UBC is getting a real-life dating show.
Although the "UBC Bachelorettes" won't be available on Netflix, onlookers can follow the dating series on Instagram as five UBC students attempt to find their true love on campus.
"It'll be like a UBC tradition," says co-founder Zoe Nicoladis.
Nicoladis and fellow UBC undergraduate student Harsimran Mutti are "obsessed" with dating shows and will watch "any and every dating show" including the popular The Bachelorette series.
Frustrated with online dating, the two students thought to recreate the famed dating concept in real life.
Nicoladis and Mutti are currently scouting five women, non-binary people, or homosexual men to star in the first season of "UBC Bachelorettes."
But it takes more than being single to be selected as a bachelorette.
According to Nicoladis, the ideal bachelorette is "someone who's very open-minded, very adventurous, and down to meet anyone." Mutti adds that, on top of being open and spontaneous, they should also be non-judgmental. "They'll have to reject a lot of people and they [should] do it in a very positive way," she tells V.I.A.
As applications come in, the duo is preparing to kick off the series in the first week of April, which means viewers can expect to meet the bachelorettes very soon.
Once selected, the "UBC Bachelorettes" Instagram page will debut profile posts introducing each of the five love-seekers. Next, the first event will take place; a campus-wide speed dating round from which only 25 people will leave with a rose (five roses per bachelorette).
After the first event will be smaller dates. Excerpts of the dates will be shared on Instagram, as well as small interview sessions with the bachelorettes before and after their dates. "We get an inside look at their perspective," shares Nicoladis.
The Instagram page will also share clues and teasers about upcoming events and dates– just like on The Bachelorette!
While the first season will be a trial run for the internet dating series, the UBC students hope that it will continue with a new season and new bachelorettes each academic term.
