11 things you probably didn't know about MTV's 'Are You the One?'

Updated

2021-01-05T16:46:53Z

are you the one

The series is filled with drama and romance.
MTV
  • MTV's "Are You the One?" is a reality show that claims to help people find their perfect match.
  • According to showrunners, the series uses science and interviews to figure out someone's perfect match.
  • The only place in the house without cameras is the fridge, according to the show's former host.
  • To be on the show, contestants are asked personal questions and their exes are interviewed.
  • Visit Insider's homepage for more stories.

On MTV's "Are You the One?" over a dozen single people are placed under one roof to try to find their "perfect match."

This match-making process includes in-depth interviews, questionnaires, and compatibility testing. The results are kept secret from the contestants until the end of the show.

If all of the players don't choose their perfect match by the season finale, the cast loses the game. If all of the singles are able to correctly match up with their predetermined partners, they share a large cash prize and gain a potential soul mate.

Read on for some things you might not know about MTV's "Are You the One?"

The casting process for "Are You the One?" is super personal.

The showrunners ask cast members a lot of questions.
MTV

According to season-one alum Shanley McIntee, the MTV casting interviews can get pretty invasive when it comes to your personal life.

McIntee told Entertainment Weekly in 2014 that MTV knows her better than she knows herself.

Fellow season-one alum Chris Tolleson echoed her statements in the same interview, saying before the show he "never had to ask himself how many times [he] masturbated in a day."

There's also a science behind each perfect match.

The show has some special matching methods.
MTV

No one is tossing a dart at a board hoping to randomly match two complete strangers on the show.

The show uses a variety of methods derived from "scientifically proven compatibility testing," executive producer Tiffany Williams told Entertainment Weekly in 2014.

The show isn't scripted.

It's all real, according to the cast members.
MTV

Contrary to popular belief, "Are You the One?" is not a scripted television series, former cast members told International Business Times in 2016.

That means all of the raw emotions, temper tantrums, drunken jealousy, and fights were real. Other than a set filming schedule, it seems no one tells the cast how to behave or what to say in certain situations.

The show will interview your exes.

Things get personal.
MTV

As a part of the rigorous "Are You the One?" casting process, "matchmakers" interview contestants, their family members, and even their exes, according to Entertainment Weekly.

This information is said to help contestants find their perfect match, because what better way to find love than learning from your past?

The game apparently has no rules.

This could explain the drama.
MTV

Other than the objective to find your perfect match, executive producer Williams told Entertainment Weekly in the 2014 interview that there are no rules on set.

People have tried to crack the "Are You the One?" love algorithm.

Many people have tackled the algorithm.
MTV

Mathematicians and fans alike have tried to solve the famed love algorithm on the show and some have even claimed to have figured it out, according to The Observer.

In 2014 in a Quora post, someone argued that there is a 2% chance of beating the game. This is only if it's played completely randomly, however.

After creating an integer, he was able to find all matches 89% of the time after nine rounds.

Only one season of the show has lost the game.

The season-five cast failed.
MTV

So far, cast members on seven of the eight seasons of the show have successfully found their matches.

Unfortunately for season-five contestants, they failed at finding all 11 perfect matches. That means they're the only cast who walked away from the show without the cash prize.

Some couples from the show — including ones who were not a perfect match — are still together.

Ethan Diamond and Amber Diamond (née Lee) have kids.
MTV

A few of the couples who met on the reality show have pursued their relationships post-production.

The longest-lasting couple thus far is Ethan Diamond and Amber Diamond (née Lee) from season one, who were a perfect match on the show. They now have two children.

Some couples, like Curtis Hadzicki and Jenni Knapmiller from season two, were not a perfect match on TV but are still together years later.

Contestants aren't allowed to have paper and pens in the house.

Producers don't want contestants trying to use math to uncover the matches.
MTV

In a 2015 Reddit AMA (Ask Me Anything), former host Ryan Devlin said that contestants can't have paper and pens in the house, in part to dissuade them from trying to use math to calculate the matches.

"We don't allow any paper or pens because it's super boring to see people sit around and draw grids all day. But they still manage a way to work things out -- like using vodka bottles to represent the guys and toothbrushes for the girls and all that ... ," he wrote.

The only place in the house that doesn't have cameras is apparently the fridge.

Cameras are everywhere.
MTV

Contestants try to sneak away from the cameras, but it's not exactly possible.

In the same Reddit AMA, Devilin wrote, " ... the only place without a camera is inside the refrigerator and I don't think two people can fit in there ;)."

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