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Age Of Attraction is a Netflix dating reality series, hosted by Nick Viall and Natalie Joy — a couple who have an 18-year-age gap between them — where 20 men and 20 women mix and mingle at a woodsy retreat. They can bring up any topic but one: They can’t anyone how old they are.
AGE OF ATTRACTION: STREAM IT OR SKIP IT?
Opening Shot: We see seaplanes flying to a retreat, carrying men and women of various ages in them.
The Gist: The group of participants in Age Of Attraction is a mixture of ages, on both the men’s and women’s sides, ranging from people in their 20s to people in their 50s. As they get to know each other via mixers, one-on-one time, and planned activities, the idea is that a spark and chemistry will emerge, regardless how old people are.
When two people decide they want to explore things further, they go to a treetop “Promise Room,” and give each other promise rings. Only then can they reveal their ages to each other. If they decide to continue, they will move in together in the “real world” and meet each other’s families. After that, they can have a dramatic mountaintop meeting and decide whether to commit to each other or walk away.
In the first episode, we see a lot of Vanelle, who is trying to decide between the sincere Justin and Jorge, who makes her weak in the knees when he’s shirtless. Theresa has lots of sparks with the much younger John, though she has no idea just how much younger than her he is. Libby and Andrew are getting along swimmingly, though he’s not sure if the fact he has kids will ultimately turn the younger Libby off. And baby-faced Tristan is a bit too forward with Erin, who is both intrigued and icked out by it, given that he may be younger than her nephew.
Photo: COURTESY OF NETFLIXWhat Shows Will It Remind You Of? The format and structure of Age Of Attraction, created by Jennifer O’Connell and Rebecca Quinn of Velvet Hammer Media, reminds us of Love Is Blind.
Our Take: Age Of Attraction does a good job of keeping viewers guessing in the phase where the single participants meet, mingle and connect. Sure, some of the men have salt-and-pepper bears and some of the women have a line or two on their faces, but everyone’s ages are kept from viewers until the people in the Promise Room reveal them to each other.
It’s a conceit that actually works both ways, as you might not have an idea that one of the younger participants is as young as he or she actually is. This works in the case of the first couple that seems to make a strong connection: Theresa and John. Theresa, who talks about having adult children as old as 29, we can guess is somewhere in her 50s, but John could be anywhere from his mid-20s to late-30s. We just don’t know because he’s so centered and mature during the time he’s around Theresa.
We’re wondering, though, how well this format will work once the “real world” portion of the proceedings starts. We put “real world” in quotes because these participants come from all over the country, so where they move in together will be in a neutral spot that neither person is likely familiar with. And we all know that the cliches of “age is just a number” and “love knows no age”, etc., will run into the realities of families that doubt relationships with big age gaps, whether the younger half of the couple can deal with the older half dedicating time to their children, and all sorts of other issues.
It’s also going to be subject to all the forces that make the “real world” portion of LIB so explosive: How the people were at the retreat may not translate to being in an everyday relationship. Given how tired we got of seeing that crapshow on LIB, we’re wondering how the real world half of Age Of Attraction is going to distinguish itself.
Photo: COURTESY OF NETFLIXPerformance Worth Watching: Justin gets really emotional in an interview, when he talks about possibily losing his chance to be a father due to age. As parents, we always jokingly respond to that with the thought, “Careful what you wish for…”
Sex And Skin: None. Just some kissing.
Parting Shot: The first couple goes to the Promise Room, and the credits roll just before they reveal their ages to each other.
Sleeper Star: We were actually not annoyed by Viall and Joy as hosts, which is refreshing (yes, we’re talking to you, Lacheys!).
Most Pilot-y Line: The promise rings are a bit much, especially because they look like wedding bands. Given that the only thing being promised is “let’s be boyfriend and girlfriend,” the symbolism of those rings is too heavy for what it represents.
Our Call: STREAM IT. Age Of Attraction seems to have a positive message about love knowing no age, but we’re wondering how the show is going to separate itself from other dating shows once it leaves the retreat.
Joel Keller (@joelkeller) writes about food, entertainment, parenting and tech, but he doesn’t kid himself: he’s a TV junkie. His writing has appeared in the New York Times, Slate, Salon, RollingStone.com, VanityFair.com, Fast Company and elsewhere.
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