‘The Real Love Boat’ Viewers Call the New Reality Show a ‘Boring’ ‘Waste of Time’
As popular as it is, reality TV isn’t for everyone. And in the case of The Real Love Boat, the show is facing more backlash from viewers than perhaps anyone involved expected. The new CBS reality series isn’t getting the warm reception the network had probably hoped for, as it has hit choppy waters from unhappy viewers.
‘The Real Love Boat’ debuted on CBS in the fall of 2022
Supposedly based on the popular romantic comedy/drama The Love Boat, The Real Love Boat follows a group of contestants looking for love aboard a Princess Cruises luxury passenger cruise ship called the Regal Princess as it travels in the Mediterranean. Real-life husband and wife Jerry O’Connell and Rebecca Romijn host the show and perform its theme song.
The Real Love Boat premiered on CBS on Oct. 5, 2022. Although the original series aired on ABC from 1977 to 1986, it has led to numerous iterations. Most recently, Love Boat: The Next Wave aired on the now-defunct UPN from 1998 to 1999. However, the new 2022 series marks the first time The Love Boat enters the world of reality TV.
Audience reviews haven’t been kind to the new reality show
The Real Love Boat hopes to capitalize on familiarity with the original series, but that approach doesn’t appear to be paying off. As of this writing, the reality show has only a 29% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes, with many viewers noting how it fails to live up to its title’s promise.
“I thought this would be a real show with real people of all ages. Like the original show,” user Devina P. points out. “This is just Love Island on a boat. Not everyone looking for love is a junior size 3 or muscle-ripped bodybuilder.”
Likewise, an anonymous user calls CBS’s new reality show a “waste of time” and says, “If I wanted to watch Big Brother or The Bachelor meets The Bachelorette, I’d stream it. This show is an insult to both our intelligence and the REAL Love Boat of 35 years ago.”
However, some viewers are sticking up for the show.
“I am looking forward to following this, shall I say, well-done show,” another anonymous user wrote. “[It] should be aired another night as many viewers have already their Wednesday-night regulars. A show of this quality should be allowed to shine on its own.”
Where is ‘The Real Love Boat’ streaming online in 2022?
Not everyone likes The Real Love Boat, but it at least has viewers talking about the original series. That show was a pop culture phenomenon for much of its nine-season run.
Two of its cast members — Ted Lange and Jill Whelan — make cameos in The Real Love Boat. But the new show’s viewers who are eager to revisit or check out the original ’70s series for the first time can stream all nine seasons exclusively on Paramount+.
