Parents' Guide to

Labor of Love

By Melissa Camacho, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 16+

Odd dating competition has iffy messages about parenthood.

TV Fox Game Shows 2020
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What you will—and won't—find in this TV show.

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What's the Story?

Hosted by Sex and the City's Kristin Davis, LABOR OF LOVE is a dating competition show featuring 41-year old former The Bachelor contestant Kristy Katzmann looking for someone to be the father of her children. Fifteen potential dads meet with the mother-to-be in the greater Atlanta, Georgia area, and share a house situated across the street from her. Each episode features them being put through a series of challenges designed to test their abilities to be good fathers and partners. After each round, Katzmann decides who gets to stay, and who is going home. At the end of the competition, she must decide if the last person standing will be the perfect partner to father her child with, or continue her journey towards motherhood as a single parent with the help of a sperm donor. Throughout the show, interview clips of contestants' family members sharing their insights about the process are also featured.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say: Not yet rated
Kids say: Not yet rated

This unique dating reality competition requires contestants to treat parenthood as a priority in their potential long-term relationship. It also calls attention to the fact that women who wait to have kids are often assumed to be uninterested in having, or unable to birth, children of their own. The challenges the men participate in, which includes things like having their fertility checked and raising fake babies, are specific to the show's objective. But it also features some of the traditional drama associated with dating shows, including competitive strife between contestants, tearful elimination rounds, some flared tempers, and a fair share of sexual innuendo. Labor of Love doesn't send ideal messages about what it means to be a parent, but those looking for some odd unscripted entertainment might find it worth checking out.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about the messages Labor of Love sends about becoming a parent verses being a parent. What's the difference between the two? Does the series address both?

  • Do you think people can really enter serious relationships or find true love by appearing on a TV reality series? Why do people choose to find matches so publicly?

  • What are the benefits of finding a match this way? What would the perks be? What kind of challenges would arise?

TV Details

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