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Nov 22, 2024
If you’re anything like me, you have way too many streaming platforms available to you. When I’m scrolling through available titles for our next big binge session, I can’t help but to ask myself: Where are all the lesbians?!
Slowly but surely, lesbian dating shows are starting to get a bigger audience on television, and I’m pretty stoked about it. These reality shows offer not just romance (which, let’s be honest, is the main reason we’re tuning in) but also a platform for visibility and representation, making them a hit among queer audiences.
From sun-soaked escapades in Italy to heartfelt connections formed in the throes of intense competition, these lesbian reality shows explore the happiness, struggles, and never-ending thirst of sapphic relationships. Whether you’re looking for high-stakes drama or authentic love stories that are relationship goals, there’s a growing lineup of sapphic dating shows that are ready to stream.
Here’s our guide to the best lesbian dating shows and where you can find them the next time you’re looking for something to binge.
2024 was ruled by one lesbian reality show that we just can’t get enough of…
We’re still not over I Kissed a Girl. In 2023, the first-ever gay dating reality show in the UK made it’s premiere. It was called I Kissed a Boy and follows 10 gay men as they lived in a gorgeous Italian house together. They’re matched up based on what their dating goals are and meet with a kiss, then navigate these new partnerships and test out their relationships.
In 2024, it was finally time for lesbians to get their chance as BBC launched I Kissed a Girl in May of 2024. Like the first show, this groundbreaking sapphic reality series throws ten amazing lesbian, bisexual, and queer women together into a luxurious Italian villa for a summer of romance under the Tuscan sun. Hosted by icon Danii Minogue, after their first kiss when they meet their new match, the newly coupled queers have to test out their relationships in the villa. This show has everything. There’s tension, there’s kissing, there’s drama, there’s a stunning backdrop.
For those of you just getting started in the “I Kissed a”- verse, we’ve got an I Kissed a Girl guide for you where you can learn all about the contestants, follow them on IG, and see whose relationships are still standing.
Where to Watch: Hulu & BBC Three (And if you’re interested, I Kissed a Boy is streaming on Hulu too!)
These are lesbian dating reality shows that are from the past few years that you might have missed. Don’t sleep on them!
Netflix found a huge success in the reality competition show The Ultimatum. In 2023, it returned bigger and gayer than ever with the spinoff series The Ultimatum: Queer Love.
The Ultimatum: Queer Love flips the script on relationship drama with a cast of sapphic and nonbinary couples navigating make-or-break moments. When one partner issues an ultimatum: a marriage commitment or a break up, they hit pause and dive into “trial” relationships with someone new, sparking fresh connections and plenty of tension. It’s messy, heartfelt, and unapologetically queer, with each couple returning to face their truth: will they stay together, move on, or choose themselves? It’s peak lesbian chaos with a side of real emotional growth.
Where to Watch: Netflix
Love Allways is a bold, sapphic-inclusive reality dating show where one pansexual bachelorette explores love across the spectrum of gender and sexuality. Packed with drama, tender moments, and plenty of queer representation, it breaks traditional molds to celebrate authentic connection. You should watch for the unapologetically queer love stories, relatable heartbreaks, and the joy of seeing diverse sapphic relationships take center stage! (And because it’s one of the first, if not the first, pansexual reailty shows I’ve ever seen)
Where to Watch: Paramount+
Okay, so I’m cheating a little here. Tampa Baes is not strictly a lesbian dating reality show. But it is a queer reality show that follows a tightknit group of sapphic friends, so there pretty much has to be dating involved somehow, right?
It’s a high-energy, fun watch set in Tampa, Florida where this group of friends navigates friendship, love, and plenty of drama. With its unapologetic celebration of LGBTQ+ culture against the colorful Florida landscape, it’s a vibrant mix of fun nights out, messy relationships, and heartfelt moments. It’s a good watch to see sapphic lives and stories reflected on screen in a way that feels real.
We even have a cheat sheet guide ready for you to meet the cast and learn more about the stories shown on Tampa Baes.
Where to Watch: Amazon Prime
¿A quién le gusta mi follower? or Who Likes My Follower? is a short but sweet six-episode Netflix series. It’s a playful reality show where social media influencers help their followers find love by guiding them through a series of fun- sometimes awkward- but always entertaining romantic challenges. With diverse contestants and a focus on modern dating, it’s a refreshing take on finding connection in a digital age. You’ll relate to the 21st century dating struggles that contestants face, and find yourself rooting for them to find love, just a “like” away!
While this isn’t exclusively a lesbian dating show, the first season features both MLM and WLW relationships. We love the queer visibility!
Where to Watch: Netflix
Coming Out for Love is, according to them, the first-ever lesbian dating competition show! This award-winning series is centered around a diverse group of queer women who each bring unique stories, personalities, and passions to the table while navigating a journey of self-discovery, self-evolution, and love. Hosted by Jessica Clark, the show dives deep into themes of identity, vulnerability, and authentic connection. With its mix of romantic dates, emotional revelations, and the occasional drama, it’s a refreshing and much-needed addition to LGBTQ+ representation in reality TV. You should give it a watch for the unapologetic, raw display of sapphic relationships as they take front and center.
Where to Watch: Their website
Princess Charming is Germany’s first lesbian dating reality show, where a charismatic woman embarks on a search for love among a diverse group of women-identifying and non-binary folks, all trying to catch her attention and win her heart. Originally, it was slated to be a bisexual dating show, where the lead would be a bisexual woman and all the contestants would be lesbians and hetero men. But, they received such an amazing response of sapphic respondents who wanted their chance to find, well, their princess charming, that the concept was changed to be only women. I’m here for the sapphic takeover. Filled with emotional moments, thrilling twists, and plenty of sapphic chemistry, this four-season series offers a refreshing take on the dating competition format, focusing on authentic connections and queer representation. Who will be asked to take off their necklace next? You’ll have to watch to find out!
Where to Watch: RTV
These shows ended a while ago… But that doesn’t mean they’re not worth a view or two! Oldies but goodies, don’t pass these throwback sapphic dating shows by for your next bingeathon!
I think most lesbians have at the very least heard of the breakaway hit The L Word or the current reboot version The L Word: Generation Q, even if you haven’t watched it yourself. Fresh off the final episode of the massive success The L Word, Showtime decided to cash in on our collective thirst over Shane and decided they could up the ante by twisting the hit into something new entirely: a lesbian reality show. It’s not exclusively a lesbian dating reality show, so I’m cheating a bit here too.
It aired from 2010 to 2012 and offered an unfiltered glimpse into the lives of lesbians in sunny Los Angeles. The series simply follows a group of queer women on camera as they navigate relationships, careers, and personal challenges while embracing their identities within the LGBTQ+ community. The Real L Word broke new ground by offering a more nuanced portrayal of lesbian life, showing that being gay is not a one-size-fits-all story to tell.
Where to Watch: Hulu
The Bi Life was a UK reality dating show that shook up the regular reality show format by following a group of bisexual and pansexual singles in Barcelona, instead of hetero cast members. Hosted by iconic drag queen Courtney Act, the show challenges “traditional” dating norms and celebrates the unique voice and experiences that bisexuals (and pansexuals) have to deal with when it comes to finding romance. It gets steamy. It gets warm and fuzzy. It gets messy. From the stress to the laughs, it represents utter bi panic and bisexual chaos while also boosting bi+ visibility.
Where to Watch: Apple TV
I couldn’t not include A Shot at Love. It was part of my bisexual awakening because I hadn’t really known anyone before this show who romantically wanted to date men and women. It blew my mind and it just….. Clicked. This show premiered on MTV in 2007. This is around the same time that shows like VH1’s Rock of Love with Bret Michaels and The Pickup Artist made their debut. It was like the Wild West of dating reality shows because they were popping off like never before, and we couldn’t get ENOUGH.
Enter Tila Tequila. She’s a model, a singer, and at the time was one of the most friended & most famous people on MySpace (yes, MySpace. It’s like TikTok, but you had to rank your friends and HTML code your own page). The big twist is that none of the contestants knew she was bisexual until the minute they got to the house. It was a huge reveal and it was UNHEARD OF. It had two seasons and a few spin-off seasons, and is a time capsule to the era, chaotic, dramatic, tear-filled, and weirdly addictive.
That said…. Since 2007, a lot of controversy has surrounded this show, as well as Tila. The show has been accused of being 100% fake, with her being in a relationship at the time it was filmed. She’s also said she was never gay or bi, and has some pretty homophobic & problematic political views and hot takes that we do not vibe with.
Where to Watch: Amazon Prime
I’m sure the other seasons are goo too, but we’re going to talk specifically about season 8! Are You the One? season 8, which aired in 2019, brought a fresh twist to the beloved dating reality show by featuring a gorgeous group of 16 singles, all seeking their perfect match. Why is this seasons in particular worth a shoutout? Because all the contestants were sexually fluid for the first time ever! It opens up endless connection possibilities, heightened intensity, and increased pressure to make a match so you can take home the prize.
Where to Watch: Paramount +
We started off rough when it comes to how lesbian dating is portrayed on the small screen, but with each new streaming service and change of the seasons, it’s getting better. We’re getting more representation, more unique voices from folks who haven’t had them before. What does the future hold? Maybe an asexual dating show? A sapphic reality show that follows the drama of Pride events?
We can’t be sure what’s coming next… But we have some breadcrumbs to follow! Here’s to hoping we get these new lesbian reality shows next year!
Love is Blind is one of Netflix’s hottest dating shows with variations in countries all over the world. USA’s season 7 just wrapped up this season and we can’t help but ask… When is it gonna get gay?
Short answer: Maybe never. But it’s possible. The creator Chris Coelen has suggested that he’d love to, but that logistically it couldn’t follow the same format that the current, hetero-focused seasons do. Here’s to hoping they sort out the tricky bits and give us the queer representation we deserve. Until then, season 8 is set to premiere on Valentine’s Day 2025.
Where to Watch: Netflix
You’ve already heard me share the love for The Ultimatum: Queer Love. Well if you can’t get enough- I have good news! Netflix has officially greenlit season two! There’s no word yet on when exactly the next season will roll out, but the fact that it’s coming is worthy of a shoutout. In the meantime, The Ultimatum’s newest season is set to debut next month, just in time for the holidays.
Where to Watch: Netflix
Do you find yourself wishing that you were locking lips with a hot masc and finding your happily ever after live on screen? I don’t blame you.
If you’re already coupled, boy are you in luck. Auditions are currently open for The Ultimatum and LGBTQ+ couples are encouraged to apply! You can submit your video application here.
If you’re open to dating multiple genders, The Bachelor is also currently casting woman-identified contestants. You can apply on the official website here. The team behind Are You The One? also has a ton of casting calls open for all sorts of dynamics. See if one is the right fit for you here!
Good luck, and we hope to see you on screen!
Chicago-based community manager, content writer, and professional cupid who’s still in her emo era. When she's not hosting HER virtual events, you’ll find her creating oddly specific playlists on Spotify and hitting up way too many concerts with her partner. Catch her where the music’s loud, the food is cheesy, and the eyeliner’s smudged just right!
