Parents' Guide to

The Ultimatum: Marry or Move On

By Melissa Camacho, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 16+

Marriage-themed reality experiment has drinking, sex.

TV Netflix Reality TV 2022
The Ultimatum: Marry or Move On poster.

A Lot or a Little?

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

  • Nick and Vanessa Lachey.
  • Before the experiment.
  • Discussing the experiment.

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What's the Story?

THE ULTIMATUM: MARRY OR MOVE ON is a reality series that challenges couples who are are thinking about marriage to find someone else. Hosted by Nick and Vanessa Lachey, the series features partners who have invested a lot in their relationships, which led to one of them demanding an ultimatum -- that the other agrees to marriage. The couples must then separate, and after taking a few days to get to know the other participants, each person must move in with someone else's partner for three weeks in a trial marriage. They then return to their respective partners and go through the same experience. At the end of the experiment, each couple must choose whether they will get engaged, or split forever. They may also discover that they're a better match with someone else. Throughout the process, each couple talks about what they're learning with members of the overall group, and with each other.

Is It Any Good?

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

This silly reality show claims to be a social experiment designed to help partners gain a better perspective about their relationships with each other before deciding to tie the knot. However, the series is more sensational than insightful, and mainly focuses on flirtations, jealousies, and the inevitable emotional attachments that emerge between the participants throughout the process. Despite this attempt at creating dramatic tension as the couples must choose between getting engaged and breaking up, the overall series just feels flat and drawn out. But perhaps the most disturbing part The Ultimatum: Marry or Move On is the fact that few participants seem to fully grasp what marriage is really about, or why they aspire to it.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about why people appear on reality shows to work out relationship issues. Is the expectation that their problems will be solved by doing so? Or do they participate in these programs for other reasons, like money or fame?

  • Did the couples that appear on The Ultimatum: Marry or Move On benefit from the experience? Why?

TV Details

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