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Dating on reality TV might sound like a gimmick. But according to 495 Productions’ SallyAnn Salsano, it’s one of the safest places to meet “the one.” Working on shows like The Bachelor and MTV’s Double Shot at Love, Salsano knows what it takes to find love in the most unlikely of places. Find out why the executive producer considers reality TV one of the safest places to meet prospective singles. 

Mike Sorrentino, SallyAnn Salsano, Pauly DelVecchio, and Vinny Guadagnino pose together
Mike ‘The Situation’ Sorrentino, SallyAnn Salsano, DJ Pauly D, and Vinny Guadagnino | Dave Kotinsky/Getty Images for MTV

Reality TV dating shows help single celebs find love

In October 2007, Salsano introduced A Shot at Love With Tila Tequila. The show followed the bi-sexual TV personality Tila Tequila on her journey dating 16 men and 16 women. 

In 2019, Salsano brought MTV fans a spinoff of the series — Double Shot at Love. Together, two Jersey Shore roommates, Vinny Guadagnino and DJ Pauly D, hoped to find love.

They dated 20 women simultaneously. At the end of the first season, DelVecchio opted to remain single, and Guadagnino pursued a relationship with Alysse Joyner. When things didn’t work out, both DelVecchio and Guadagnino returned for Double Shot at Love Season 2. 

Instead of dating new women, the show brought back some of the Jersey Shore duo’s ex-girlfriends from season 1. In the end, DelVecchio decided to pursue a relationship with Nikki Hall, who he denied in Double Shot at Love Season 1. Gudagnino left season 2 single but returns in Double Shot at Love Season 3 in the hopes of making a connection. 

Dating on reality TV shows like ‘The Bachelor’ and ‘Double Shot at Love’ vets candidates

In an interview with The Wrap, Salsano says reality TV is one of the safest places for people to find love. “I used to always joke around, even when I do Shot at Love and when I was doing The Bachelor, it’s interesting — it is the safest way to meet someone,” she says. 

Salsano’s reasoning is sound. “We background check them [and] they’re medically checked,” she explains of the contestants. “All of your options, you know who they are. They are who they say they are.” 

Unlike using dating apps or meeting someone at a bar, “these people have all been vetted by multiple professionals,” Salsano says. Plus, despite what the skeptics think, finding love in a reality TV setting is entirely realistic. 

Dating on ‘Double Shot at Love’ may help Vinny Guadagnino find his soulmate 

DelVecchio and Hall’s relationship may not have started most conventionally. But they’re together today and have the job of helping Guadagnino find love in the MTV series.

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For that reason and many others, Salsano believes finding love on television is possible. “We came up with the idea of doing these crazy challenges and all these wacky-themed dates in order to find love,” she continues. “As crazy as it sounds and as crazy as it looks, it actually kind of works.” 

By taking people and putting them in “fun situations” they wouldn’t normally be in when first meeting someone, Salsano believes she’s creating the perfect environment for finding love. Watch Double Shot at Love Season 3 on MTV on Thursdays at 9 PM EST. 

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