Love at First Contact: DoD announces new dating show

ARLINGTING, Va. – The Department of Defense announced it has greenlit a new dating show premiering on the Armed Forces Network (AFN) this fall titled Love at First Contact.

The inaugural season will follow Army Pvt. Desmond Jones, a wheeled vehicle mechanic stationed at Fort Liberty, North Carolina. He was selected from a pool of 150 service members who answered a DoD-wide call for entry email. While filming the show, Jones will live in a barracks with 20 of the military’s most heart-throbbing singles.

“The military is a melting pot of young, hot singles,” said Col. Barry Smith, the Pentagon’s chief marketing officer. “It’s no secret that recruiting has suffered in recent years and an astonishing number of Americans really have no idea what the military does outside of fighting wars in parts of the world they don’t think we should be meddling in. We’re hoping this show will allow us to bridge that knowledge gap.”

The show will follow the format of many other popular dating shows such as The Bachelor, in which the contestant will go on multiple dates with the other singles and each episode will conclude with one person being sent home. At the end of the season, Jones and the person he declares as his Love at First Contact will exchange vows in an intimate wedding and reception at the base’s chow hall. He and his new spouse will also be given a (mostly) mold-free home on post, a specially designated parking spot at the Post Exchange, and a challenge coin from the base commander.

“Am I excited about it? Yeah man, I was told I don’t have to go to any PT formations for the duration of filming,” said Jones. “Do I think I’ll find love? I don’t really care. Anything to get out of those damn barracks.”

The women who’ll be vying for Jone’s heart were hand-selected to highlight the diversity of the U.S. military by a representative from the Pentagon’s office of equal opportunity. The contestants were also selected to ensure each branch of the military, including the Coast Guard, is represented. The showrunners are also including a couple women from the community as contestants to help bolster relations between the base the surrounding town.

“I love that the military is including civilians like me in this once in a lifetime opportunity,” said Cherry, a civilian contestant and exotic dancer at Victorias Cabaret in Fayetteville. “Soldiers from Fort Liberty are some of my best clients at the club and I can’t wait for the chance to find love with one of their handsome soldiers without them stuffing dollar bills in my G-string.”

Although many senior leaders from the Pentagon are excited to see how this show performs, critics have come forward saying the show is nothing more than a poor attempt to sweep the military’s sexual abuse problems under the rug—or worse, glorify it.

“The military has a poor track record of preventing sexual assault and harassment within its ranks,” said Gloria Nutter, a member of the sexual abuse watchdog group, RAWDOG. “Now they want to stick a bunch of horny 18-year-olds in a barracks, and film what happens. I’m afraid of what could happen. I’m terrified people will love watching it.”

Whether the show is successful or not, we’ll just have to wait and see. Love at First Contact premieres October 25th.

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