When asked whether she recently rekindled something, Rachel answered, "Who knows? I might be talking to someone. You guys know I love a second chance and a third and a fourth! I am just so full of forgiveness."

At the beginning of season 3, Farmiga’s Gladys Russell is a sweet, naive teenager hellbent on marrying for love instead of status, despite her mother Bertha’s machiavellian plans to wed her to the Duke of Buckingham. Bertha (Carrie Coon) trumps Gladys, and by the end of the season, the 18-year-old has been sent to Sidmouth, the Duke’s estate in England; found empowerment by showing her sister-in-law who’s boss; and become sort of smitten with the Duke. Oh, she also ends the season pregnant—and happy.

Guess Bertha was right.

It’s a thrilling arc for any actor, and one that Farmiga was delighted to learn about during a conversation with series creator Julian Fellowes and executive producer David Crockett before filming began. “It's been a fucking emotional rollercoaster,” she tells Marie Claire of the season.

Speaking excitedly about the series from her home in the South of France, Farmiga shares her admiration for her “powerhouse” co-stars who make up the Russell family (Coon; Morgan Spector, who plays her father George; and Harry Richardson, who plays her brother Larry), the show in general (“It's history books and cotton candy. It's incredible”); and the costume department (“These are masters of their craft”).

On the heels of Sunday’s season 3 finale, Farmiga explains how Gladys becomes “Mini Bertha,” how finding her freedom might mean embracing her mother’s sensibilities after all, and what she hopes to see for Gladys in season 4.

Marie Claire: Throughout this season, we see Gladys go from a lovelorn girl to a devastated bride to a confident duchess and soon-to-be mother. How did you calibrate your performance as you moved through those roles?

Taissa Farmiga: When she starts season 3, she feels like she has power over her mother. She's learned how to navigate her with the help of her brother, Larry. They have that sibling dynamic with the winks and the smiles and the sneaky glances, like they know how to maneuver around Bertha Russell. But in the end, they really don't.

MC: No one does.

TF: No one does, not even her husband. But you see she's feeling on top of the world. You see her talk back a bit to her mother. Then her whole world comes crashing down, and that's the divot in the middle of the season [when she gets married]. At the end, things start to work out. Gladys will never admit that Bertha was right, but maybe she wasn't 100 percent wrong. The writing is there, the character arc is there, and I get to work with phenomenal actors.

MC: What have you learned from working with Morgan and Carrie, and how do you approach working with them?

TF: I'm a person who loves to observe, and these are two actors who are so intelligent and so cool. The Russell family dynamic really clicked immediately. When I'm there, and I'm looking in their eyes, and I'm feeling all the despair and the sadness and the loneliness and the betrayal that Gladys is feeling, and it's just Morgan's there looking so heartbroken as George, you don't have to play pretend that much. Obviously, it's hard work, but when you really connect with another actor, you fall into it and all of a sudden you kind of forget what's happening between “action” and “cut,” because you're just so immersed. And Carrie is so good at being a cunt. Pardon my French.

MC: This is a unique ensemble in that there are so many different women from different generations. I'm curious if that has affected your experience filming?

TF: You can feel the experience. You can feel the history. You can feel the knowledge and the talent when you walk in the room. I'm not sure if it's due to the fact that a lot of our cast is theater actors, but there's a different sort of core you have as someone who's based in the theater. There's more camaraderie. There's appreciation for the familial aspect of it. There's no battle for, I'm head bitch or I'm the one who's supposed to be number one on the call sheet. There's no cattiness.

MC: In the second half of the season, Bertha comes to visit Gladys in England, and that’s when Gladys’s fortune starts to change. For one, she and her mother have a new dynamic. They’re in cahoots together. One of the best scenes is when Gladys gets the courage to tell her sister-in-law, Lady Sarah, to sit down and wait for her to finish her meal. You get a glimpse that perhaps there is a little bit of Bertha in Gladys.

TF: Look, Gladys is a Russell. There's no way she doesn't have the genes of George and Bertha, whose love language is ambition. No matter what people say around them, they're going to trust their gut instincts more than anything. They're going to push for what they believe to be the best for their family, even if the other family members don't fully see or agree with the plan.

This is the first time in three seasons that we're seeing Gladys and her mom link and connect in any way. All Gladys has been fighting for the past three seasons was freedom and liberty and not being under her mother's thumb. She didn’t want to be a mannequin or a doll for her mother to dress.

But what's funny is that Gladys finally finds her freedom by becoming like her mother, by embracing the skills or the personality traits of Bertha. In that moment, I'm sure there's still leftover rage and trauma from being forced to marry, but what are parents if they don't give you trauma? She finally catches a glimpse of Maybe my mother does love me. She starts to understand. George's love has been a bit more about Gladys's present-day happiness, and Bertha's has been about her future happiness.

MC: So many stories that depict arranged marriages during this time period are about beautiful, naive ingenues who end up marrying abusive, evil men. I was waiting for that to happen and was so pleasantly surprised when the Duke proved me wrong.

TF: Hector is not a dick. They're just two people who hadn't really had a moment to get to know each other. Of course, she would be scared to marry a stranger, but she really never gave him a chance. I thought it was beautiful when she asked him before the wedding, "Is it okay if I don't love you?" And he was just honest. That was the first moment they connected.

They're two people, both lost in different ways. During the negotiations, George offered more money to Hector through the means of an allowance for Gladys. That really tilled the soil to be able to plant the seed for partnership, because Hector has to rely on his wife. Hector is just a bit aloof, and is content with "My sister does everything." When Gladys comes in, she’s like, Well, hold on. Mini Bertha can come in and grow to be big Bertha.

MC: At the end of season 3, Gladys tells her mother she’s pregnant. What do you think Gladys will be like as a mother?

TF: I think she will be more inspired by George's parenting than by Bertha's parenting. I think she's going to want to give more of the emotional comfort that Bertha doesn't give, even though we know Bertha loves her children. She loves them so much, but sometimes a child needs a hug and a gentle smile, not like a firm guiding hand. Sometimes it's just acknowledging their feelings.

MC: When Gladys set sail for England, I was a little worried that we weren't going to see much of her. If there is a season 4, what do you hope we'll see from her? [Editor’s Note: Since this interview, HBO renewed The Gilded Age for a fourth season.]

TF: What sets us apart from Downton Abbey is that it's American history, and I'm curious how much they [will] show Gladys in England, or would she be able to come back and, I don't know, bring some English manners and chaos to New York? I hope I don't have to play pregnant too long. I don't want to have to wear a corset with a pregnancy belt. Let's just throw this out there—maybe Julian reads this. But also I'll do what I have to do!

MC: All the costumes in the show are exceptional. Did you notice a shift between American Gladys and English Gladys?

TF: There was a huge shift between American Gladys and Gladys arriving in Sidmouth. The fabrics changed. There was a bit more of this flat and softer stuff, whereas she wore more satin in New York. New York is definitely more showy. In England, everything has to be more subdued. The costumes are absolutely, absolutely insane. What's wild is that they had to cut the wardrobe budget this season.

MC: You could never tell.

TF: It feels like they've stepped it up. It feels like they had more money.

MC: What was your favorite scene of the season to film?

TF: I love the scene that you mentioned when she's in Sidmouth and Bertha's there, and it's the first time you see Gladys become a mini Bertha. Speaking of the wardrobe, they had put a different dress in my trailer for that scene. It was this lilac purple flowy dress, which was very emblematic of previous season Gladys. It was the first time in three seasons that I was like, I don't agree. I don't feel like this is the right dress.

This is the moment that Gladys puts her foot down. She takes her place and she uses her title. She's the Duchess in that moment. I asked for one of my favorite outfits of the season—the dress I wore in that scene. It was this darker blue, a bit lacy. It felt a tiny bit sexy for the time period. It felt more mature, it felt lady-like.

I was so humbled that they allowed me to express my feelings about the character and be like, "Can we change it?" I felt more confident and in the moment, and it was a very triumphant moment for Gladys.

MC: What was the most difficult scene to film?

TF: I feel like the wedding lasted three weeks. If you look at my career, you’ll see that maybe 70 percent of my projects have been genre or genre-adjacent. Everything's so heightened in genre pieces, and you feel things so much more. That’s why I love Gladys’s arc this season. The high was super high and the low was super low. You really get to feel everything so intensely. Maybe it's exhausting and you have to calculate how much water you're drinking to make sure that you still have enough tears to keep doing this crying part for seven hours a day, but whatever. So even though it was the hardest scene, it also was one of my favorites as well.

I'm grateful to spread my wings a bit and get some nice meaty scenes and see this girl grow. We've seen her journey, but she's always kind of been an accessory to even the big moments in her life, like her coming out ball. She was an accessory to Bertha's moment. This time she got to shine.

It’s hard to pin her down—Brie likes to mix it up. Genre-wise, she’s done a little of everything, and she’s also stepped behind the camera as a writer and producer on projects like Horse Girl and Somebody I Used to Know. (She starred in both, too. And for the record, that adds two more genres to her résumé: psychological thriller and rom-com.)

Now, she's trying something scarier with Together. As she explains on the latest episode of "Nice Talk", horror is a space she’d love to stay in for a while.

"I like to do it all, I really do," Brie tells Marie Claire editor-in-chief Nikki Ogunnaike. "I think that it's what has made for a really fun career is coming out of one project and saying, 'Oh, good. Now I scratched that itch. What can I do that's really different from that?'"

Together, which is in theaters now, is certainly different. Brie co-stars in the body horror film alongside her husband, Dave Franco. They play a longtime couple who begin experiencing mysterious physical changes.

"Going into this film, Dave and I were like, this is a risky choice," Brie says. "There are a lot of things in this movie that, if they weren't done perfectly, if they weren't executed perfectly, could be pretty embarrassing."

The 42-year-old goes on, "Lately, I just love the horror space. I feel like I'm running at it. I would love to do more stuff in horror—the weirder, the better. I just think people who are making horror and genre films now are taking the biggest risks, and they're writing really unique material and stuff that you haven't seen before, and so that is very exciting."

She especially loves how filmmakers like Jordan Peele use horror to "make commentary on larger issues." In Together, that means examining "relationships and monogamy and codependency." As Brie puts it, "Horror is such a fun space in which to delve deeper into topics and sort of extrapolate them to their different horrifying degrees."

Still, while she is in a horror era, comedy remains her comfort zone.

"It's like the closest to my personality, because I like to joke around," she says. "I'm a jokester. I'm like a kid on a set. I always just want to be making noise and having fun."

For more from Brie—including stories from her early career, how she decided to start collaborating with her husband, and her press tour style—check out this week's installment of "Nice Talk". The episode is available everywhere you listen to podcasts.

Now, fans are clamoring for news on whether the cult-loved series will return for more historical drama. Below, read on for everything we know about The Buccaneers season 3 so far.

Has 'The Buccaneers' been renewed for season 3?

As of the release of the season 2 finale, Apple TV+ hasn't given any word on whether The Buccaneers will return for a third season. However, there's a good chance that the series could get a season 3, as Apple tends to renew shows with solid audiences. For example, Dickinson, the streamer's closest period-drama equivalent, lasted three series before coming to an end.

When would 'The Buccaneers' season 3 come out?

It's difficult to predict a release date without a renewal announcement, but we can consider the show's production schedule so far. After season 1 concluded in December 2023, season 2 was filmed in the second half of 2024 and premiered in June 2025. Depending on when the renewal comes, season 3 could arrive on our screens by 2027.

Which of the cast will return for 'The Buccaneers' season 3?

Pending any huge changes, most of the ensemble cast is expected to return for season 3, including Kristine Frøseth (Nan St. George), Alisha Boe (Conchita Closson), Josie Totah (Mabel Elmsworth), Aubri Ibrag (Lizzy Elmsworth), Imogen Waterhouse (Jinny St. George), Christina Hendricks (Mrs. St. George), Guy Remmers (Theo, Duke of Tintagel), Matthew Broome (Guy Thwarte), and Barney Fishwick (Lord James Seadown).

One star whose future with the show is in question is Mia Threapleton, as Honoria Marable is off to pursue a teaching career abroad. Also, Josh Dylan will likely not return after the tragic death of Lord Richard Marable.

What will 'The Buccaneers' season 3 be about?

Spoilers for The Buccaneers season 2 finale ahead. The events of The Duchess's Masquerade set up a very dramatic fight for Tintagel to come in season 3. After Theo decides to abdicate and divorce Nan, Blanche (Amelia Bullmore) reveals that his father had a secret son, and that Theo's half-brother Kit will now be the Duke of Tintagel. Kit's said to be horrible, so it's likely that he'll become a major player in the next installment.

As for the Nan-Theo-Lizzy love triangle, Nan's pregnancy—of which Theo is still clueless—will continue to provide plenty of drama for the series, as he must choose between his all-consuming love for Lizzy and protecting his child.

In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Kristine Frøseth admitted that she has no idea where her character is running off to in the finale's last scene. "I am just as curious as you are," she told the outlet. "I'm hoping she just keeps running. She meets a group of women, and they all raise the baby together somewhere, and she leaves all the drama behind."

The latter pair get off to a strong start in the villa, when the Love Is Blind season 8 alum puts herself on a date with the Love Is Blind: UK fan favorite. However, tears quickly begin flowing when the other couples—and even the Netflix reality show itself—begin testing their bond by putting them on separate dates.

So, do the pair survive the tests? Or do temptations break them apart? Read on for everything we know about Madison and Freddie’s journey on Perfect Match season 3 and where they are now.

What happened between Madison and Freddie on 'Perfect Match' season 3?

Madison arrived in the villa on day one, and the 28-year-old Minneapolis resident initially matched with Cody (Temptation Island). The pair were in sync enough to win the show's first challenge, but Madison's most memorable comment about Cody was that he needed a tongue scrapper and mouthwash, so she didn't seem that into him.

Once they got into the boardroom, Madison took charge and set herself up on a date with funeral director Freddie. He said that he's a sucker for a "crazy girl" who's "a bit fire-y," and Madison's a fire sign, so it was no surprise when he asked her to match up. And Madison was clearly smitten, with her later saying that Freddie was a "unicorn" and maybe the "first good guy" she's met.

The pair's first major relationship test came after the compatibility challenge, where they placed second, which put a bit of a target on their back. AD and Ollie sent Freddie on a date with Rachel (The Bachelorette), and Madison got very emotional and upset. Freddie and Rachel had a cute painting date—Madison's dream date, cute—and they both had a great time. However, once they got into the villa, Rachel became preoccupied with her ex, Clayton, and told Freddie she wanted to try to rekindle their relationship. (Bachelor Nation won't be surprised how that went.) Freddie ended up asking Madison to match again, saying that they were a "no-brainer."

By the end of episode 5, Madison and Freddie were one of the show's stronger couples, ahead of a brand-new board twist. Lucy (Too Hot to Handle) and Daniel (Dated and Related) ranked Ollie and AD and Freddie and Madison as the two most compatible couples, after which host Nick Lachey told them that one member of each couple would be sent on a date and the other would be dumped from the villa. Lucy and Daniel chose Madison to go on a date, and Madison broke into tears once again while saying goodbye to Freddie. But this reality TV, so the show must go on.

Madison was then set up on a boxing workout with two dates: Jalen from Too Hot to Handle and Ray from Love Island USA. Though she said that Ray has "good energy," Jalen was apparently Madison's "type to a T." She chose Jalen to be her match at the end of the night, but she also made it clear that her mind was still on Freddie.

Then came the gender-separated mixers, where matched-up participants could chat with the singles without their partners around. All the single men came to the women's mixer, including...Freddie! Even though Madison immediately went to hug him and he'd only been gone for a day, Freddie said in a confessional that he's anxious she may not feel the same. Of course, amid the girls's chill pool day, Madison told Freddie that she never stopped thinking about him, and that "if it's not Freddie, it's not for me."

Once the entire cast was brought back for a mixer in episode 8, Madison and Freddie were nearly the fastest pair to couple up. (Lucy and Daniel beat them by a minute or two.) They also sailed through the final round of matches in episode 9. Unfortunately, the pair seemed to come down from cloud nine during their final date, when they had a "realistic" conversation about where they could go in the real world. When Madison asked if Freddie would consider moving to the U.S., he pointed out that he couldn't move away from his brother. Madison said she'd move to Manchester, England, but the hesitation was obvious.

At season 3's final ceremony, there wasn't anything that the rest of the cast could say negatively about Madison and Freddie as a couple. Even Cody only said that Freddie was a nice guy and there was no bad blood. Madison gushed that Freddie is "written by a woman," and Freddie declared that the night was only "the end of chapter one" of their story. Unfortunately, the finale had one last compatibility challenge, and Madison and Freddie were knocked out of the running for the grand prize when they couldn't remember exactly where their first kiss was. So, the pair was not declared the season's perfect match.

Are Madison and Freddie still together after 'Perfect Match' season 3?

Unfortunately, as Freddie revealed to Elite Daily following the finale, his and Madison's relationship couldn't survive the long distance between Manchester, England and Minneapolis, Minnesota.

"We carried on speaking afterwards, but we were very realistic about the fact that there was 4,000 miles between us," he told the outlet. "And gradually over time, it just became apparent that it was more of a friendship....In the bubble of Perfect Match, it was a roller coaster of emotions in this surreal environment, and moving back to the norm of real life, it just became apparent that continuing to date probably wasn’t the best idea."

Madison has yet to share her take on her and Freddie's split, but she has been vocal about other parts of the season on TikTok, so there's a good chance that more updates are yet to come. Freddie has also been recapping his Perfect Match experience on his podcast with Beniah (remember Nicole and Beniah?!), so he may have more to say soon about what happened after the cameras stopped rolling.

Ben Higgins and Lauren Bushnell, 'The Bachelor'/'Ben & Lauren: Happily Ever After?')

Sometimes couples are relatable in their real-life struggles. When Ben Higgins and Lauren Bushnell ended up together on The Bachelor, fans appreciated how much they seemed like a normal couple who just happened to be struggling with massive fame. By the time they filmed Ben & Lauren: Happily Ever After?, Higgins called them "work associates" rather than partners.

Miguel Harichi and Leah Kateb, 'Love Island'

If you watched Love Island USA season 6, you may remember Miguel Harichi and Leah Kateb. They were an extremely charismatic couple who got together early, and the two continued to date after the show wrapped (with Harichi referring to Kateb as his "wife").

Ace Young and Diana DeGarmo, 'American Idol'

While Ace Young and Diana DeGarmo did not technically meet on American Idol—they met on the Broadway revival of Hair, if you're curious—the two did get engaged on the show's season 11 finale. They have since collaborated together in addition to getting married.

Josh Kilmer-Purcell and Brent Ridge, 'The Beekman Boys'/'The Amazing Race'

The cofounders of lifestyle brand Beekman 1802 met online in 2000. Fans were first made aware of them in 2010 show The Fabulous Beekman Boys, in which the non-farming duo attempted to run a farm. The two also won hearts on The Amazing Race.

Kandi Burruss and Todd Tucker, 'The Real Housewives of Atlanta'

The Real Housewives franchise doesn't often give rise to couples that fans feel completely excited about, but Kandi Burruss (cast) and Todd Tucker (crew) were an exception. They met during a 2011 show trip to South Africa; they subsequently wed and had children together.

Tanner Tolbert and Jade Roper, 'Bachelor in Paradise'

There have been a few beloved couples from the Bachelor in Paradise series (which offers a more relaxed and less high-stakes vibe). Tanner Tolbert and Jade Roper were one such success story from season 2; they got engaged on the show, had a televised wedding in 2016, and have three kids.

Tiffany Pennywell and Brett Brown, 'Love Is Blind'

Sometimes referred to as “The Browns," Tiffany Pennywell and Brett Brown were married on season 4 of Love Is Blind. A recruiter and a Nike immersive design director, the two met in the show's signature pods and were instantly fan faves due to their sweet banter and maturity during the wild process.

Chrishell Stause and G Flip, 'Selling Sunset'

Chrishell Stause went through a lot of relationship turmoil on Selling Sunset. So when she introduced her new partner, G Flip (who uses they/them pronouns), fans fell head over heels for their joy. The couple celebrated their love with multiple wedding ceremonies.

Olandria Carthen and Nicolas Vansteenberghe, 'Love Island USA'

Love Island USA season 7 was a particularly popular iteration of the show. Part of the fan enthusiasm was for the couple who came in second: Olandria Carthen and Nicolas Vansteenberghe. Their chemistry and sweetness was absolutely off the charts from the very beginning.

Ashley Iaconetti and Jared Haibon, 'Bachelor in Paradise'

Ashley Iaconetti and Jared Haibon really had an epic ride on the way to marriage and children. They hit it off on Bachelor in Paradise but ended up friends. They met up again in season 3. Then, it finally happened (to fans' delight): they started dating in May 2018.

Alexa Alfia and Brennon Lemieux, 'Love Is Blind'

You know how there are some couples who become the favorites of an entire season? Well, Alexa and Brennon Lemieux were basically the stars of Love Is Blind season 3. There was no question whether they'd make it to the altar; the couple married and had their first child in 2024.

Ashley Hebert and J.P. Rosenbaum, 'The Bachelorette'

Ashley Hebert and J.P. Rosenbaum met on The Bachelorette, and fans were rooting for the easy-going couple to go the distance. They wed in 2012 and had kids, but then announced their divorce in 2020 (but continued to speakly highly of each other—continuing fans' love for them).

Daniele Donato and Dominic Briones, 'Big Brother'

Daniele Donato, who was returning for her second season, met and fell in love with Dominic Briones at Big Brother season 13. They became adorable best friends and made a showmance that lasted: they got married and their daughters were born in 2018 and 2021.

Sean and Catherine Lowe, 'The Bachelor'

Sean and Catherine Lowe met on season 17 of The Bachelor, and it was immediately apparent that they were good for each other. Both seemed to want the same things (and specifically a long-term relationship); fans tuned in to watch their televised wedding ceremony in January 2014.

Rachel Reilly and Brendon Villegas, 'Big Brother'

If you're unfamiliar with the term "showmance," it's the union between two people while competing on a dating or other reality show. But sometimes showmance can turn into romance, as was the case for the real-life connection between Big Brother's Rachel Reilly and Brendon Villegas.

 Kordell Beckham and Serena Page, 'Love Island USA'

The Love Island USA season 6 winners didn't break up when the cameras stopped rolling. Kordell Beckham and Serena Page had some intense highs and lows on the show, but the charismatic, compelling duo were extremely watchable. And they kept things going after they won!

Molly and Jason Mesnick, 'The Bachelor'

Jason Mesnick was on Bachelor fans' naughty list for a while, mostly because he was the first contestant to change his mind about his winning bachelorette and start dating his runner-up Molly. But over time, with the couple getting married in 2010 and celebrating their 15th anniversary in 2025, fans came around to the sweetness of their love.

Chip Arndt and Reichen Lehmkuhl, 'The Amazing Race'

The official winners of The Amazing Race season 4 (and the first gay team to win), it was still relatively unusual at the time to see an LGBTQ+ couple on a reality TV show. CBS even added the word "Married" to their chyron even though same-sex marriage wasn't legal yet.

Amber Brkich and Rob Mariano, 'Survivor: All Stars'

Amber Brkich and Rob Mariano met in 2003 while competing on Survivor: All Stars. It was an alliance, then it was a full-on showmance, then it ended with a proposal in the finale. Fans were delighted (since the show isn't primarily focused on romance); the couple married in 2005.

Ice-T and Coco Austin, 'Ice Loves Coco'

Ice-T and Coco Austin met on the set of a music video in 2001 and were inseparable since then. Fans didn't know about their union until the show Ice Loves Coco, but they were tickled by the couple's opposite personalities and shared sense of humor that made for three very watchable seasons.

Heidi Montag and Spencer Pratt, 'The Hills'

To be honest, Heidi Montag and Spencer Pratt weren't always fan faves, especially not on The Hills. But over time (and lots of reality tv appearances), "Speidi" have proven themselves to be quite the pairing. If fans love anything, it's the spectacle they deliver.

Keith Tollefson and Whitney Duncan, 'Survivor'

Keith Tollefson and Whitney Duncan met on the set of Survivor: South Pacific in 2011. It was pretty obvious that there was chemistry between them and, indeed, they became a couple. Then, in 2013, they were called to compete together on The Amazing Race—then, after that, they got married.

Joey Graziadei and Kelsey Anderson, 'The Bachelor'

While The Bachelor doesn't always have the best track record, fans loved watching Joey Graziadei and Kelsey Anderson, a tennis teaching pro and a junior project manager, fall for each other. And then he went on to win season 33 of Dancing With the Stars!

Jessica Graf and Cody Nickson, 'Big Brother'

Sometimes going by the portmanteau "Jody," the showmance between Jessica Graf and Cody Nickson on Big Brother 19 transformed into real love. Fans then watched them compete—and win!—on The Amazing Race, so this union was forged in some intense circumstances.

Jeff Schroeder and Jordan Lloyd, 'Big Brother'

Another Big Brother showmance that lasted beyond the show, Jeff Schroeder and Jordan Lloyd met during season 11 in 2009. They met, became friends, became something more than friends, got engaged in season 16 of the show, and then married and had kids once they were out.

Jamie Otis and Doug Hehner, 'Married at First Sight'

Jamie Otis was actually a Bachelor contestant, but then participated on the very first season of Married at First Sight in 2014. She met and immediately married Doug Hehner, and (even though they weren't initially passionate about each other), they eventually made a lasting couple.

Jionni LaValle and Nicole "Snooki" Polizzi, 'Jersey Shore'

In 2010, Snooki met Jionni LaValle at the Jersey Shore-famous nightclub Karma while she was filming the show. She wasn't totally into him, at first, but lo and behond: they got together and filmed a bunch of episodes together before ultimately marrying and having children.

Cameron Hamilton and Lauren Speed, 'Love Is Blind'

On the first-ever season of Love Is Blind, a content creator and a scientist met and fell in love. Frankly, fans didn't think any of those first couples would last past the show (in part because of the wild premise), but Cameron Hamilton and Lauren Speed proved them wrong in a wonderful way.

Bayleigh Dayton and Chris Williams, 'Big Brother'

Bayleigh and Swaggy C, as they were sometimes known on Big Brother season 20, were ones to watch on the show. The showmance blossomed into actual romance, ending with a sweet on-screen proposal; the two later married, had kids together, and moved to Dubai.

Ethan Diamond and Amber Lee, 'Are You the One?'

On the first season of Are You the One? the couples were particularly compelling since they were working with a totally new show structure. Ethan and Amber Diamond had an immediate connection and ended up being a winning couple, but they later noted it wasn't until after the show that they truly fell in love.

Olivia Buckland and Alex Bowen, 'Love Island'

Some reality couples win hearts because of their relatability. If you're not as familiar with the British version of the show, Olivia Buckland and Alex Bowen connected on Love Island in 2016 and shared their very real, sometimes messy lives. They've also appeared on shows including Olivia & Alex: Happily Ever After and Olivia And Alex Said Yes.

 Trista and Ryan Sutter, 'The Bachelor'

The couple that made reality TV fans believe in love! The first successful coupling in The Bachelorette, fans could tell immediately that Trista Rehn and Ryan Sutter were genuine—and genuinely very into each other. The couple celebrated their 20-year wedding anniversary in 2023.

British electronic phenom PinkPantheress knows how to keep a party going. The hitmaker has a penchant for DJing when she’s out with friends, whether she’s at home in London or elsewhere. “There was one night in Bristol where I ended up playing some 2-step classics off my phone in this tiny kitchen at like 3 a.m.,” she tells Marie Claire. “Everyone was too tired to dance but still stayed to listen to the tracks—almost like, Don’t let the night end.”

That feeling is all over the 24-year-old’s frenetic new mixtape, Fancy That. The surprise release, which dropped in late May, is arguably PinkPantheress’s most certifiably British project to date. It's inspired by iconic DJs like Fatboy Slim and ‘90s U.K. garage, while also featuring the Y2K flares that captivated her Gen Z fans and made her an electro-pop musician to watch. She’s quickly become the frontrunner for the song of the summer crown since the album’s third single, “Illegal,” inspired a cheeky TikTok trend.

“It’s been kinda weirdly peaceful,” the recording artist says of her stratospheric climb up the charts. But she’s still learning how to strike the right balance between being an experimentalist and being a pop star. “It’s like arguing with yourself over whether to be mysterious or catchy. But the reward is when someone tells me they listened to a song on repeat and still felt like they hadn’t fully cracked it. That layered feeling makes the overthinking worth it.”

Here, PinkPantheress shares which other famous Brits inspire her as an artist, what Avril Lavigne song makes her cry, and who she’s eager to collaborate with.

Lily Allen or M.I.A. They made sounding like yourself feel cool. I was obsessed with how casual they sounded while saying the most cutting things.

Late '90s U.K. garage in real time—not just watching grainy footage on YouTube and romanticizing it from afar.

When they used “Only You” [by Yazoo] in The Office (U.K.). Not a movie, but still gut-wrenching.

I saw Paramore once and left feeling like I’d been in a dream. Hayley [Williams]’s presence onstage feels like she’s floating above time or something.

A faded Burial hoodie that’s definitely not aesthetic anymore, but I still wear it because it makes me feel cool, TBH.

“Hide and Seek” by Imogen Heap. It’s so simple, but kills you if you’re in the right mood.

Clairo would be nice. Our sounds are quite soft, but something about that contrast of our usual instrumentation could be fun.

Pet Shop Boys, Lady Gaga, Kelela, M.I.A., and then someone unexpected like Solange, at sunset.

I weirdly go back to early Avril Lavigne. “I’m With You” still hits.

Anything that sounds like it could’ve played at a MISS SIXTY afterparty.

Some weird mix of trance, anime intros, and myself. It keeps me alert!

Something that makes everyone go, “Wait, what is this?” but still dance. Probably a deep cut from Fancy That.

“As I descend, I see my life flash again” [from “Ophelia”]. It’s dramatic, but in a way that felt true at the time, and it’s such a me way to say, “I was in over my head.”

“Motion Sickness” by Phoebe Bridgers—but only if you made it D&B.

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.

In this author-curated rendition, Bolu Babalola —screenwriter, pop culture journalist, and bestselling author of 2022’s Honey and Spice—shares her favorite romance books, specifically those about finding a second chance at love, the subject of her upcoming novel, Sweet Heat.

Author Bolu Babalola is a self-described “romcomoisseur.” Meaning, she’s seen just about every rom-com film under the sun and understands what stories—be it enemies-to-lovers or fake relationships—make audiences swoon.

But for her forthcoming book Sweet Heat, the British-Nigerian writer explored one of her most adored tropes: second-chance romance.

“I love second-chance romances because grace—a key component of love, I feel—is folded in; we are forced to excavate ourselves and the aspects of our growth (or lack of) and question if love can grow with us,” Babalola tells Marie Claire. “It's a beautiful thing to explore.”

So, for her new book, publishing September 2, she revisited the characters from her debut novel, Honey and Spice; now, Malakai and Kiki are exes forced to reconnect at their best friends’ wedding. Babalola explains that she “wanted to see how their love would bloom” by continuing their story.

“Malakai and Kiki met when they were in university, and whilst I absolutely believed their love was real and strong, it was also born in the bubble of university,” she says. “I love the characters so much and wanted to test their love in the outside world when real-life struggles and dynamics and growth would interact with it.”

Here, Babolala curates a list of her favorite books that also feature second-chance romances, from a classic by Jane Austen to a recent hit by Emily Henry.

Sweet Heat by Bolu Babalola will be published on September 2.

In contrast, the summer of 2025 may as well be dubbed the season of the anti-rom-com. From horror-influenced takes like Together and Oh, Hi!, to dark break-up comedy The Roses and the tonal sterility of Materialists, we are, as one seasoned producer I spoke to put it, in a season of "rom-coms by way of misery.”

So how did Hollywood get from 1997—when My Best Friend's Wedding was considered subversive for its untraditional “happy ending”—to now when nearly every major movie billing itself as a rom-com is dark and twisted from start to finish? Perhaps it’s because Hollywood as a whole is flailing. I've seen it myself, as a screenwriter regularly pitching rom-coms to studios. In 2025, the genre has splintered into something messier and more self-aware, shaped by cultural fatigue, shifting expectations around love and dating, and a growing appetite for stories that reflect just how bleak modern romance can feel. Now, studios are guessing at what people will venture out to theaters to see—and what stories a populace deadened by our current cultural climate can actually relate to. The result is a wave of films that trade twinkle lights for discomfort, and happy endings for something more complicated.

Consider July’s Oh, Hi!, starring Molly Gordon and Logan Lerman as the infatuated Iris and Isaac, who embark on their first romantic weekend away. Afternoon delights and firelit vulnerability take a turn, however, when Iris comments on the surprising ease of their new coupledom. She does not get the reply she expected, and their adorable upstate romance quickly devolves into a horror movie by way of situationship. The female lead holds Isaac captive, spending the bulk of the movie trying to convince the commitment-averse young man to see her value—and acting out the existential dread so many have experienced upon realizing their beautiful blossoming relationship is a farce.

Given all of the above, Oh, Hi! is hardly a traditional romantic comedy—but its writer-director, Sophie Brooks, still very much sees her film as fitting within the genre. "I think the purpose of rom-coms is to relate and feel ultimately amused…I think we're in a moment, in a beautiful way in our culture, where we're really craving freshness and originality and to feel seen," Brooks told me over Zoom in early July. "I'm a very romantic person and I really believe in love. I've also been a single woman dating in my thirties and been like, 'This is a hellscape.'"

Brooks seems to point to a growing trend in the industry: In search of the more grounded, the more searingly "real," filmmakers and execs alike have leaned on the sardonic, the sarcastic, and the skeptical that reflect their own less-than-ideal relationship experiences. (And in doing so they’ve earned praise within a genre that’s historically slept on by critics. The Hollywood Reporter said of Oh, Hi!: “The film is sure to attract young fans and find its audience. At its root, this is a surprisingly sensitive commentary on uniquely millennial romantic loneliness.”

Celine Song, too, mirrored her own life with this summer’s Materialists, pulling from her short stint as a matchmaker. And like Brooks, Song also sees her newest movie as a romantic comedy despite Song approaching the themes of her movie with a candor that can be rare for the genre. In my theater, the air drained from the room when Dakota Johnson's character, Lucy, finds out that a matchmaking client of hers was assaulted on a date. "Has something like this happened before?" Lucy asks her boss (Marin Ireland). "Of course," the boss replies. "This is dating."

Set against a posh New York City backdrop, the film's characters treat each other like lists of traits on a sheet of paper—no shorter than 6’2”; no incomes less than six figures; "no baldies"—a means to an end for their social and economic ambitions. It tracks, within that narrative, that Lucy would be forced to face the bleakness of her own world by someone taking its very concept too far.

From Song's perspective, that subversion brought Materialists closer to its audience. And ultimately it paid off: The film earned an estimated $12 million at the domestic box office in its opening weekend, making it the third-largest opening for an A24 film ever. “We’re not just showing up here to be in love and beautiful and get to be in a rom-com,” Song told the Los Angeles Times. “We’re also going to take this opportunity to talk about something. Because that’s the power of the genre.” It's worth noting that, among the 2025 fare described so far, Materialists is the most earnestly optimistic of the bunch. Spoiler alert: Lucy chooses love over her list, kissing her love interest on a stoop straight out of an Ephron movie.

"I think we're seeing it in books and in features that people, even underneath these movies that might otherwise feel a little frothy, are trying to really say something," says the producer I spoke to. (They requested anonymity to speak candidly about internal studio dynamics.) “We're getting more drama in a way. The classic '90s rom-coms were about a big idea, but not necessarily a heavy topic.”

Many of this summer’s films follow that lead, often starring A-listers better known for dramatic roles—actors capable of digging into more layered material. In The Roses (out August 29), Olivia Colman and Benedict Cumberbatch play a couple whose charming meet-cute slowly curdles into decades of resentment. The film presents itself as a sun-drenched romance, only to reveal itself as a deeply cynical satire of marriage—one where irritation and disappointment seem inevitable. Splitsville (September 5) follows suit with a messier, more absurdist tone: Dakota Johnson and Adria Arjona star in a polyamorous entanglement between two couples unraveling through open relationships and retaliatory affairs. (And an eight-minute standing ovation at Cannes Film Festival signals audiences appreciated the premise.)

Together, these films reflect a recurring message: the modern romance movie isn’t just skeptical of love—it’s steeped in emotional exhaustion.

That disillusionment isn’t just creative—it’s commercial. The entertainment industry has always been a messy blend of the artistic and the aggressively corporate, with both sides shaping what gets made and how it’s sold. These days, rom-coms are often seen as a risk no one wants to take. “Directors really stay away from this genre, because even if you make a great one it’s not a genre that’s super well-respected in terms of filmmaking,” says producer Alex Saks, whose credits include No Hard Feelings and It Ends With Us. “If a rom-com doesn’t work—and most of them don’t—directors go to director jail.”

And without a boldface director attached, attracting an A-list cast becomes even harder. “To do a traditional rom-com you need a [certain level] of movie star,” Saks says. “The stars that we used to have—the Sandra Bullocks, Reese Witherspoons, Julia Robertses—they liked doing these movies. And now we don’t have a generation of stars that can really uphold them.” That casting crunch, she adds, is pushing financiers toward more genre-blending, subversive projects: “They’re choosing to throw something else into the mix to protect potential downsides.”

The other producer I spoke to is inclined to agree. As a development exec who’s worked with multiple A-listers and still champions the genre, she’s noticed a clear shift in studio appetite. “You need a different hook these days,” she said. “And honestly, I think you need more of an edge. We’re at a point where we’ve decided that romance doesn’t seem edgy.” Even Nancy Meyers couldn’t secure the budget she’s long commanded, ultimately scrapping a Netflix project mid-development.

Still, the producer believes the genre continues to sell in Hollywood, just not in the form many audiences grew up loving. The more "traditional" rom-coms—the sunnier, more aspirational fare of the '90s and 2000s—are largely being adapted from existing IP. "Basically every Emily Henry book is in development," she says. As of July, Henry, whose books all include the classic happily-ever-after, has one film (Beach Read) and one television show (Happy Place) headed to Netflix and five of her six published novels somewhere in the process of adaptation.

That, too, is part of the shift. The genre hasn’t vanished so much as split along tonal and commercial lines. This summer’s theatrical slate—marked by sarcasm, emotional fatigue, and narrative risk—caters to an audience that craves realism and edge. Meanwhile, the formulaic, lower-budget Hallmark-style rom-coms and IP-driven adaptations are still quietly thriving elsewhere, offering a familiar fix.

In some ways, the rom-com has adapted to survive, meeting different audiences where they are: some nostalgic for comforting structure, others looking for stories that reflect their messier, more skeptical realities. The genre hasn’t chosen a single direction—it’s fractured, yes, but also expanding.

But even if the genre is splintered, it’s far from dead. Maybe there’s room for all of it—the jaded, the joyful, and everything in between. Hollywood, after all, loves to ride a wave. Remember 2024, when three major movies centered on women over 40 dating guys in their 20s (two of them starring Nicole Kidman)? Or 2011’s dueling fuck-buddy rom-coms? Now, Celine Song is developing a sequel for My Best Friend's Wedding. Which suggests that even now, the genre might still pull off its signature trick: bringing two seemingly incompatible things—twinkle lights and subversion—together in the end.

During Pistotnik's 2021 hunt to build a client roster, she stumbled across a "story time" post from lifestyle influencer Mayci Neeley. After reaching out and hitting it off with her, she was referred to Taylor Frankie Paul, and eventually the rest of the #MomTok clan. Right away, Pistotnik could tell that their dynamic was perfect for reality TV—and that their posts only showed off a sampling of their “explosive” personalities offline.

“I liked them as people. I knew there was something bigger there," the now-executive producer tells me in her Beverly Hills office on a June afternoon. "I'm this Jewish gay woman from Los Angeles talking to these Mormons from Utah, and it feels like people I grew up with...We all have girlfriends who are like, 'Oh my God, we need a reality show about our lives,’ and it's like, well, everyone thinks that way. So when I met them, and my thought was, These girls should have a reality show, it was significant.”

Attending high school and college in the 2010s, Pistotnik noted the crossover of social media and celebrity; already, BuzzFeed creators and Beauty YouTubers were becoming brands in their own right. A decade later, Hollywood is learning what Pistotnik has known for years: Spend enough time online, and you'll find the future of pop culture.

To this day, Pistotnik is chronically online. Fourteen hours of screen time per day, a feed of “dudes making sandwiches, people lifting heavy weights, and for some reason, a shirtless photo of Nathan Fielder on a heart cake"—and, of course, everything to do with Mormon Wives. Her constant scrolling is what success looks like in entertainment's next frontier, where influencers lead the cultural touchpoints everybody's talking about.

On the heels of The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives season two's success and with a third installment on the way, Pistotnik discusses pitching the reality show after years of no’s, filming in Utah, and the digital creators taking over Hollywood.

In recent years, there has become a pipeline of reality stars becoming influencers off their shows. What made you consider the opposite?

When I started, it was so obvious to me that [digital creators] were the future of entertainment, and that people were just not catching on. My thought was like, These are the people that are going to drive viewers to television. [Why] are we not utilizing it? Eventually, they did, but the first four years I did this, if you wanted to bring an influencer into a traditional project, you got laughed out of the room. I think it was for no other reason than status quo and egos, and a lack of comfort in adapting to this new world. But then, slowly but surely, these tiny steps started happening. I think podcasting has a lot to do with it. We watched podcasting take over mainstream news media, and that was a really good first example of: This is the future.

These people have built-in audiences. It's so expensive to make shows, especially in L.A., so why would you not take these people that will automatically give you viewers, who don't cost a hundred million dollars to cast in your movie because they're not Zendaya? And I was right.

How do you find creators?

With the nature of my job, I'm chronically online. It's a mix of that, plus being in this industry and hearing what people want or who people are having conversations about. The combination of those things leads you in the right places.

SLOMW is your first time working in unscripted TV. Did you have any concerns about what that work would entail?

We got lucky with the Hulu side and Jeff Jenkins Productions, who are partners on this. If a girl's crying and has a bad day, it's like, Go home. Get a massage. We'll talk about this tomorrow. If their mental health is in danger, if they are in physical danger, if we're worried about anything, we're not poking the bear. We're like, Let's take a minute. If my coordinator was having a hard time, I would give her a week off work. We all get along really well. It's like a party. When we're on set, we're all going to the one bar in Utah that closes at 10:00 p.m. and having a good time.

What was the most unbelievable day you’ve had on set so far?

Oftentimes, the cameras start rolling and you don't think you're going to get anything, and you get the most insane scene of your life. It's always unexpected. Sometimes you question, Is it even worth getting cameras out? Is it even going to be anything? And then you get the scene that makes the episode, and none of it is scripted. That's the thing people don't understand; everyone says, ‘Reality shows aren't real.’ This is 100 percent real, zero-scripted. I don't think any of us could have expected everything to organically blow up this much.

Some critics argued that season two felt different from the first in the sense that the cast became more aware of the need to manufacture drama, even if it didn’t seem natural. How will the show continue balancing that?

There are a lot of meta moments in the show because we break the third wall. Half of the time, we're talking about the brand deals and negotiations, and all the things with Hulu. As opposed to a lot of shows where someone disappears or someone acts a certain way because they're protesting [something off-screen], we're addressing things head-on. So much of the drama of a reality show is the deals and money, the behind-the-scenes of, she got this and she got this. A lot of times, it goes unaddressed, and then people disappear and things fizzle out. So we discuss it, and I think that’s the best way to keep things moving forward.

I also think we empower women to have salary transparency and talk about their real experiences, especially in entertainment, where no one actually knows who gets what or what's realistic, and no one talks to each other about it. [By talking about it], the audience feels like, Okay, well she's not here because of this, and they're fighting because of this, instead of some mystery reason that everyone can assume is behind the scenes.

One thing about this cast is [that] there are issues and a lot of animosity at times, but they know that they're coworkers. No matter what goes on between the two of them, they're like, 'Well, we work together and we will show up to work together.' That's never been an issue. They're very professional.

In previous interviews, you’ve emphasized that as you were developing the show, you made sure that it wouldn’t be disrespectful to Mormonism. How do you balance that respect with the inherent need for reality TV to be sensational?

We're not manufacturing this idea of sensationalized religion, because the show isn't about the religion. It's about these people who grew up in the religion. As long as we stay true to the subject of the show is this group of women, not the Mormon church, then that will never be an issue. The second that we start trying to dive into the church, we're going to completely lose the plot of what the show is about, and all the sincerity is going to completely go out the window.

Influencers have made gains in the traditional media space, but there still seems to be a level of spectacle towards them. When do you see the transition from influencer to traditional celebrity becoming normalized?

Right now. Turn on your TV and look at the four biggest shows. It's like The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives, Benito Skinner's Overcompensating, Brian Jordan Alvarez's English Teacher, and then Adults on Hulu. Everyone woke up in the past year and was like, We have to do this.

I don't think a lot of people become influencers now because they want to be social media stars. I think we're seeing people who are writers, actors, directors, standup comics, and they realize, I could get an agent and go to auditions and get spit in the face, get a waiter job, do this, this, and this. Or, I can showcase myself online, build an organic audience, and have some leverage to then take that audience into traditional media. I think that's a better path. One, it shows initiative. Two, you have a proof of concept. Networks are not having to take risks anymore because they see that people are so engaged with this work.

How does the rise of creator-influencers affect your job, since you’ve worked more often with traditional influencers?

There's a nature that everyone who does my job has, where you're constantly searching for novelty and excitement and something different. I think people become managers, to be honest, because we couldn’t have normal jobs. I don't think I could sit at a desk and work from nine to five and do the same thing every day. I think that our brains are wired to want to close deals and try something new, and outdo the thing you did before, because then you're not going to get that beautiful dopamine hit of success anymore. So, for me, I don't think it's easier or harder. I am just more excited about it. I love this world. It's so much more fun.

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.

The actress, 42, had gone on a walk that morning with her mom. She’d spent some time collecting and cutting videos from friends and family for a surprise virtual birthday card that “Davey”—as in Dave Franco, as in her husband, as in her co-star in many movies, including their latest codependency freakout Together—will open on his 40th the following week. Later that night, they’ll meet up for a dinner date.

But first, a game of pick-up bowling with me. I wish the hostess had given us the lane the young family is using—for the extra hint of privacy, and also for the bumpers. But we’re here. We should at least give bowling a shot; for the bit. We don’t even have to try. We can be a little silly, check the box, and move on to the actual agenda: digging into the jumpscares and scarily realistic resentment that made Together the “fucked up date night movie” everyone will see this summer; how she really felt about playing a dependent but bitter partner alongside her actual husband of eight years; what all her genre-hopping and hyper-productivity says about her talent.

To be fair, Brie is all upbeat energy. In her white tank top and wide-leg jeans, she moves with a bounce that is more than just her Salomon sneakers at work. She orders a Coke, even though she doesn’t drink soda, “but we’re in a bowling alley and it just feels right.” There’s chit-chat about how she used to come here as a teen with her drama club friends and a fake ID to belt out Pat Benatar's greatest hits on the nights the spot doubled as Mr. T.’s Bowl karaoke bar. She’s excited to talk, yes, but maybe not to bowl.

I consider that perhaps we should have resorted to one of those Beverly Hills Hotel lunches in so many celebrity profiles, when Brie steps up to the lane, tells me with a laugh to back up and give her room to roll. She brushes her chocolate brown hair over her shoulder, takes a few strides, and dips in a deep curtsy lunge while swinging the ball behind her. It sails out of her outstretched fingers and rolls—straight down the lane.

“That's my long con,” she says as she turns back to me, victorious. “I'm like,”—she takes her voice up to a girlish falsetto and blinks innocently, “I've never done this!”

Cut to forty-five minutes later, when the matter of breaking a tie feels as imperative to Brie as ensuring she says everything she wants to about staying hungry and working hard. Or maybe, this is her saying it. If she’s here, she’s going all-out.

The Alison who knew Highland Park Bowl by another name was a striver. Growing up in ’90s Pasadena, “I was not playing, like, ‘bride’ or ‘mommy,’” she remembers. She was auditioning for local theater productions at the Los Feliz Jewish Community Center. Toto in The Wizard of Oz was her gateway role; from then on out, acting was all she wanted to do. “It was wholesome in that I was not like, I'm gonna be a huge movie star, but I also would practice my Oscar speech in the bathroom,” she says.

According to her teenage logic, she could go from theater to a break in indie films or period pieces: “because those are the kinds of movies where they would cast unknowns.” In reality, she’d be auditioning while working as a party clown until her mid-twenties. Short films and a boisterous Hannah Montana cameo finally culminated in a double-booking on Community and Mad Men, sometimes filming one in the morning and the other in the afternoon. Showing her comedic range on the former and dramatic chops on the latter opened doors where Brie gained more recognition and autonomy with each step—a SAG- and Golden Globe-nominated turn on the canceled-before-its time GLOW, to writing her first feature-length script, 2020’s Horse Girl, to independent films and limited series like Apples Never Fall.

From set to set, she built a reputation blending charisma and no-holds-barred dedication, helping her make friends like GLOW’s Betty Gilpin. “I remember wondering, why do I not feel intimidated by someone this strong and confident and relaxed in such an anxiety-provoking setting, like a set?” she says of their early days working together. “Even though she's young, her hours logged in this business are pretty impressive. But I think that to be around Ali is to be really comfortable. I kind of immediately realized this is a person that I'm going to learn from.”

As Brie was working her way up through Hollywood, she was also falling in love with her eventual co-collaborator in life and in work, actor Dave Franco. Their courtship and 2017 marriage went from strictly under wraps to fodder for tabloid relationship timelines and virality-bait videos, like reading each other thirsty tweets and taking couples’ quizzes.

Nothing about their affection is an act. Over a Zoom in late June, Franco tells me—hands clasped over his Hawaiian shirt and a permanent smile for all 27 minutes on the line—that in their 14 years together, every time they’ve been apart, they’ve sent one another a “mini love letter” each night before bed. “It really makes you focus on the other person and let them know in a unique way, every single night, how much they mean to you,” Franco says. He also says that she’s his favorite actress like he’s founder, president, and events director of her official fan club, listing her attributes without a hint of spousal obligation to do so. “She is an incredible dramatic actress. She is so funny. She’s so athletic and can bring that physicality to her roles. There's literally no genre that she can't do,” he says.

The pair didn’t professionally link up until their raunchy 2012 Funny or Die sketch. “I think, actually, early on in our relationship we had no desire to work together,” Brie says, sipping her Coke. “Early in your career, too, you're like, I want to prove myself and make my own name for myself.” But the creative chemistry was undeniable. They’d play a couple for a brief portion of The Disaster Artist in 2017. Franco would direct Brie in a horror for the short-term lease economy, 2020’s The Rental, and then again for the 2023 romantic comedy Somebody I Used to Know.

“We joke about being codependent, but I think we actually are very independent people,” Brie tells me when we hit pause on the bowling and sit down to chat. When they’re working on opposite coasts, or countries, “it's not like,”—here she throws her voice into a mock-yell, “Where's Dave?”

All their mutual public swooning makes their joint turn in Together so bizarrely, jarringly fun. They play Millie and Tim, a genre of couple we all know or have been halves of: They’ve been dating for a decade, but it seems like their shared history is all that’s keeping them together. Their careers are at odds, they know exactly which flaws to bring up in front of company for maximum hurt feelings, and they’re definitely not having sex anymore. When Millie gets a new teaching job, they move from the city to a tiny, secluded town in a bid to hit restart. With no one but each other to lean on and some sinister forces in the woods outside their home, romantic tropes like being totally inseparable and magnetically drawn toward one another are then pushed to their most literal, gasp-inducing interpretations.

Brie says Franco had opened up her appetite for horror, and they’d been looking for a project like Together when director Michael Shanks’s team reached out in 2022. “What's really unique about this movie is that the thing that's trying to get us, is inside of us,” she says. “It was this unique acting challenge to be fighting your own body.” Brie says they were both drawn to how codependency doesn’t just manifest in the script’s horror set pieces. It was also how Millie and Tim would butt heads even in dire circumstances. (If you’ve ever fought with a partner over directions, you might feel personally attacked by an argument over hiking seen in act one.)

The film premiered at Sundance in January to rave reviews and an instant bidding war for distribution rights. Neon acquired its worldwide release for $17 million—the biggest deal out of the festival this year. Shortly after, it faced a copyright infringement lawsuit concerning the story’s originality. According to Brie, in a written statement shared after our interview: "This is a sad reality of the business, unfortunately these types of claims come up all the time. Our screenwriter wrote the first draft of this script in 2019, a year before WME ever received the other script. We have an extensive paper trail, and we look forward to showing the court that these claims are frivolous.”

One thing is for certain: Shanks couldn’t have imagined a better actress to front his project than Brie. Her blend of comedic chops and dedication to the material meant the script sounded more natural— she improvised several lines that made their way into the final cut. She also did as much of her own stunt work as she could manage. When things like a 360-degree body contortion simply weren’t possible, she’d stretch her eyebrows and mouth into macabre expressions for scanning onto the actual contortionist’s body. “The whole time,” Shanks tells me over a Zoom from his office in Melbourne, Australia, “she was throwing herself into so much more of the film than I think would be expected of the lead actors.”

He means “throwing” literally. In one scene, the invisible string tying the couple together yanks on Millie so forcefully, she collides face-first with the glass door to their home office. A stunt double was supposed to handle the crash, but Brie just had to give it a bruise-inducing shot. Her take is what made it into the final cut.

Moments like these earned the project an unofficial title among the cast and crew, according to Shanks: “Torturing Dave and Alison.” Working on their most grossed-out scenes with little room for personal freedom—one day, Franco says, Brie was obligated to straddle him for a leg-numbing twelve hours—only made him more firm in his opinion: his wife is really the best actress. “There's nothing she won't do for the sake of the project to try to make it as great as it could possibly be,” he says.

I ask Brie if spending time inhabiting a couple at odds impacted their dynamic when it was time to wrap. “Dave jokes that the hardest part for this press tour is going to be convincing people that we actually have a good relationship,” Brie laughs. “I think we could not have done this movie if we didn't have a really healthy relationship. That would be its own horror movie.”

Brie ended up having a more positive souvenir from Together’s shoot: a new outlook. The entire film was shot in 21 days, rapid-fire by most studios’ standards. The actress took it as a sign she couldn’t waste a minute doubting herself on set. “Going into this job, I thought, there's no time for that bullshit. You know everything you need to know,” she says. “It was actually really freeing and really fun that I was like, there's no time to overthink anything, so don't. Let it rip, and Dave did the same. That's the mentality I want to have in life now.”

The Brie-Franco household—population: the couple and their two cats, Otis and Max—is currently in a quiet period. “We’re getting to a place of trying to find this nice balance between work and enjoying life together, and getting excited about growing older and getting even more cats together and moving even further into the wilderness,” Franco tells me. “Some people might say it's leaning even further into our codependency.”

But I suspect it would take a total ideas drought for Brie to stop creating—and even that might be a temporary setback. Even in a phase of life she describes as high artistry, lower pressure, she’s finding calls to explore new avenues in unlikely places. Weeks before we meet at Highland Park Bowl, Brie has a short break between Together’s first round of festival premieres and suiting up as the villain Evil-Lyn for Mattel’s Masters of the Universe adaptation shoot in London. She spends it on a stop by New York City, where she’ll cash in one of the most sought-after tickets on Broadway: the Tony-winning play Oh, Mary! where Gilpin is starring for a limited engagement.

Watching her friend inhabit an alt-history Mary Todd Lincoln onstage at the Lyceum Theatre, “I had chills. I was sobbing,” Brie says. Pride in her former costar morphed into inspiration for another “exciting frontier”: theater. I ask if she’s got her sights set on Broadway, should the right script come along. She sits up a little straighter before she answers: “It terrifies me, and it's why I think I should do it.”

To be clear, she doesn’t have concrete plans to go back to her community theater roots yet. She’s tied up with plenty of other film and TV projects as it is. She’ll pull on Annie Edison’s cardigans for a Community reboot film that’s in pre-production. She just signed on to lead Witness Protection, a thriller pilot for FX. She spent two weeks and a half in Kentucky filming The Revisionist, a “talky” indie drama, alongside Dustin Hoffman and Tom Sturridge.

Teaming up onscreen again with her husband isn’t out of the picture, but only when the time is right. “It’s certainly important to me to continue to do work by myself, and it's important to Dave too. I think also when we do work separately, we can bring back anything we learn to the work that we do together.” Brie smiles in the same ear-to-ear, totally smitten way her husband does when he talks about her. “I want to work with Dave for the rest of my life and be in love with him for the rest of my life.”

What about the birds’ eye view of her career? How does she think she’s being perceived? Franco tells me he loves that she’s “universally loved.” She’s a consistent crowd-favorite no matter her project, but I wonder if that reads the same as the industry recognition she earned in her prestige TV era. Brie tells me, “it feels weird to comment on it now, like in the middle of it.” For the first time, she’s addressing the straw of her Coke instead of me. “But also I feel like I've gone through phases of really high highs and low lows and learning who I was, and heartbreak and awkward moments and exciting moments, and now can settle into a lower stakes version of the whole thing.”

She admits she may have piled on the self-pressure in the earlier years to have a certain type of career—one where she wasn’t just consistently working, but also becoming known. (Gwyneth Paltrow’s 1999 Oscar win was a formative example for teen Alison.) Experience means she can keep dreaming big without worrying who will notice. She says she’s guided more by how it feels to make the movie or the show than whatever the outcome could be. Critical acclaim doesn’t hurt, though: In the lead-up to Together’s release, Brie’s Instagram stories were a near-daily ode to the film’s stellar rating on the review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes.

She’s surprised herself even more by getting involved behind the camera. Writing has become her self-described “secret weapon.” When she produces independent films, she says, she wants to be involved from start to finish from now on. Directing an episode of GLOW morphed into directing an episode of a Disney Plus series. She likens taking the lead of an entire set as a “fear factor” experience. She’d shadowed directors and went to a seminar and read books—but nothing could compare to learning on the job. After she ripped off the proverbial Band-Aid, she says she realized more than she initially thought she knew.

“I think women carry a lot of self-doubt and we have a desire to make everything perfect before we attempt something, or we learn everything we can learn,” she says. “You want to really check the boxes and go, am I prepared for this? And at a certain point you have to just take the leap and believe in yourself.”

She’d felt ready to jump and hope the net would appear when the COVID pandemic and SAG-AFTRA strikes happened one after the other. They set projects already in production back by months, reshuffled budgets, and pushed Brie’s directing plans temporarily to the side. “It’s taken me five years, basically, to build back up the confidence and desire to want to do that and to find the right thing.”

I waited for Brie to bring up what I suspected would be that right thing. On Together’s Sundance press circuit, she’d sprinkled mentions of working with the “dark bubblegum” writer Alice Stanley Jr. on an upcoming script. Looking around and concluding a random entertainment reporter isn’t embedded in the bowling parties around us, she decides now is the time to make an addendum: She plans on directing the feature-length film, too. “While we were writing it,” she says, “I felt like I was writing it to direct it. I could see every shot in my head.”

As far as I can tell, we’re not at risk of getting scooped, so I press for more. All she’s ready to reveal, in a slightly lower voice, is that she’s still playing in the horror-comedy sandbox, albeit with a “female-forward, very fun energy.” After Together’s trial by entanglement, she recognizes diving head-first into creating her own horror story is a sign of character development. She used to be scared to watch them; now she’s writing one.

Brie isn’t chasing horror because it’s the fastest-growing film category, and she’s not directing her own because women like The Substance’s Coralie Fargeat are attracting awards-season nods. Earning the sort of pop culture credit bestowed upon actresses with long careers and an atmosphere of underappreciation hovering around them isn’t part of her calculus. “The way I choose roles and things like that, it’s very seldom about the industry’s perception or even the arc of my career,” she says. She’s proud of being a genre generalist and trying several jobs on the call sheet. “The older I get, the more I realize that the heart of everything is just trusting yourself. I’m running at the things that excite me.”

A flashing-all caps alert on our scoreboard tells us we have FOUR MINUTES LEFT. We laugh at the lane’s demand to get back on task, but we agree: Her date with Dave can wait if needed; we’ll keep playing until there’s a winner. I’m not surprised when our momentary tie is broken by Brie’s final turn, where she knocks down eight pins like she knows it’s the best ending for my story. She is a writer, after all.

Photographer: Jonny Marlow | Stylist: Sue Choi | Hair Stylist: Clariss Rubenstein | Makeup Artist: Molly Greenwald | Manicurist: Stephanie Stone | Set Design: Isaac Aaron | DP: Sam Miron Creative Director: Alexa Wiley | Entertainment Director: Neha Prakash | Producer: Lindsay Ferro | Video Producer: Kellie Scott

If you know where to look, Netflix has everything you'd ever want to watch, from edge-of-your-seat thrillers and swoon-worthy rom-coms to epic period pieces and emotional K-dramas. Let me be your guide—who has spent way too much time on the platform over the past 18 years—to the absolute must-watch series to add to your watchlist. Below, read on for our list of the best Netflix original shows of all time.

'Bojack Horseman' (2014–2020)

Netflix has built an excellent slate of animated shows over the years, from Big Mouth to Arcane to Blue-Eyed Samurai, but Bojack is one of my favorite shows that Netflix has ever made, period. The severely underrated, satirical dark comedy stars the titular horse (voiced by Will Arnett), the former star of a '90s sitcom who's now washed up and miserable. Bojack's failed attempt at redemption is enough for an excellent series by itself, but this is truly an ensemble show with several beloved characters, including the workaholic Princess Carolyn, the ever-peppy Mr. Peanut Butter, and Todd Chavez, one of the best instances of asexual representation in TV history. Plus, though some of the episodes will definitely make you cry, the running animal gags will put a smile back on your face.

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'Bridgerton' (2020– )

While the wait between seasons can be quite annoying, there's a reason why so many of us viewers are eager to return to the Ton every two years. Shondaland's adaptation of Julia Quinn's romance series transformed the novels from traditional, low-key problematic Regency stories to diverse, needle-drop-filled (still occasionally problematic) sagas that balance steamy sexual tension and modern commentary on the marriage plot. Plus, we'd be remiss not to include the show that catapulted Regé-Jean Page, Simone Ashley, Jonathan Bailey, and Nicola Coughlan to mainstream fame. (Bonus watch: Queen Charlotte is a bit more of a downer, but an excellent addition to the Bridgerton elders's lore.)

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'The Crown' (2016–2023)

We at Marie Claire are well-versed in the royals, so it's no surprise that Netflix's monumental fictionalized telling of the late Queen Elizabeth II's reign made the list. Over seven years, six seasons, and three casts, creator Peter Morgan covered 60 years of the Queen's life, surprising novices and impressing experts with its take on the British Royal Family and major historical events of the 20th century. A special shout-out to Emma Corrin and Elizabeth Debicki for their heartbreaking portrayals of the People's Princess.

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'The Haunting of Hill House' (2018)

Mike Flanagan was the king of televised horror during his five-year tenure at Netflix, and many of the streamer's best shows are part of the "Flanaverse." Fans may have their favorites, but in my opinion, none of the later shows surpass the first terrifying miniseries, set in a haunted house with so many ghosts that spotting them became a top-tier Easter egg hunt. Flanagan's reimagining of the Shirley Jackson novel is both a bone-chilling tale and a heart-wrenching family drama that's become an annual rewatch for me every Halloween. (If you're obsessed with Victoria Pedretti from You, make sure to watch her breakout role in Hill House.)

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'Lupin' (2021– )

The hardest dilemma of this list: Which of Netflix's international thieves would nab the spot on this list? Though Money Heist came in close, I had to choose Lupin, a.k.a. the James Bond the world truly needs. For anyone who hasn't checked out the French-language series yet, Assane Diop (Omar Sy) is a master of disguise who conducts jaw-dropping heists inspired by the literary character Arsène Lupin by Maurice Leblanc. As with many great stories, Assane's true motivation is a mission of revenge, which often comes into conflict with his obligations as a (not-that-great) father.

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'Mindhunter' (2017–2019)

Filmmaker David Fincher (Se7en, Zodiac) mastered the serial killer drama long before he made his way over to Netflix with Mindhunter—but the project might just be his magnum opus. Based on the true-crime book of the same name, about an FBI agent's experience interviewing infamous murderers and launching the Bureau's criminal profiling, it follows fictionalized agents Holden Ford (Jonathan Groff) and Bill Tench (Holt McCallany ), as well as psychologist Wendy Carr (Anna Torv), as they sit down with Charles Manson, David Berkowitz, and more. It's every bit unnerving, but the genius, icy writing and compelling performances will have you on the edge of your seat. We're still holding out for the show to continue in some form.

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'Orange is the New Black' (2013–2019)

Orange is the New Black is one of Netflix's earliest original programs, and it is a defining proof of its vision for the future of television. Though the series ostensibly centers on fish-out-of-water inmate Piper Chapman (Taylor Schilling), the show's vast yet self-contained scope allowed it to delve into each of the excellent supporting characters's backstories and arcs throughout seven seasons. Jenji Kohan's series was legendary for its multi-ethnic and LGBTQ+ representation that dispelled harmful stereotypes, as well as its nuanced treatment of the many societal inequities surrounding mass incarceration. It's a complicated legacy, but you can't deny the show as an acclaimed step in TV's evolution.

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'The Queen's Gambit' (2020)

Netflix's first-ever Emmy win for Outstanding Limited or Anthology Series went to this stunning 1950s and '60s-set drama about the fictional chess prodigy Beth Harmon (played by Anya Taylor-Joy). This show is a marvel both stylistically and narratively, sucking viewers into tense chess matches and making us vicariously feel Harmon's obsession, determination, and brilliance. Though Beth's prone to self-destruction, the miniseries about her is nothing other than confident and masterfully controlled the entire way through.

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'Sex Education' (2019–2023)

The young-adult series is a contentious subgenre for Netflix; while some are iconic—honorable mention to Heartstopper, Never Have I Ever, and American Vandal—many are regrettably cut short. (Again, American Vandal.) But Sex Education stands out for balancing bawdy humor and literal sex education with uplifting coming-of-age plots for its many characters. There's a reason many of its cast members have blown up since the series—see Simone Ashley in Bridgerton, Emma Mackey, Connor Swindells, and Ncuti Gatwa in Barbie and beyond.

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'Stranger Things' (2016–2025)

It's hard to imagine a Netflix subscriber who didn't get sucked into Stranger Things mania at some point in the series's run over nine years. Whether you were a day one devotee falling straight into '80s nostalgia (and screaming "Justice for Barb!") or a later convert obsessing over Vecna theories, Stranger Things is a thrilling coming-of-age adventure that balances suburban drama with genuinely creepy monster moments. It was also the first series to show off the power of Netflix's franchising arm, which means it's more than partly to thank for the streamer's Disneyfication with immersive experiences (for better or for worse).

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'When Life Gives You Tangerines' (2025)

Yes, Squid Game is the biggest Netflix series of all time, but it's not the best K-drama the streaming giant has ever made. (Don't worry, it's still in the Top 5.) That honor goes to When Life Gives You Tangerines, the multi-generational epic that premiered earlier this year and became an instant classic. Tangerines follows one family over 60 years, and each episode warms, soothes, and breaks your heart in equal measure. Trust me, even if you pride yourself on staying dry-faced through the saddest movies, you will be sobbing at some point in the 16-episode run.

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'When They See Us' (2019)

Ava DuVernay's landmark miniseries When They See Us shows the power of television to raise awareness of historic and societal injustices. The unflinching portrayal of the Central Park Five's wrongful conviction for the 1989 assault of Trisha Meili doesn't just focus on the legal proceedings, but also shows how the arrests had a long-lasting impact on the wrongfully accused boys's lives and those of their families and loved ones. Every fictionalized true-crime series should take notes from this show, especially in its scenes showing the former teens struggling to adjust to life after release.

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After matching in episode 1 of the Netflix reality series, the two navigate some pretty big ups and downs tied to their shared connection and how they should explore things with other people. They fared well in some of the compatibility challenges, but fought hard over the outcome of a kissing contest. Louis questioned if Sandy truly liked him or simply tolerated him, and Sandy found herself wondering what would happen if her Ultimatum trial husband, J.R., came back into the picture.

Did these hurdles make their relationship stronger? Or break them for good? Read on for everything we know about Louis and Sandy’s journey on Perfect Match season 3 and where they are now.

What happened between Sandy and Louis on 'Perfect Match' season 3?

When Sandy heads into the villa, she says she wants someone “smoking hot” but also with “depth”—a bad boy with a soft side. She finds it in Louis, who admits he’s “a bit of a menace,” but one with a warm heart.

Though they’re happy together after matching, neither rules out exploring other options. Sandy chats with Carrington (Love Island USA) when he comes through the villa, but tells him she and Louis have a good thing going and their connection is strong. And Louis admits he was nervous about having new guys come into the house, but also doesn’t object when AD and Ollie send him on a date with Alex (Temptation Island): “I like a little bit of toxic jealousy,” he says with a laugh.

This leads to their first major source of strife: Louis tells Sandy that Alex is the kind of woman he’s dated in the past, and he doesn’t know where his head is at. As he’s taking time to get to know Alex better, Sandy frets that her match likes “new shiny objects,” but it remains to be seen if this new woman can “handle” him. Louis overhears this and takes it to mean that she’s only tolerating his personality, which upsets him. She swears that isn’t the case, but says his flirty demeanor makes it hard to fully let him in. He ultimately decides that while he’s intrigued by Alex, he doesn't want to lose the connection that he and Sandy have.

Those feelings are tested by the kissing challenge, when all the participants had to kiss each other while blindfolded and wearing headphones. Louis rates Sandy’s kiss a 10, while Sandy only gives his a 9—and ranked Clayton (The Bachelor) a 10. This leads to another fight, because Louis deliberately didn’t put effort into the kissing challenge but is annoyed that she did.

While in the boardroom, Sandy sees temptation in the form of J.R., with whom she did a trial marriage on The Ultimatum, and makes the chaotic choice to bring her ex into the house—both to make Louis sweat a bit and to see if she and J.R. have any unfinished business. But Louis eventually apologizes for being immature, and Sandy decides to keep her relationship with J.R. in the past. “The past few days have really opened my eyes to what I have with Louis. I’m catching feelings and they’re just getting stronger and stronger,” she said.

So are these two actually on solid ground now? They work well together in the pole challenge, but then they find themselves at odds again about flirting with other people in the villa. Louis is bothered that Sandy is talking to Jalen (Too Hot to Handle), so he decides to flirt with Olivia (Temptation Island) as payback. Naturally, this leads to another argument: Louis tells Sandy that seeing her with other guys makes him question if her feelings for him are genuine. Sandy is hurt that he wouldn’t trust her intentions, counters that he’s done “way more of that stuff,” and walks off crying.

Louis says her chats make him question things, and she reminds him that she could have sent herself on a date with anyone while she was in the boardroom, including her ex, and didn’t. The talk goes late, so while Sandy is still unhappy that Louis has the “audacity” to question her having conversations with other guys when he’s doing the exact same thing, they decide to match and keep the conversation going—but it doesn’t really feel like a loved-up commitment.

Things get even messier at the guys’s mixer when Louis goes full “what happens on vacation stays on vacation.” While Sandy is telling people that she and Louis are “really close” now, he’s kissing Alex during a game of Truth or Dare and again in the pool.

Back at the villa, Louis’s cagey behavior makes it obvious something happened, and when Sandy asks him what’s going on, he comes clean, surprised and embarrassed that he’d do this to her. Despite telling him she felt disrespected by his behavior at the mixer, she says that he apologized and told the truth, so he’s still her match. Louis steps up and plans a romantic date by the pool for the two of them, saying, “You deserve to be treated like this.” Sandy is touched that he’s showing her a deeper side of himself, but then they’re thrown another curveball when she’s sent on one final date with J.R.

Her Ultimatum ex makes a pitch for them to rekindle their romance, saying she deserves an “equal” and vowing not to do what Louis did to her at the mixer. Sandy admits spending one-on-one time with J.R. brought up old feelings, and while she cares for Louis, she’s also not naive to what he’s like. However, Sandy tells J.R. that they already had their time and that she can't deny her connection with Louis. Even though the stress of constantly defending the relationship seems to be getting to Sandy, she and Louis match again for the final time.

When the entire cast reunites for the finale ceremony, Sandy and Louis argue that they're the perfect match because they have chosen each other even after their messy, challenge-filled journey. Both Alex and J.R. call out Louis for his behavior at the boys's mixer, but Sandy points out that he was honest and confessed outright. Louis even reveals that he's planning to move to L.A., removing the long-distance issue.

Unfortunately, Louis and Sandy get knocked out of the running for the season's grand prize when host Nick Lachey adds in one last compatibility challenge. (Hasn't this season been long enough?) The pair gets eliminated when they give different answers to the question, "What's a flaw that your man has, but one you can live with?" Louis says "being loud," but Sandy puts "his attention span and ADHD," so they do not prove themselves to be the perfect match.

Are Sandy and Louis still together after 'Perfect Match' season 3?

Following the finale's ending, both Sandy and Louis confirmed to Elite Daily that their relationship did not last. According to the couple, the pair did go on a joint couple's trip with winners Lucy and Daniel after filming, but Sandy confirmed that she and Louis both left the show with zero expectations.

"We were very real about certain things: We live in different countries; there’s a bit of an age gap; we are working on different things in our lives," she told the outlet. "Things just fizzled out. We’re still friends, everything’s good, but I think reality sunk in, and we definitely are at two very different places in our life. I just don’t think that things could realistically work where we’re at right now."

Louis added, "We sort of came to a mutual agreement with where it’s going to go. The way that my lifestyle is and the goals that I have set, it’s hard for me to focus on someone that’s not in the same country. We are still cool. We see each other. It’s still the same vibe, but I think where my life is heading, it didn’t make sense."

As for where Louis's life headed following his split with Sandy, the 24-year-old went public with a different relationship before his season even aired. On July 31, 2025—the night before Perfect Match premiered—he walked the red carpet for the premiere of the horror film Weapons alongside an entirely different reality star. The Perfect Match star was spotted with none other than Love Island USA season 7's Huda Mustafa.

For anyone who somehow missed Love Island mania earlier this summer, Huda had the most contentious arc of this year's installment, from her many crash-outs with ex Jeremiah Brown to becoming a season 7 finalist alongside Chris Seeley...and then breaking up with him during the finale. Aside from the carpet debut, neither she nor Louis has addressed their relationship, so we don't know how they met. Although it seems Louis became friends with LIUSA season 6 finalist Miguel Harichi relatively recently.

Since Louis and Huda's debut, Louis has been called out for spoiling his Perfect Match season 3 coupling, which is admittedly on poor form for a reality star. During an appearance on "The Viall Files" podcast, his co-star Rachel Recchia said that his actions "affect the whole cast."

"It’s literally airing—we have what, maybe two weeks. It feels, like, a little selfish," she said. "Sandy and him have such a good connection on the show. Now people are kinda seeing things like, 'Oh, what's going on now?'"

Sandy hasn't spoken out on Louis's new relationship. However, when asked about cast members "spoiling the season" during an August 7 Instagram Q&A, she promised she would be "talking about this soon and laying it all out."

She added, "In the meantime, the show is pure comedy and you will be surprised how it ends, so def keep watching."

Things get off to a good start between these two on the Netflix reality hit, and they’re the first pair we see officially match—but when Lucy doesn’t rank Daniel highest in a kissing challenge, it sparks a humongous fight that leaves Lucy in tears. Newcomers to the villa also introduce competition and a questioning of motives that test their true compatibility.

So, are these two truly a perfect match? And are they still together now? Let’s run down everything we know about Lucy and Daniel’s relationship on Perfect Match season 3 and after the show so far.

What happened between Lucy and Daniel on 'Perfect Match' season 3?

Both entered the villa in the opening episode and spent some time getting to know a few other hopefuls; Daniel flirted with Juliette (Siesta Key), and Lucy with Clayton (The Bachelor), but they ultimately shared that they were into one another and decided to make things official.

“I’m in my own little world with Lucy, I forget who else is around me because I’m literally just focused on her. And to be honest, I’m happy with that.” Daniel gushes. He’s happy with her, and though he’s tempted somewhat when Alex (Temptation Island) enters the villa, he and Lucy choose to stay together.

Whatever calm these two had, though, completely imploded after episode 3’s compatibility challenge: All the couples had to wear blindfolds and headphones while kissing one another, and then ranked those makeouts. Daniel ranked Lucy highest, giving her a 10, but Lucy only gave him a 9…and ranked Ollie’s kiss higher. Daniel accuses Lucy of making him look like a fool in front of everyone, and their argument leaves her in tears; she knows she embarrassed him, but swears she didn’t do it on purpose. Ultimately, he decides that being upset over it means he really cares for her.

Lucy considers Scott (Love Island USA) as a potential suitor, but ultimately decides he’s too young for her. (He’s 23, she’s 28.) Daniel says it’s a “hard balance” trying to play it cool while she explores her options, but he’s still happy with his match.

The pair score a big win when they ace a difficult compatibility challenge: working together to drop balls into the water while swinging overhead on a pole. They’re rewarded with the most chaotic boardroom visit of the season so far: choosing two couples to pair up with new singles, and those participants’s current partners have to leave the villa.

The introduction of new faces—two men, two women—upends their happiness again, because Daniel takes issue with how “loudly” Lucy was chatting with Ray (Love Island USA). He accuses her of now embarrassing him a second time, and again Lucy walks away in tears. She doesn’t want to be with someone who’s embarrassed by her, but also doesn’t want to blow up their relationship over one argument. So they match again, but say they still have more to talk about and want to continue that conversation.

The two part ways for their respective mixers, and things get wild at the guys’s party. Daniel kisses both Olivia and Juliette during a game of Truth or Dare, taking things even further by licking Olivia’s thigh on another dare, and kissing her again outside the game.

At first, he only comes clean to Lucy about the kissing and leaves out the part about licking Olivia’s thigh. Eventually, she finds out about this from AD, who saw it happen. She’s shocked and mortified, and Daniel knows he went too far, saying he’s willing to do whatever it takes to make it work. At first, it seems like Lucy is over it (“I know he cares, but I’ve worked bloody damn hard on myself to not just accept shitty behavior,” she says), but she winds up deciding to give him another chance. Still, she makes him sleep on the couch.

Lucy and Daniel were refreshingly drama-free for the final round of matches. They briefly discuss trust issues during their final date, with Lucy mentioning how he did her dirty, but he made it clear that he didn't want to walk away from her. "I want to be better for you, not only for myself, but for you, because I care about you," he says. "No matter what that is or what that means, I know I wanna try for you."

Did Lucy and Daniel win 'Perfect Match season 3?

Like previous years, season 3 of Perfect Match ends by bringing the entire cast back for a grilling season, where everyone could say their peace about everything that happened. Daniel gets called out for lying, but he takes responsibility and says that hurting her made him realize he cared about her. Meanwhile, Lucy says that she appreciated that he challenged her to share how she felt instead of staying bottled up after arguments.

Then, instead of going straight to a cast vote for the winner, host Nick Lachey pulled out one last compatibility challenge! (Hasn't this season been long enough???) It's a classic elimination-style newlywed game, and the final two couples standing, who move forward to the vote, are AD and Ollie and Lucy and Daniel. (A.K.A. the two most likely couples to win even without this random extra hurdle.)

Finally, the votes were taken, and the winners of Perfect Match season 3 are...Lucy and Daniel! After the credits roll, we get an extra confessional from a happy, happy Lucy, where she reveals that she was applying to be an air hostess at the time, which would hopefully mean lots of chances to see Daniel.

Unfortunately, that didn't all pan out.

Are Lucy and Daniel still together after 'Perfect Match' season 3?

As the title card reveals at the end of the Perfect Match season 3 finale, Lucy and Daniel broke up weeks after winning the competition. (They didn't even make it on the all-expenses-paid prize trip.)

Speaking to Elite Daily, Lucy revealed that it became clear soon after filming that long distance did not help the pair's existing issues. "Straight after filming, we went on a holiday in Cancún, and it was quite obvious there were a few things that we were just very different on," she told the outlet. "When we went back to our respective countries, it was the time difference, and we have very different lifestyles. The long distance was quite hard, especially with my job at the time. I was working in a club, and I think that was really hard for him. He wanted to know where I was and what I was doing a lot of the time. And it was just so early on that we realized this was going to be too difficult."

Despite the split, Lucy confirmed to Swoon that there is "no bad blood" between her and Daniel, and the pair still follow each other on Instagram. So, all's well that ends well.

Amber Desiree “AD” Smith (Love Is Blind season 6) and Ollie Sutherland (Love Is Blind: UK season 1) were drawn to each other from the start and became one of this season’s most enduring matches, with Ollie saying early on that she had “all the signs of a genuine partner.” They survived compatibility challenges and navigated tensions in the boardroom—and when AD was sent out on a date with another man, the added competition tested but reaffirmed their commitment to one another. But one of the show’s most chaotic twists put that seemingly strong bond in jeopardy.

So where do things stand with these two lovebirds? And do we know about what comes next for them? Read on to find out everything we know about AD and Ollie’s time on Perfect Match season 3 (and whether they may have stayed together after the cameras stopped rolling).

What happened between AD and Ollie on 'Perfect Match' season 3?

As we said, these two had eyes for one another from the start. AD and Ollie were both part of the first crop of romantic hopefuls to enter the villa, and chatted each other up almost immediately, thanks in part to their shared reality TV "résumé (“I got to take care of my LIB people,” AD said.)

Their connection only grew from there, and by day two, AD was already talking about their “insane” physical chemistry and how he matched her “vibe.” Ollie, meanwhile, admitted that he’d expected to keep his feelings out of the competition, but their connection took him by surprise.

The first test of their relationship came during a trip to the boardroom, when tensions rose over Ollie wanting to bring Alex (Temptation Island) into the villa for a date with one of the other guys, which made AD wonder if he was interested in her for himself. Separately, Ollie admits he finds Alex attractive and was excited to meet her, but she’s unable to tempt him away, and Ollie and AD commit to each other once again. The pair also ranked each other highest in the blindfolded kissing challenge, further cementing that they’re in sync.

Then, Sandy and Clayton send AD on a date with J.R. (The Ultimatum: Marry or Move On), and now AD is the one curious to see what happens when a distraction comes into play. The two seem to have a great time on their pottery date, and it turns out they have a lot in common (including that they’re both Scorpios). So when they return to the villa holding hands, Ollie starts sweating. Despite the risk that he could get hurt, he becomes vulnerable and makes his feelings clear to AD—that it’s been her from the start, and he feels more connected to her than he did to his fiancée on Love Is Blind: UK. Amber affirms that she loves their connection and chooses him once again.

But then, this romance gets completely upended by a boardroom twist: Ollie is chosen to go on a date, and it means AD needs to leave the villa. Her “heart is shattered” by this turn of events. Ollie doesn’t want to see her go, but when his two new dates show up (Justine from Love Island USA season 2, and Olivia from Temptation Island), he’s suddenly…not quite as upset. He and Justine ultimately match, and while he says he was “fairly certain it was AD,” now Justine has him feeling “not so sure.”

All this leads to the gender-separated mixers, where matched-up participants can chat with the singles without their partners around—and, because AD is now unattached, she’s one of the attendees. She and Ollie immediately link back up, which means he recuses himself from the shenanigans the other guys get into that day, but when she asks what happened between him and Justine, he downplays it. Later, she goes directly to Justine, and the truth comes out: They kissed on the first night after they matched—outing Ollie as a liar and breaking AD’s trust in him.

Ollie knows he screwed up by not telling AD the truth about Justine, and has to own the consequences. He apologizes and breaks things off with Justine. AD agrees to give him another chance, but their reunion bliss is short-lived: Later that night, in their room, Ollie starts an argument over the fact that AD spoke to another man who was interested in her, which she points out is hypocritical after he kissed Justine and lied about it. “If you’re saying this is disrespect,” she tells him, “then what the fuck did you do to me?”

In the morning, Ollie admits he didn’t need to get as worked up as he did and apologizes for overreacting, and while AD thinks she’s still trying to heal from “the betrayal and the lies,” she hopes that they’re building a strong foundation for themselves. The pair sail through the final set of matches, and Ollie sets up a cute candle-lit moment with roses, to show AD how she's his "only match." During their final date, Ollie says that he can't imagine not knowing AD, and they make plans for Ollie to visit AD once she moves to L.A.

Did AD and Ollie win 'Perfect Match' season 3?

Season 3 of Perfect Match ends with the finale ceremony, where the entire cast gathers to say their piece before they vote for the winning couple. Understandably, Justine calls Ollie out for lying, and though Ollie takes responsibility, Justine doubles down that she doesn't want AD to be played. AD responds that she feels really confident about the steps they're taking to rebuild trust, and the pair say they're locked in.

Before they can get to the vote, host Nick Lachey throws in one more compatibility challenge: a newlywed game where only the top two couples are eligible for voting. AD and Ollie make it to the final vote, alongside Lucy and Daniel, but ultimately Lucy and Daniel received the cast's votes and the all-expenses-paid getaway. Ollie says in a confessional that he isn't mad at losing, and makes a bad joke about returning for next season before he corrects himself and says he's going to marry AD.

Are AD and Ollie still together after 'Perfect Match' season 3?

Long before Perfect Match airs, fans learned that AD and Ollie's relationship withstood the test of long distance and reality TV mayhem. During the Love Is Blind season 8 reunion, which aired in March earlier this year, they revealed that they’re engaged, making them the first alums of different Love Is Blind editions to find love together.

“Even as early on as when we were on Perfect Match, I noticed that we were having the deeper conversations, the more important conversations, talking about shared values and similar outlooks on life,” Ollie told Love Is Blind hosts Nick and Vanessa Lachey during the reunion. “I think that really laid the groundwork and the foundation for the beautiful relationship we have now.”

And the good news kept coming: In May, they announced they’re expecting a baby. “I’m so blessed, and I get to do this with such an amazing partner,” AD shared in a July interview. “We’re on this journey together, and we’re just so excited about our little girl. She’ll be here in November, and it’s been amazing.”

In an interview with PEOPLE following the season 3 finale, AD and Ollie opened up about the period of their relationship between leaving the show and getting engaged.

"Ollie was in time out for a while," she told the outlet. "He had a lot of making up to do, but we focused on intentionality in our relationship and just being open and honest with each other about what we wanted out of our own personal lives and what we wanted as a couple."

"And everything we said we were going to do, we did," she continued. "And he's been so open and honest and transparent with me from since then. So that's all I can really ask for."

Ollie added, "They say the best form of apology is changed behavior, and from that moment, I've done a complete 180 in terms of how I am in every aspect of a relationship, in terms of just openness and transparency and just honesty. And just everything I did wrong, and I'll do right, essentially."

As for what's next, the pair explained that they're in the early stages of wedding planning—having what AD calls "wedding thoughts, not wedding plans"—as they enjoy the fiancée stage. And of course, they're getting ready to welcome their child later this year.

"[I'm] so excited. Obviously nervous as well, but that just speaks to how excited I am and how much it means to me," Ollie said of becoming a dad. "Obviously, I'm nervous because I want to get it right, but I'm sure, as a team, we're going to be amazing parents, and we just can't wait to meet our little girl."

Premiering on August 1, 2025, Perfect Match season 3 expands beyond the NRU to include stars of other reality shows, including a longtime Siesta Key star, a Bachelor and a Bachelorette (who had one of the franchise's most notorious breakups), and, yes, several Love Island USA alums. Below, read on for everything you need to know about the stacked cast of Perfect Match, including the TV personalities's most memorable moments and whether they'll run into their exes.

Amber "AD" Smith

Age: 34

Hometown: Boston, Massachusetts/Charlotte, North Carolina

Previous Show: Love Is Blind season 6

Best Known For: Being left at the altar on LIB...and finding love on this very season of Perfect Match!

Instagram: @amberdesiree

TikTok: @itsamberdesiree

Alex Zamora

Age: 26

Previous Show: Temptation Island on Netflix

Best Known For: Being part of Brion's infamous threesome

Instagram: @iamalexzamora

TikTok: @alexzamoraofficial

Carrington Rodriguez

Age: 28

Hometown: Bitburg, Germany/Salt Lake City, Utah

Previous Show: Love Island USA season 2, Love Island Games season 1

Best Known For: Coming in fourth place on LIUSA

Instagram: @c_rod003

TikTok: @carringtonrodriguez

Clayton Echard

Age: 32

Hometown: Eureka, Missouri

Previous Show: The Bachelor season 26

Best Known For: Being one of "the worst Bachelors in history;" confessing love to three women on the show

Previous Connections: Dated and dumped Rachel Recchia on The Bachelor

Instagram: @claytonechard

TikTok: @clayton.echard

Cody Wright

Age: 31

Hometown: South Carolina

Previous Show: Temptation Island on Netflix

Best Known For: Revealing his favorite sex act near the start of the season

Instagram: @codywright3

TikTok: @codyswright

Daniel Perfetto

Age: 29

Hometown: Ontario, Canada

Previous Show: Dated & Related

Best Known For: Looking for love alongside his sister

Instagram: @danielperfetto_

TikTok: @danielperfetto

Freddie Powell

Age: 33

Hometown: Bolton, England

Previous Show: Love Is Blind UK season 1

Best Known For: Being a heartthrob funeral director; saying "I don't" at the altar

Instagram: @freddieppowell

TikTok: @freddieppowell

Hannah Burns

Age: 24

Hometown: Scottsdale, Arizona

Previous Show: The Mole season 2

Best Known For: Having a showmance with Battle Camp's Tony Castellanos

Instagram: @hannahburnns

TikTok: @hannahburnns

Jalen Brown

Age: 27

Hometown: Florida

Previous Show: Too Hot to Handle season 6

Best Known For: Tempting eventual winner Bri Balram

Instagram: @jalenolomu

TikTok: @jalenolomu

J.R. Warren

Age: 34

Hometown: Southern, New Jersey

Previous Show: The Ultimatum season 3

Best Known For: Getting way too close to his trial wife, Sandy Gallagher, before breaking up with Zaina Sesay

Previous Connections: See above.

Instagram: @_jrwarren

TikTok: @jrwarren_

Juliette Porter

Age: 28

Hometown: Sarasota, Florida

Previous Show: Siesta Key seasons 1-5

Best Known For: Constantly being the center of the drama

Instagram: @julietteporter

TikTok: @juliettep0rter

Justine Joy Ndiba

Age: 32

Hometown: Democratic Republic of the Congo/Rockaway, New Jersey

Previous Show: Love Island USA season 2, Love Island Games season 1

Best Known For: Winning both of her seasons of Love Island

Instagram: @justinejoy

TikTok: @justinejoy

Louis Russell

Age: 24

Hometown: Hampshire, England

Previous Show: Too Hot to Handle seasons 5 and 6, Battle Camp

Best Known For: Breaking all of Lana's rules for two seasons in a row; having a showmance with Bri Balram on Battle Camp

Instagram: @louis_russell

TikTok: @louisrussell_

Lucy Syed

Age: 29;

Hometown: London, England

Previous Show: Too Hot to Handle season 6

Best Known For: Becoming a solo runner-up after a rough breakup on THTH

Instagram: @lucy_syed

TikTok: @lucy_syed

Madison Errichiello

Age: 28

Hometown: Rural Indiana/Minneapolis, Minnesota

Previous Show: Love Is Blind season 8

Best Known For: Having a dramatic love triangle before leaving the pods single

Instagram: @mads.err

Olivia Rae

Age: 30

Hometown: Las Vegas, Nevada

Previous Show: Temptation Island on Netflix

Instagram: @imoliviarae

TikTok: @imoliviaraee

Ollie Sutherland

Age: 33

Hometown: London, England

Previous Show: Love Is Blind UK season 1

Best Known For: Being left at the altar on LIB...and finding love on this very season of Perfect Match!

Instagram: @ollie1sutherland

TikTok: @ollie1sutherland

Quori-Tyler "QT" Bullock

Age: 27

Hometown: Los Angeles, California

Previous Show: The Circle season 6, Battle Camp season 1

Best Known For: Being an admitted "puppet master," coming in third place on The Circle

Instagram: @quorityler

TikTok: @quorityler

Rachel Recchia

Age: 29

Hometown: Chicago, Illinois/Clermont, Florida

Previous Show: The Bachelor season 26, The Bachelorette season 19, Bachelor in Paradise season 9

Best Known For: Being dumped by Clayton Echard on The Bachelor; being half of the double Bachelorette season with Gabby Windey

Previous Connections: See above.

Instagram: @pilot.rachel

TikTok: @pilot.rachel

Ray Gantt

Age: 29

Hometown: New Jersey

Previous Show: Love Island USA season 1, Love Island Games season 1

Best Known For: Coming in third place on LIUSA

Instagram: @raygantt

TikTok: @raygantt

Sandy Gallagher

Age/Hometown: 29; Orange County, California

Previous Show: The Ultimatum season 3

Best Known For: Getting way too close to her trial husband, J.R. Warren, before breaking up with Nick Tramontin

Previous Connections: See above.

Instagram: @sandy_gal

TikTok: @sandyygal

Scott van-der-Sluis

Age: 24

Hometown: North Wales

Previous Show: Love Island UK season 10, Love Island USA season 5, Love Island Games season 1

Best Known For: Being a Love Island franchise regular

Instagram: @scottvds17

TikTok: @scottvds17

But who came up with this sassy, on-trend anthropomorphic elephant? One of the people responsible for Big Ellie is Shana Stephenson, the Chief Brand Officer for the Liberty and this week's guest on the Marie Claire podcast "Nice Talk". Stephenson chats with editor-in-chief Nikki Ogunnaike about the inspiration behind Ellie and the cultural phenomenon that the mascot has become.

Stephenson began working with the Liberty in 2018, just before the team moved from Westchester to Brooklyn. Before their brief stint in Westchester, the Liberty had long called Madison Square Garden home.

“We had a mascot prior to Ellie, named Maddie. Maddie was a lovable golden retriever—and Maddie could dance, too,” Stephenson says. “So it’s not like Maddie was corny or wack. Like, Maddie was dope.” But Maddie was named after Madison Square Garden, and bringing her to Brooklyn’s Barclays Center didn’t feel right. “That created an opportunity for us to introduce a new mascot.”

The Liberty’s CEO, Keia Clarke, came across a story about how, when the Brooklyn Bridge was built, P.T. Barnum led herds of elephants across it to prove its strength. “We loved the symbolism of the Brooklyn Bridge and the migration from Brooklyn to Manhattan,” Stephenson says. “And, you know, we were doing the reverse.”

Stephenson and her team held open auditions to find someone who could embody Ellie's spirit and hype up the crowd from inside the sweltering costume. She calls the person they hired "just phenomenal," but if you want to know who it is, you're out of luck. The dancer is anonymous.

“We just got lucky,” Stephenson says. “The performer is actually from Brooklyn, so a lot of what you see is a combination of them, Criscia, Shenay, and our CEO—this group of brilliant Black women who’ve completely leaned into Ellie and helped shape and elevate the brand.”

Emphasizing just how loved Ellie is, Stephenson tells a story of attending an event with her.

Ellie’s star power is real. “I did a red carpet with Ellie,” Stephenson recalls. “They were like, ‘Okay, thank you, Shana... but Ellie! Ellie!’ They completely shooed me to the side!”

For more from Stephenson—including her career journey and her mission to make Liberty green as iconic as Yankees caps—check out this week's installment of "Nice Talk". The episode is available everywhere you listen to podcasts.