The Big Picture

A star-studded cast from various reality shows creates a unique dynamic on
Perfect
Match.
Cast members share behind-the-scenes experiences of filming and finding love on a tropical island.
Some cast members are open to other reality shows, but most are retiring from dating ones.

After a very successful first season, Netflix quickly decided to cast a second season of Perfect Match, bringing together alumni from various reality series such as Love is Blind,Bachelor in Paradise,Too Hot to Handle,The Trust, Love Island, and others. Netflix announced the renewal of the reality dating series less than two months after the Season 1 finale, which is no surprise given its huge viewership numbers: over 24 million hours watched during its first week.

The new season premiered on June 7, and Collider had the pleasure of sitting down with some of the cast members to hear behind-the-scenes stories. Harry Jowsey (Too Hot to Handle, season 1), Stevan Ditter (Too Hot to Handle, season 3), Kaz Bishop (Dated & Related, season 1), and Izzy Zapata (Love is Blind, season 5) share all the juicy deets of their time filming and trying to find love on a tropical island.

Image via Netflix 

Collider: How was this experience different from the shows you’ve been on?

Harry: They are all very unique. It was a little bit of a different ball game because everyone’s been on [other] shows before and they know how it works, and you know everyone has a brand and a name to themselves coming to this one, so there it was a little bit tougher because you already know everyone, instead of it just being fresh and blind like a lot of these other shows.

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Collider: How do you prepare yourself going into this process?

Stevan: My last show I wasn’t allowed to touch anyone without spending money, so, like this show is definitely a little bit more like just be yourself, have a good time, not as much rules to it, but you also have to prepare yourself for the fact that might kind of nip you in the ass you have to watch yourself and maintain yourself properly.

Collider: Do you go with the mindset of finding love or winning the show?

Izzy: For me, I went in finding love and doing Love is Blind, the whole, you know, end game is marriage, so I didn’t really go into the show strategically thinking it’s a challenge or a game, so I think it kind of hit myself in the ass with that one.

The One Challenge Game that Everyone Wants to Forget
Image via Netflix 

Collider: Any one of you had a strategy going in?

Kaz: You know what, I just I think it was always just the case of just going in open-minded and just having like taking the full thing for experience and just going along for the ride, whatever happens – happens, and it is what it is. That’s the main sort of mindset I think if you’re going go for into reality, into something like dating as well just because you never know what you’re going to expect.

Collider: Can each one tell me what your favorite challenge game?

Harry: I think the first one. We were on a cage, swinging. I think I love that one because I absolutely smashed it in nine seconds. Obviously, on the show they made it look much longer, but I did nine seconds and I had to go back and do it again, because I was so fired up. I was like I’m not going to lose this. So yeah, that was my favorite one was the only won.

Stevan: What was the one that we had to jump in the water and go get the ball? that one I think that was like the most like taxing. I think that one what made it the most fun for me, nothing like connection basis, it was really just physical.

Kaz: I would have won that one but I did legs in the morning.

Harry: Yeah, I’m sure.

Related ‘Perfect Match Season 2’ Star Kaz Hints If Things Work Out With Micah The new episode drops this Friday where Kaz’s pick gets revealed, but a recent interview may already give a clue.

Collider: How about the kissing challenge?

All: No!

Stevan: We forget that that one happened. Let’s not talk about that one. It was rough.

Harry: Yeah, I didn’t think anyone felt good after that one.

Collider: It felt a little awkward

Harry: Yeah. It just didn’t feel good inside. I didn’t walk out of that feeling excited about that challenge.

Collider: Did you stay with friends after the show?

Stevan: Yeah. I think when you’re there you forget that everyone lives literally all over the world and has like, a real job, runs businesses, like stuff to do, so when you come back here you have expectations of like, just hanging, like when you were on the show, and obviously, that’s just not possible. But I think, at least for the guys, I think we’re all cool. We see each other, and it’s like we never left.”

Collider: Is it possible to find love in reality game show?

Stevan: I’m sure it is, I can tell you.

Izzy: Maybe not this one.

What is your perfect match? What are you looking for?

Kaz: What is a perfect match? you get someone that you can vibe with someone that you could be yourself around and once you get so comfortable with them that you’re genuine your true self, and they accept you for who you are, then that’s it I feel like that is your perfect match.

Harry: Yeah, I like that.

Stevan: I think the real truth is you can’t be looking for it. Like if you go somewhere looking for something, you’re usually not going to find exactly what you want. You just have to let it come to you, and take what you get.

Collider: After a while do you get relaxed and get used to the cameras capturing every moment?

Harry: Yeah, I think after like 24 hours you kind of forget that there’s a whole camera crew there and you kind of just go with the flow.

Stevan: Especially when no one else around you seems affected by it, and they act naturally, you kind of fall into that.

Collider: You have to have a lot of confidence when you see somebody else coming in and takes your girl, it’s intimidating

Harry: It’s always scary, a lot of anxiety.

Stevan: I think that’s why we drink so much.

Stevan: Also the house is so small and like everything’s an eyeshot, so you see that other dude talking to your girl the whole time, like there’s no there’s no avoiding that. It is rough.

Kaz: I think a lot of the guys were quite open to say you know to the girls: go and you know talk to who you want talk to and if you do find them more you know compatible then go for it. That’s your choice.

Stevan: I don’t think we meant it, but we said it.

The ‘Perfect Match’ Environment Is Not Easy
Image via Netflix 

Collider: You said you knew each other before but not everybody. Did you research who was going to be on the show and for some kind of strategy?

Harry: No, you can’t really predict it. There’s just so many people in the Netflix reality universe so you can’t predict who’s going to be on the next season. There were also a lot of shows that hadn’t even aired yet, like the latest season of ‘love is blind’ wasn’t out.

Izzy: My show wasn’t out yet.

Harry:Squid Game wasn’t out, or Trust the Paradise – there are a lot of shows that weren’t out yet. So when these people came in, we just had no idea what they were on and we were kind of curious to try and figure out what they were doing.”

Collider: So the first time you went in and you saw the girls and the guys in the competition, how did you feel?

Izzy:It can be a little bit intimidating at times, like you got three bold personalities back here, so it’s also fun to see everyone’s big personalities come together but for me, my show not having been released or anything yet, I was a bit starstruck sometimes, you know. Seeing some of the girls, I made an absolute idiot of myself sometimes, like that you do feel like you kind of know the person only from what you’ve seen on screen so it can be a little bit intimidating sometimes, but still fun.

Collider: I guess you all watched the first season?

All: No!

Izzy: I only saw an episode before I left, that’s about it.

Harry: I think especially in our space, like watching a show before you go on it, you kind of see the characters and you may accidentally try and play one yourself, so I think that’s my biggest fear. I watch a show and then I’m like okay, I’m going to try and be like that person on this season. So you get just too strategic and then you kind of lose track of yourself a little bit.

Collider: What’s next for each one of you guys? Do you plan on going on other reality dating shows?

Harry: I think we just figured out that we’re retired from reality dating, we’re hanging up the condoms. I know him and he doesn’t wear them……but I’m, you know, I have a super successful podcast right now……

Collider: So you are not going to be on any reality dating shows?

Izzy: Not dating.

Collider: What reality shows would you like to be on?

Izzy: Maybe Worse Cooks of America or something like that. Dancing With the Stars would be fun.

Kaz: I think it’ll be a similar sort of style as well, sort of something challenging physically as well and then something that you can obviously learn new things as well new skills. That’ll be good.

Perfect Match Season 2 can be streamed on Netflix. Watch the full video interview with the Perfect Match 2 guys above.

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