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Can you tell a real couple from a fake one? MTV’s new relationship mystery competition series Love at First Lie puts cast members’ BS detection skills to the test. Eight couples are thrown together in a villa in Malta, where they think they’re participating in a competition that will test their relationship to the max. But in reality, some couples are fakes aiming to trick the real couples out of their chance at winning a huge cash prize. 

Meet the eight couples competing on ‘Love at First Lie’ 

In the Love at First Lie series premiere, host Tori Spelling introduces the eight couples competing on the show. Here’s who they are (or who they say they are): 

  • Riani, an esthetician, and Chantz, a runway and print model, who met at their high school homecoming and have been together for three years. 
  • Monica, 25, and underwear model Josh, 24, who’ve been dating for two years. 
  • Jake, a 21-year-old nonbinary makeup artist, and their 25-year-old partner Alfie. 
  • Cece and Reasey, deeply religious high school sweethearts. 
  • Annabell and Joe, who met in college, have been dating for seven years, and recently got engaged. 
  • Karla and Brian, who’ve been together for two years and have a blended family, with each having a kid from a previous relationship.
  • Stephanie and Arabella, a pair of personal trainers who’ve been dating for just four months. 
  • Yuriy and Alicia, ballroom dancers who are partners both on and off the dance floor. 

Things get tense as the cast tries to figure out who’s lying about their relationship 

At first, things start out friendly in the Love at First Lie house. 

“Everyone in here I think is nice,” Jake declares. “All these couples, every single couple we’ve met.” 

But as the cast starts to look closer at the other couples’ relationships, cracks emerge and suspicions rise. A truth-telling game only heightens the tension. 

Riani and Chantz don’t buy Yuriy and Alicia’s too-slick answers, which they dub “planned and bland.” Cece and Reasey’s revelation that they’re both virgins leaves everyone else stunned. And when Monica and Josh are challenged to reveal a secret about themselves, it’s not exactly jaw-dropping. 

“So our secret is, like, we’re super big foodies,” Monica says, adding that she likes Oreos and he likes doughnuts. That ultra-dull answer has Karla declaring them “sketchy” and Riani thinking they’ve blown their cover. (Honestly, we agree. Josh and Monica have zero chemistry and give off a vibe of having met five minutes before filming began.)

But things get really awkward once Chantz starts speculating about Yuriy’s sexuality. Yuriy takes it in stride, but Jake is up in arms. The situation leads to a nasty confrontation when it comes time for the couples to vote for who they think is lying about their relationship. 

Who gets voted out in the ‘Love at First Lie’ premiere – and were they really lying?

Photo of Tori Spelling, host of MTV's 'Love at First Lie'
Tori Spelling | Santiago Felipe/Getty Images
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Everyone has a theory about who the liars are, and they get a chance to share them at the Truth Ceremony. Each couple casts a vote for who they think isn’t telling the truth, and the pair with the most votes is eliminated. If the eliminated couple is lying, $25,000 is added to the prize fund. If not, no money is added and the prize remains at $0. 

Yuriy and Alicia go first, voting to eliminate Chantz and Riani. Cece and Reasy vote for Josh and Monica. Unsurprisingly, Jake and Alfie also vote for Chantz and Riani. That leads to a spat between the couples that escalates when Chantz misgenders Jake. 

Once the dust settles, the voting continues. Chantz and Riani get their revenge by voting for Jake and Alfie. Brian and Karla vote for Monica and Josh, who they think are “awkward.” Monica and Josh also vote for Chantz and Riani, as do Annabell and Joe. 

With four votes, Chantz and Riani are eliminated. Now, it’s time for the moment of truth. Are Chantz and Riani a real couple, or have they been faking it for the cameras?

Fortunately, the other couples’ ability to smell BS is strong. Chantz and Riani are not together. They’re actually BFFs. And Chantz, who drew criticism for casting doubt on Yuriy’s heterosexuality, reveals he’s gay. He apologizes to his fellow contestant for the move, which he said he made to draw attention away from himself. 

One pair of liars is gone. But there are still some lurking among the remaining seven couples. Who will be exposed next? Find out as new episodes of Love at First Lie continue to air Wednesdays at 9:30 p.m. ET on MTV. 

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