Parents' Guide to

The Proposal

By Melissa Camacho, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 14+

Game show has confusing messages about finding love.

TV ABC Game Shows 2018
The Proposal Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this TV show.

Community Reviews

age 18+

Based on 1 parent review

age 18+

Unrealistic

This show is not real life. It sends an unrealistic message to anyone who is serious about love. I doubt it will last one season. I watched it one time and will never watch it again. Love is not found this way.

Is It Any Good?

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

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.

TV Details

  • Premiere date: June 18, 2018
  • Cast: Jesse Palmer
  • Network: ABC
  • Genre: Game Shows
  • TV rating: TV-14
  • Last updated: February 27, 2022

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