Parents' Guide to Sneaky Links: Dating After Dark

Sneaky Links: Dating After Dark TV show poster: Silhouettes of people kissing in windows.

Common Sense Media Review

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

age 15+

Hook-ups, sex, booze in tacky relationship show.

Parents Need to Know

Why Age 15+?

Any Positive Content?

Parent and Kid Reviews

What's the Story?

Hosted by former Too Hot to Handle cast member Chloe Veitch, SNEAKY LINKS: DATING AFTER DARK is an experiment in which participants must determine if they can build a relationship with former casual partners or if they should look elsewhere to find love. A group of 20- and 30-something-year-old men and women are hoping to find love on a dating show. To their surprise, they come face to face with their "sneaky links," aka people with whom they've had (or are having) secret sexual flings. They all check into the "Sneaky Links Motel," where each "linked" couple participates in various activities designed to test their compatibility and desire for a committed relationship. They each also have the chance to explore other romantic possibilities by dating other cast members. Helping them through this journey is relationship coach Spicy Mari. Complications include late-night hookups, jealousy, and indecisiveness, after which some folks will check out of the motel as couples, and others leave with no commitments.

Is It Any Good?

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

The unscripted relationship series makes an attempt at originality by shifting the focus from dating to building long-lasting romantic connections from late-night booty calls. As one would expect from this type of reality fare, Sneaky Links: Dating After Dark has lots of bikinis, boozing, and sexual antics, all of which amp up the jealousy and sneakiness. Things get even more knotty once some "late check-ins" arrive at the motel. Sneaky Links: Dating After Dark doesn't offer any serious conversations about what being in a committed relationship actually means, which makes sense given that few cast members appear to be looking for one during their motel stay. It may serve as voyeuristic pleasure for some, but others will find this experiment more problematic than entertaining thanks to its messages about the relationship between casual sexual exploits and building healthy long-term relationships.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about the work that goes into a committed romantic relationship. Media outlets make it seem that sex is the most important part of it. Is it?

  • If the cast had known prior to arriving at the motel that they were appearing on Sneaky Links: Dating After Dark instead of a more standard dating TV show, would they have agreed to do it?

TV Details

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Sneaky Links: Dating After Dark TV show poster: Silhouettes of people kissing in windows.

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