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The latest news from Lighthearted Entertainment
  • Lighthearted Entertainment List in Realscreen’s 2023 Global 200

    Lighthearted Entertainment List in Realscreen’s 2023 Global 200

    REALSCREEN.COM —  Lighthearted Entertainment was named in Realscreen’s 2023 Global 200. Here is some background on the award: This year, Realscreen released the first-ever Global 200, designed to cover a more considerable swath of the industry and perhaps call attention to companies that might be flying under the radar from an international perspective. The list […]

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  • I Found Love On MTV’s ‘Are You The One?’ Here’s What Happened When We Stopped Filming

    I Found Love On MTV’s ‘Are You The One?’ Here’s What Happened When We Stopped Filming

    Amber Lee Diamond from Season 1 of “Are You the One?” opens up about the highs and lows of post-reality show life with her “perfect match,” Ethan. I still remember the exact moment when a casting agent reached out to me about auditioning for a role on MTV’s “Are You the One?” I was in […]

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  • Romantic representation: Dating formats embracing inclusion

    Romantic representation: Dating formats embracing inclusion

    As networks and media organizations move toward increasing diversity onscreen and behind the camera, it only makes sense that relationship programming would become more inclusive.   Continue reading at RealScreen.com…    

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  • How MTV’s ‘Are You the One?’ Became the Show Your LGBTQ Friends Can’t Stop Talking About

    How MTV’s ‘Are You the One?’ Became the Show Your LGBTQ Friends Can’t Stop Talking About

    In a recent episode of MTV’s “Are You the One?” following one of the cast’s many failed attempts to claim the show’s million-dollar prize, Kari Snow, a self-proclaimed “crazy girl from Jersey” and one of the season’s loudest voices of reason, let loose a heated, yet remarkably clear-eyed torrent of frustration. Continue reading at TheWrap.com…

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  • Are You The One Ranks 78 In Top 100

    Are You The One Ranks 78 In Top 100

    Whittling down the list of best shows right now from some 1,700 options in this age of Peak TV was a painstaking task, and our editors and writers spent weeks arguing over which shows should make the cut. That some favorites were left off our definitive list speaks to the era; never has watching television […]

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  • MTV’s Are You The One? Is the Anti-Bachelor for All the Right Reasons

    MTV’s Are You The One? Is the Anti-Bachelor for All the Right Reasons

    At the beginning of every episode of The Bachelor recap show, A Beautiful Podcast to Fall in Love, Liam Mathews asks his co-host Jacqueline Trumbullhow she thinks the Bachelor “did” that week. Every time, the question and its implications frustrate me. What do you mean, how did he “do”? Mathews, (who, full disclosure, is my TV Guide co-worker and beloved frenemy) […]

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  • How Reality Dating Shows Finally Got More Queer

    How Reality Dating Shows Finally Got More Queer

    Those who grew up devouring reality dating shows—like The Bachelor, Flavor of Love, and Parental Control—might find it hard to imagine any of those programs throwing a queer prom, like the one seen recently on season eight of MTV’s Are You the One? Sure, a few specifically queer reality dating shows have popped up on […]

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  • MTV’s ‘Are You the One?’ Is an Unexpected Step Forward for Queer Representation on TV

    MTV’s ‘Are You the One?’ Is an Unexpected Step Forward for Queer Representation on TV

    Seventeen years after launching an aggressive charm offensive to convince the American public that romance can be won and lost, “The Bachelor” franchise has finally been forced to acknowledge that love isn’t always as simple as “boy meets girl” or “Cinderella story meets opportunistic producer.” Instead, this season of “Bachelor in Paradise” has made history […]

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  • With a Sexually Fluid Cast, ‘Are You the One?’ Builds a Cult Following

    With a Sexually Fluid Cast, ‘Are You the One?’ Builds a Cult Following

    The main floor of the Vault, an event space in the Bushwick neighborhood of Brooklyn, was nearly empty. Four people chatted quietly in the corner, the bartender had stepped outside and a person wearing what appeared to be a vintage wedding dress and glitter eye shadow waited for the bathroom to free up. The only […]

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  • How on Earth Did Are You The One Get Queer Love So Right?

    How on Earth Did Are You The One Get Queer Love So Right?

    It doesn’t matter how you identify. ‘The One’ could be anyone.” So claims the introduction of Are You the One?, an MTV dating show now in its eighth season. The premise is simple: Sixteen single strangers are picked to live in a house. Among them are eight perfect matches secretly predetermined by expert matchmakers. If […]

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  • How MTV’s ‘Are You The One?’ Is Changing Dating Shows

    How MTV’s ‘Are You The One?’ Is Changing Dating Shows

    Over the last eight years, Are You the One? executive producer Rob LaPlante has conducted hundreds of in-depth interviews with eager twentysomethings who hope to be cast on the MTV reality dating show. For anyone not familiar, the series asks young people who admit they “suck at dating” (as they all shout in the first […]

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  • How Queer People Brought Some Actual Reality to Dating-Reality TV

    How Queer People Brought Some Actual Reality to Dating-Reality TV

    In the latest season of “Are You the One?” MTV’s dating show on which more than a dozen contestants vie to win $1 million by finding their soul mate, viewers don’t have to wait long for the first hookup — it happens in the second episode. “I just thought you didn’t like me,” Jenna says, […]

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  • Why Aren’t You Obsessed With Are You the One?

    Why Aren’t You Obsessed With Are You the One?

    Drama. Glitter. Overcoming Internalized Homophobia. Season eight of MTV’s Are You the One has everything you didn’t know you needed from reality TV, whether you’re on the LGBTQ+ spectrum or tragically heteronormative. Here’s the rundown: MTV has once again dropped 16 hot, drunk, half-naked singles into a Hawaiian Airbnb. Their mission: to flirt, kiss, and […]

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  • Are You The One? is the NSFW version of Love Island we’ve all been waiting for

    Are You The One? is the NSFW version of Love Island we’ve all been waiting for

    Now Love Island has finally finished after eight weeks of non-stop excitement, we’re not surprised if you feel like a huge void has suddenly opened up in your life. So, if you’re looking for other shows to watch to get your dating drama fix, then look no further. MTV’s US reality show, Are You The […]

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  • In a Summer of Vapid Hookup Shows, There’s Only One Worth Watching

    In a Summer of Vapid Hookup Shows, There’s Only One Worth Watching

    We should probably have learned by now that reality TV is the wrong place to look for love. It was almost 20 years ago that Darva Conger won Fox’s Who Wants to Marry a Multi-Millionaire?—only to discover that the man she’d wed in front of 22 million viewers had been accused of domestic violence by […]

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  • The reality show that is changing the game for LGBTQ fans

    The reality show that is changing the game for LGBTQ fans

    (CNN) — Television helped me grow up. Now I’m watching TV grow. When I was young, watching TV was how I found out about the rest of the world, how my mind began to grasp just how little my small, relatively homogenous hometown was showing me, and how much more there was to see. But […]

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  • MTV’s ‘Are You The One?’ And The Future Of Queer Representation In Reality TV

    MTV’s ‘Are You The One?’ And The Future Of Queer Representation In Reality TV

    NPR – It’s been almost two decades since “The Bachelor” and “The Bachelorette” debuted. The franchises can be sappy, sentimental and formulaic, but they created a market for reality TV dating shows and are still entertaining the masses to this day. The love contestants seek in these shows is almost exclusively heterosexual love, and often […]

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  • MTV’s New Dating Show Actually Gets Queer Dating

    MTV’s New Dating Show Actually Gets Queer Dating

    Like all dating reality show franchises, MTV’s Are You the One? has a shtick. A bunch of young singles are thrown together in a house, set in the kind of tropical paradise required for finding true love on television. The twist: Using old-school matchmaking techniques and complex algorithms, dating experts have paired the housemates with […]

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  • The Slow, Messy Evolution of LGBTQ Dating Shows

    The Slow, Messy Evolution of LGBTQ Dating Shows

    The MTV reality dating series Are You the One? pairs the pursuit of romance with a pretty sweet deal: If every one of the show’s contestants correctly identifies their “perfect match,” the group splits a grand prize of $1 million. In each of the show’s first seven seasons, 20 singles (and sometimes an additional wild […]

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  • MTV’s ‘Are You The One?’ Shifts to Sexually Fluid Contestants for New Season

    MTV’s ‘Are You The One?’ Shifts to Sexually Fluid Contestants for New Season

    MTV’s dating reality show “Are You The One?” is addressing changing attitudes regarding sexuality and gender identity by featuring sexually fluid contestants on the show’s eighth season, which bows June 27. The shift from the show’s past focus on heterosexual relationships is part of the larger effort at MTV to be relevant to younger viewers […]

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  • ‘Are You The One’ Season 8 Makes Bachelor Nation Look Even More Old Fashioned Than It Already Is

    ‘Are You The One’ Season 8 Makes Bachelor Nation Look Even More Old Fashioned Than It Already Is

    Often when you think of reality TV dating shows, The Bachelor and Bachelorette are first on your radar. There have been dozens of seasons throughout the legendary franchise, and while they can occasionally wade into compelling territory, they’re not typically treading new ground. Viewers see the same kinds of people and the same few tired […]

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  • Season 8 Of Are You The One? Just Made History (And It Has Everything To Do With the Boom Boom Room)

    Season 8 Of Are You The One? Just Made History (And It Has Everything To Do With the Boom Boom Room)

    The Boom Boom Room is an Are You the One? staple: The private getaway is the ideal location for potential (and newly confirmed) Perfect Matches to get to know each other without others around. And during tonight’s Season 8 kickoff, Kai earned a special distinction in the series’ run: entering the private space with two […]

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  • ‘Are You the One?’: Does a Sexually Fluid Cast Stand a Chance on Season 8 of the MTV Dating Show?

    ‘Are You the One?’: Does a Sexually Fluid Cast Stand a Chance on Season 8 of the MTV Dating Show?

    MTV is adding a new wrinkle to the “Are You the One?” format for Season 8 by introducing an entirely sexually fluid cast, but at least one person still has faith that they’ll each be able to find their perfect match. “Absolutely,” said Dr. Frankie Bashan, the clinical psychologist and “relationship expert” added to the […]

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  • MTV Reveals First Sexually Fluid Reality Dating Show

    MTV Reveals First Sexually Fluid Reality Dating Show

    The groundbreaking eighth season of the network’s hit series ‘Are You the One?’ is set to premiere on June 26. MTV on Thursday announced the first sexually fluid cast for the upcoming eighth season of their hit reality series Are You the One? hosted by Terrence J.Following Are You the One?‘s signature format, 16 singles will travel […]

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  • TV’s First Sexually Fluid Cast, No Privacy and 1 Shared Bed: Secrets Revealed About Are You the One?

    TV’s First Sexually Fluid Cast, No Privacy and 1 Shared Bed: Secrets Revealed About Are You the One?

    “These were stories we needed to tell and why not do it on this show?” Are You the One? is set to break barriers in its season eight premiere tonight on MTV when 16 sexually fluid contestants enter the house with the hope of finding their perfect match, making it the first reality TV dating competition […]

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  • Inside ‘Are You the One?’, the Wildest Dating Show You’re Not Talking Enough About

    Inside ‘Are You the One?’, the Wildest Dating Show You’re Not Talking Enough About

    Shanley is crying. We hear her before we see her. Her voice, which rings out over a scenic shot of a beautiful beach at night, is wavering. “I don’t trust anybody in this house,” she exclaims. We finally see her. She is standing in front of a group of her peers, brown hair pulled back […]

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  • 6 Ways to Successfully Run Your Company With a Co-President

    6 Ways to Successfully Run Your Company With a Co-President

    ENTREPRENEUR — February 20, 2019 When Howard P. Schultz, founder and CEO of Lighthearted Entertainment, unexpectedly passed away, the people at his company were left in a state of shock. “Everything completely changed for us literally in an instant,” says Rob LaPlante, who was EVP at the time. LaPlante and VP Jeff Spangler (pictured right […]

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  • Lighthearted Bolsters Development Team

    Lighthearted Bolsters Development Team

    REALSCREEN — January 17, 2019 Los Angeles-based unscripted TV prodco Lighthearted Entertainment has expanded its executive ranks with the appointment of Ashley Shoener and Christiane Gomez to the company’s development team. Shoener (pictured, left) has stepped into the role of senior director of development, where she will develop new ideas for Lighthearted’s current project slate. She […]

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  • OWN Unveils Three Unscripted Series & Premiere Date For Will Packer’s ‘Ready To Love’

    OWN Unveils Three Unscripted Series & Premiere Date For Will Packer’s ‘Ready To Love’

    Deadline.com — OWN is bringing more romance to Saturday nights, unveiling three new unscripted series focusing on love, relationships and marriage and setting a date for its previously announced dating series from Will Packer. The Discovery-owned cable net today also set a two-night premiere for Ready to Love, a dating series from Will Packer Media and Lighthearted Entertainment […]

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  • OWN Orders 2 Will Packer Series: Drama ‘Ambitions’ & Unscripted ‘Ready To Love’

    OWN Orders 2 Will Packer Series: Drama ‘Ambitions’ & Unscripted ‘Ready To Love’

    Deadline.com (April 17, 2018) – OWN has greenlighted two series from prolific producer Will Packer (Girls Trip, Ride Along): soapy family drama Ambitions, a co-production with Lionsgate, and unscripted dating series from a male perspective Ready to Love. Ambitions and Ready to Love, which Packer will executive produce, are the first series to come out […]

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  • Lighthearted Entertainment Expands Development Team

    Lighthearted Entertainment Expands Development Team

    Variety.com (July 19, 2017) – Lighthearted Entertainment, the production company that specializes in unscripted television and is behind shows such as MTV’s “Are You The One?” is boosting its development team. The company has brought on two new executive hires and promoted another, Variety has learned. “Lighthearted Entertainment is proud to both add to our team […]

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  • Lighthearted names new SVP of production, expands development team

    Lighthearted names new SVP of production, expands development team

    Realscreen.com (July 18, 2017) – California-based prodco Lighthearted Entertainment has appointed Paul Taylor as senior vice president of production. Taylor (pictured, above) will oversee all financial and logistical aspects of the company’s production and development slate. He joins the company after serving as VP of production for 51 Minds Entertainment where he was responsible for the day-to-day […]

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  • New Original Series ‘Last Squad Standing’ Premieres Tuesday, Nov. 1 at 9/8c!

    New Original Series ‘Last Squad Standing’ Premieres Tuesday, Nov. 1 at 9/8c!

    Oxygen.com (September 7, 2016) – Move over Taylor Swift, Oxygen Media is taking #squadgoals to the next level in the brand new competition series “Last Squad Standing” premiering Tuesday, November 1 at 9 PM ET/PT. Hosted by Alesha Reneé(“Girl Code”), three groups of friends from around the country will live together, compete and ultimately vote each other off the show for a grand […]

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  • VH1’s ‘Dating Naked’ Sets Rocsi Diaz as Season 3 Host

    VH1’s ‘Dating Naked’ Sets Rocsi Diaz as Season 3 Host

    TheWrap.com (May 24, 2016) – VH1’s popular reality series “Dating Naked” has added former “Entertainment Tonight” co-host and correspondent Rocsi Diaz as host of the show’s upcoming third season, TheWrap has learned exclusively. Diaz is a multi-platform broadcast personality who was also the co-host of BET’s “106 & Park.” Earlier in her career, she hosted a number […]

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  • MTV renews ARE YOU THE ONE for a fourth season

    MTV renews ARE YOU THE ONE for a fourth season

    MTV Press Release (November 11, 2015) — MTV today announced a season four renewal for its hit matchmaking experiment “Are You The One?”. The series is coming off the highest-rated episode of its current season with a 1.42 P12-34 L+3 rating – representing a 78% lift versus live + same day – and currently pacing up […]

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  • Variety’s Reality Impact Report 2015: Jeff Spangler & Rob LaPlante

    Variety’s Reality Impact Report 2015: Jeff Spangler & Rob LaPlante

    Variety Magazine (September 29, 2015) — Following founder Howard Schultz’s sudden death in late 2014, the duo took over the company, keeping the “lighthearted” mission intact. Since, MTV’s young-skewing hit “Are You the One?,” a spin on the dating genre, has entered its third season, and VH1’s cult favorite “Dating Naked” will follow suit. Continue reading […]

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  • Dating Naked Gets The Greenlight For Season Three

    Dating Naked Gets The Greenlight For Season Three

    VH1 Press Release (September 14, 2015) — Fans of pixelated packages and blurred bulges rejoice! Dating Naked is coming back for a third season on VH1. The news arrives as we gear up for one last episode this season in which naked daters Kerri and Chris will finally make a decision — will they choose each other, or someone else that […]

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  • Lighthearted Entertainment Continues to Thrive as ‘Dating Naked’ Enters Season 2

    Lighthearted Entertainment Continues to Thrive as ‘Dating Naked’ Enters Season 2

    Variety.com (July 22, 2015) — Late last year, the torch at Lighthearted Entertainment was passed down from late founder Howard Schultz to Jeff Spangler and Rob LaPlante. Though the transition was bittersweet, following Schultz’s sudden death in Dec. 2014, the duo, now co-owners and partners, is keeping it lighthearted — a mantra that fuels the company. Continue reading at Variety.com

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  • Exclusive: Lighthearted talks “Naked” year, expands ownership

    Exclusive: Lighthearted talks “Naked” year, expands ownership

    Realscreen.com (December 10, 2014) – It has been a banner year for California-based prodco Lighthearted Entertainment, which made headlines with its VH1 series Dating Naked and produced two seasons of Are You the One? for MTV. Realscreen caught up with the team to find out what’s ahead in the new year. Read more at Realscreen

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  • First Look: VH1’s New Show ‘Bye Felicia’ Aims to Empower Women

    First Look: VH1’s New Show ‘Bye Felicia’ Aims to Empower Women

    People.com (November 17, 2014) – Get ready to say goodbye to Felicia. “Bye Felicia” originated in the movie Friday, when a disinterested Ice Cube utters the line to a character. The expression has since since become Internet shorthand for passive-aggressively (or occasionally aggressive-aggresively) letting someone know you don’t actually care that they’re leaving. But we all have a Felicia […]

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  • VH1 Orders Competition Series For Identical Twins

    VH1 Orders Competition Series For Identical Twins

    Deadline.com (November 10, 2014) – VH1 is putting the bond between identical twins to the test with Twinning (working title), a 10-episode hourlong competition reality series set to premiere next summer. The project, created and produced by Lighthearted Entertainment (Dating Naked), will feature 12 sets of twins going through challenges that will test their twin connection. Read the full […]

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