Netflix
The Ultimatum fans have waited a literal year for this, and now, the big moment has finally arrived. This week, Netflix’s diabolical dating show debuted its second season, featuring (as promised last spring) an entirely queer cast. (And just in time for Pride Month in June!)
This season has all the drama we’d expect from Netflix’s most emotionally carnivorous dating show… and then some. You’ve got two intersecting love triangles, a “trial marriage” in turmoil over whether or not the dog can sleep in the bed, and a never-ending stream of cocktail mixers and pool parties where all of that drama can fester and ferment in metallic wine glasses. And yet, for a season supposedly about “queer love,” The Ultimatum’s second season can at times feel pretty conservative. (The first four episodes are now available.)
For those who’ve kept themselves pure until now: The Ultimatum premiered last year as an especially chaotic corner of Nick and Vanessa Lachey’s growing reality-dating empire. (This season swaps in Reba star JoAnna Swisher Garcia—a pandering move that this viewer, at least, nonetheless appreciated.) In each of five participating couples, one partner has issued an ultimatum: put a ring on it, or move on.