After nearly fading away a few years ago, ABC’s The Bachelor has been reinvigorated as a potent reality franchise for the network, becoming an almost year-round player for the network via spinoffs such as The Bachelorette and Bachelor Pad. Now other networks are following suit: Vulture has learned that NBC is actively developing a new adventure-oriented dating series blending the hookups of The Bachelor with the adventure elements of Survivor. Because the contestants will likely be strangers to each other, people familiar with the project are referring to it as “Meet Play Love.”
The working title of the possible show is actually Love in the Wild, and it comes from Endemol USA, the company behind ABC’s Wipeout and Dating in the Dark. Details are sketchy — NBC is still working with Endemol to flesh out the format — but essentially the show would have teams of two potential lovebirds, dropped into exotic outdoor environments, where they would get busy doing all sorts of challenges together. If romance sparks, the players would presumably then get busy getting busy. Cue slurping sound effects.
Love in the Wild hasn’t yet been given a firm green light by NBC, but if the concept makes it through the development process, industry insiders believe the Peacock could be considering the show as a key tentpole for its summer lineup next year. We can already foresee the NBC promo featuring a wacky cover version of “Summer Nights.”
