‘The Courtship’: The Show Is Ignoring 1 Regency Era Dating Rule
NBC’s The Courtship premiered last week to mostly rave reviews. While the dating competition looks a lot like The Bachelor and The Bachelorette in premise, there is one stark difference. The Courtship asks its leading lady, Nicole Rémy, and her suitors to follow the dating etiquette of the 1800s. While Rémy and her suitors are following most of the rules, they’ve already thrown one out the window.
‘The Courtship’ follows some Regency-era dating rules
The Courtship relies on old-school dating etiquette to set it apart from the rest of the dating competition and love-based reality TV shows already on the air. So far, things are going pretty well in that arena.
In the Regency Era, suitors and their potential brides wouldn’t be on a first-name basis until their engagement. Thus far, The Courtship has held that standard. Nicole Rémy is called Miss Rémy by her potential love interests, and she calls them by their surnames, too.
Rémy’s family would be heavily involved in the courtship process in the Regency Era. In fact, her parents would be the ones to vet potential suitors and learn the most about them. The dating competition has stuck to that rule, too. Rémy’s parents, Dr. Claire Spain-Rémy and Claude Rémy, her sister, Danie Baker, and a close friend are helping Rémy vet her potential romantic partners.
There is one important rule the dating competition is completely ditching, though
While The Courtship follows several important Regency Era dating rules, there is one significant rule that the show has chosen to ignore. If Rémy and her suitors were really living in the 17th century, they would never be allowed to head off alone together.
In the premiere, Rémy was spotted alone with several different suitors throughout the events. Apparently, that wouldn’t fly in the 17th century. The Los Angeles Times spoke to a historian about Bridgerton in December 2020, who laid out dating rules common during the Regency era. They stated, “No virtuous young lady could be alone with a man to whom she was not related. Not only should she be pure, she should be seen to be pure.” In short, Rémy walking off with a suitor would have been scandalous.
Who is Nicole Rémy?
Rémy might be the star of The Courtship now, but there was a lot that came before the dating show. The 26-year-old software engineer was raised in Washington State before moving to California for college. After graduating, she didn’t go directly into a STEM field.
‘The Courtship’ | NBCUniversal
Rémy served as a dancer for the Seattle Seahawks for two years. She almost appeared in another dating competition, too. During season 25 of The Bachelor, Rémy was picked as one of 43 potential love interests for Matt James. She was cut before the series went to air.
