The Proposal
By Melissa Camacho,
Common Sense Media Reviewer
Common Sense Media Reviewers
Game show has confusing messages about finding love.
Add rating
A Lot or a Little?
What you will—and won't—find in this TV show.
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
The Proposal
Community Reviews
Based on 1 parent review
Unrealistic
Report this review
What's the Story?
From the creator of The Bachelor comes THE PROPOSAL, a game show where men and women compete to impress a mystery man or woman they want to marry. Hosted by Jesse Palmer, each one hour episode features 10 eligible men and women participating chosen by matchmakers in four pageant-like rounds designed to highlight their physical attractiveness, their personalities, their life goals, and their overall compatibility. After each one, the contestants who fail to charm are eliminated. The two remaining in the contest get to meet the mystery person face-to-face, and learn who they have chosen to propose marriage to.
Is It Any Good?
This awkward matchmaking competition feels like a pageant with no real winners. It shows men and women displaying themselves and their personalities in front of a unidentified stranger for the first time in hopes of getting engaged when the episode is over. It attempts to frame the whirlwind events in a positive way by characterizing their willingness to participate in the process as honest and courageous. It also sends mixed messages, including highlighting the importance of getting to know someone's inner-self, while requiring contestants, most of whom do not look or dress like models or athletes, to participate in a bathing suit round to be judged on physical appearance.
It's hard not to cringe as contestants stand in front of a person hidden from view (and a national audience) in partial dress, answering questions, and briefly offering personal details about themselves. Also troubling is the fact that despite the show's non-traditional, almost carnivalesque approach to making a love match, the response to contestants who don't favor more traditional gender roles in a relationship isn't very supportive. Overall, The Proposal is a pretty dysfunctional viewing experience filled with baffling ideas about finding a soulmate.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the possibility of finding true love on a game show. Can you really know if you've found your soulmate after asking them a few questions?
Is The Proposal really supposed to help people find try true love? Or is it just supposed to be entertaining? Why would people agree to expose themselves physically and emotionally to someone they don't know in such a public forum?
TV Details
- Premiere date: June 18, 2018
- Cast: Jesse Palmer
- Network: ABC
- Genre: Game Shows
- TV rating: TV-14
- Last updated: February 27, 2022
Did we miss something on diversity?
Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.
Suggest an Update
Where to Watch
Our Editors Recommend
Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.
See how we rate