Netflix's new experimental dating show, The Ultimatum has been making waves worldwide. It's just crazy re-pairing couples with other couples to see if they still want to marry their original partners or move on. Having Love Is Blind hosts, Nick and Vanessa Lachey in the show — who've also had the same pre-marriage ultimatum — certainly gives the cast a "happy ending" to look forward to.
Despite being hooked on the show, many fans think it's still crazy that these 20-somethings are already worried about such a huge commitment... However, the creator of the show had some reasons for choosing them...
How Did They Cast 'The Ultimatum'?
It was surprisingly easy, casting couples who were willing to risk their long-term relationships for a public social experiment. "We obviously do everything that normal casting teams do in terms of being out on social media," show creator Chris Coelen told E! News. "But also, we really do try to dig deep into the community and talk to people and go out to community groups and bars and anywhere you can go in this time." Coelen also believes that this ultimatum issue is common among couples, so they knew it wouldn't be that hard to find the right cast.
"Look, an ultimatum is a very relatable thing and the situation that the couples find themselves in is very relatable," he said of the show's extreme concept, adding that he's dealt with it himself before. "I think every person, I certainly have been, every person has been in a situation where you are in a relationship for a while and one of you or your partner is ready to get married and the other one isn't quite as sure," he continued. "I was the one who wasn't quite as sure. Or you know people that have been in that situation and sometimes people feel like they want an answer."
When asked how they made sure they got authentic couples, Coelen said that their experience in the field served as their compass throughout the search. "You know, you can never completely get inside the mind of someone, on any of these shows," he said of their verification process. "You can never ever be sure of what someone's truest, purest intentions are. But we certainly have enough experience to try to suss out if people are inauthentic and we spend a lot of time talking to them."
Why Are 'The Ultimatum' Cast Members So Young?
Many of the cast members in the show are 23-year-olds. The oldest is 30 while the median age is 25.5, per E!. According to Coelen, there are just places where the pressure to get married starts earlier. "If they are legitimately going to be interested in someone else from one of the other couples, I think you want them to be in a similar headspace," he said of the cast's demographic. "Listen, Austin is a very cool, progressive place that I love, but there are also certain areas where the pressure to get married happens at different stages. Sometimes people feel more pressured to get married earlier than other people do."
At the end of the day, the most important thing in selecting the cast was "whether they felt pressure or not, they were all really feeling and thinking about the desire to get married," said Coelen of the six pairs. "We don't have anyone on the show who is like, 'I'm not sure I want to be married.' No one is like, 'Yeah, not for me.' They are all interested in it, it's just whether or not they want it with this person."
Why Were Nick & Vanessa Lachey Cast To Host 'The Ultimatum'?
Talking about getting Nick and Vanessa Lachey to host The Ultimatum after hosting his previous hit, Love Is Blind, Coelen said he "loves" working with them because of their openness. "I love working with them. They are fantastic hosts," said the showrunner. "They are very intuitive, and they are also very empathetic and willing to share and want the best for the couples." He added that the couple's story "provided comfort" to the cast.
"I think that in the environment existed with the ultimatum, sharing their own personal story was a way that they could provide learning and comfort and experience, and maybe sort of a 30,000-foot view on this whole thing from some of the people who very close to this," Coelen continued. "That's incredibly valuable to be able to get that impartial experience and insight and the fact that Nick and Vanessa were willing to be as open about it as they were was amazing and it is a testament to them."
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