DATING shows aren’t built to find “real love” — they’re built for chaos, conflict and memorable moments, say reality TV insiders.

One series that comes in for particular scrutiny is Too Hot To Handle. Senior showbiz reporter Jake Penkethman argued it barely even qualifies as a dating show, saying its rules and structure “go against everything you would expect” from the genre and instead push it towards a reality competition. His take: contestants are essentially “competing to retain an amount of money”, making it feel like “reality for reality’s sake”.

Too Hot To Handle famously asks contestants to abstain from physical intimacy and focus on building a genuine connection to win a big prize pot — while the format also drops temptation in their path.

Deputy TV Editor Felicity Cross called the show’s set-up “hypocrisy”, arguing it highlights a wider issue with dating formats: they’re supposed to be about finding love, but production choices are “constantly trying to sabotage that”.

The numbers don’t exactly scream fairy tale either. Data suggests Too Hot To Handle has a five per cent success rate for couples finding love, while Ex On The Beach sits at four per cent. Love Island does better on ten per cent — but Penkethman thinks not coupling up can actually be the smarter career move.

He pointed to the way memorable single contestants can be rewarded with more TV opportunities, from All Stars invitations to crossing over onto other shows. He also named Scott Van Der Sluis, Casey O’Gorman and Curtis Pritchard as examples of Love Island faces who’ve “made a career out of being single” — and, in his words, it’s “clearly worked really, really well for them.”