New Netflix dating show The Ultimatum will have all-queer cast for season two
The Ultimatum is hosted by Nick and Vanessa Lachey. (YouTube/ Netflix)
The Ultimatum: Marry or Move On season two will have an all-queer cast, Netflix has announced.
The first season of the reality dating show – from the makers of Love is Blind – premieres on Netflix on 6 April, but it has already been renewed for a second season with an all-queer, mostly female cast.
Hosted by Nick and Vanessa Lachey, The Ultimatum will follow six couples who are considering marriage. When one half of the couple is ready to tie the knot but the other is less sure, they issue an ultimatum.
They have eight weeks to decide whether to get married or break up.
For the first three weeks, the will swap partners with other couples and move in together for a “trial marriage”, giving them the chance to see if the grass is greener, and if they would be happier with someone else.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A0mPYhPFAu0
Executive producer Chris Coelen told Variety: “It’s based in a very real relatable conversation and situation for for many, many people — either you’ve been in that situation or you’ve known people who are in that situation.
“What’s fascinating is when you actually look at the reasons that people give for not being ready, there are a multitude of reasons — ‘I come from a family background of bad relationships. I don’t want to repeat my past’ or ‘I’m not ready, I’m too young’ or ‘I need to be financially stable.’
“There may be some validity to some of those reasons, but the real reason is that they’re not sure that they want to marry this person that they’re with. Most of those things that they say are our excuses, and it’s very common.”
It is unclear when the all-queer second season will air, but The Ultimatum: Marry or Move On will hopefully prove to other dating shows that there’s nothing “difficult” about queer contestants.
In June, 2021, ITV commissioner Amanda Stavri told Radio Times that including queer Love Island contestants would present too much of a “logistical difficulty”.
Stavri insisted that the show’s creators wanted to “encourage greater inclusivity and diversity”, addressing “rumours” about the show including LGBT+ islanders in future series’, but claimed that it would be a “challenge” because of the “format of Love Island”.
She added: “There’s a sort of logistical difficulty, because although islanders don’t have to be 100 per cent straight, the format must sort of give [the] islanders an equal choice when coupling up.”
