Parents' Guide to Paradise Hotel (2019)

TV Fox Reality TV 2019
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Common Sense Media Review

Melissa Camacho By Melissa Camacho , based on child development research. How do we rate?

age 17+

Reality dating reboot sends awful messages about romance.

Parents Need to Know

Why Age 17+?

Any Positive Content?

Parent and Kid Reviews

age 18+

Based on 1 parent review

What's the Story?

PARADISE HOTEL, a reboot of the 2003 and 2008 series of the same name, is an unscripted series featuring 11 guests who have checked in to an exclusive beach resort to look for love and win some cash. Hosted by Kristin Cavallari, the series features 11 good-looking singles who are expected to become couples during their stay. At the beginning of their stay, five couples are paired; they sleep in a room (and bed) together, and mix and mingle. The single person left behind must do his or her best to attract the interest of one of the guests of the opposite sex, or they'll have to check out and make room for a new person. While some couples look for a love connection, others work with each other to strategize and get people voted out. The last couple remaining gets $25,000. In an additional twist, at-home viewers get to influence what happens on the show using Twitter.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say ( 1 ):
Kids say : Not yet rated

Like its predecessors, this voyeuristic and predictable series features good-looking people who claim to be looking for love in what amounts to a modern-day meat market. In addition to the sexual attachments cast members are expected to make with one another within an extremely short amount of time, couples must also figure out if they have genuine feelings for one another, all while exploiting each other's desire for romance. The Big Brother-type camera footage of private conversations and intimate moments in bed creates some interesting tensions, but the endless conversations about who has feelings for whom gets tedious rather quickly. All of this produces conflicting and problematic messages about what constitutes falling in love, and the role that sexuality plays in it. It's not easy to take the hookups on unscripted shows seriously, but Paradise Hotel makes it almost impossible.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about people who look for romance on reality shows. Can you really find true love on a TV show?

  • What kinds of messages does Paradise Hotel send about sex and love? What's the purpose behind pairing cast members up and having them sleep together without really knowing each other?

TV Details

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