Couple to Throuple - General Discussion

[zenithwit]

Peacock

Premiered Feb 8, 2024 

"Hosted by Scott Evans and guided by Sex and Relationship expert Shamyra Howard, Peacock’s new Original series Couple to Throuple follows four curious couples through the world of polyamory as they experiment with bringing a third partner into their relationship. Set at a remote tropical resort, the couples will meet, mingle, and date a group of singles, many of whom are experienced in polyamory. With three times the fun, the feelings, and drama, these relationships are put through the ultimate test to see if they are the perfect match. At the end of their time in paradise, the couples will decide if their hearts have room for more than just “the one” and commit as a throuple, go home as they arrived, or leave separately."

[zenithwit]

Yay, this show got a forum!

Ok, a disclaimer before I begin... I'm not polyamorous and have zero interest in polyamory in my personal life.  But I love a good trashy reality show and this show is a trashtastic dumpster fire of one.  Also, I'm currently on episode 7.

To begin, it's cool that we're getting a reality show that explores a different type of adult consensual relationships.  However, this show is more like if the Bachelor attempted to do a show about throuples.  I don't really buy that most of these couples are truly looking an equal partner to be their third.  If feels like most probably want to be monogamish (to use Dan Savage's term) and have a reliable third person for threesomes.  And in certain select cases (cough Brittne and Sean), that third person is not allowed to provide any critical feedback or explore any romantic interests of their own.  Maybe Ashlee and Maximo are the exception to this but I'm not sure I buy them as primary partners anyways.

The power dynamics are completely off in this show.  The couples have so much power.  I know the singles technically get to agree/disagree with their couple's decision but considering how we only see the couples' villa, the singles will barely get any screentime if they don't agree.  While this dynamic might be tolerable (at best) on a show like the Bachelor/Bachelorette, it completely undermines the types of relationships portrayed on this show.  It would be really cool if the singles had some sort of mechanism to rank or even exile couples that are acting in bad faith.

Side note: there is an old Showtime show called Polyamory: Married & Dating that explores polyamory in a much more complex and nuanced way (at least compared to this show).  I would recommend anyone interested in this topic to check that show out.

At this point, I think the singles are more interesting than the couples.  I wished we got to see and learn more about them.   

But I do like the camaraderie amongst the cast.  Everyone seems to be fairly supportive of each other (for the most part).

[Marigold66]

Yay!  I kept checking to see if a forum was created for this show too!  I'm enjoying it.  I like seeing a show that showcases relationships that are outside the mainstream.  

I'm on episode 8 (I think?!) so won't give any spoilers but I do think that Ashmal and Rehman may not be the best candidates to introduce a third person just based on Rehman's tendency to shut down and be non-communicative.  And I don't know, I also get the vibe that Brittne and Sean would rather just keep it to the two of them but I could be wrong! 

I concur that the cast seems super supportive of each other (even Max and Ash who came in later).  

I'm curious to know if this is a real resort!  I want to go to there...it looks beautiful!  

Edited February 25 by Marigold66

[Haley17]

I just started watching this and I'm on episode 4. It's just as much of a trainwreck as I had imagined. And I'm here for it. 

 

[MicheleinPhilly]

I don't really watch reality tv and have no idea what inspired me to check this out but I did and I'm hooked. It is so deliciously trashy and ridiculous.

I know nothing about and have no interest in polyamory but I suspect this is a really piss poor representation of it. 

With the exception of the couple that just left with their third, none of these couples seem truly interested in welcoming a third other than for sex. The body builder dude and his wife in particular just seem to be looking for someone to have regular threesomes with. 

[zenithwit]

Just finished this show and it had the most predictable results ever.  The only surprise was that one throuple was still kinda together... sorta.

WTF was up with the show having the singles meeting the couples' loved ones but not vice versa?  I get that maybe it was a harder logistical hurdle bringing the singles' loved ones since the show didn't necessarily know which singles would be picked.  But couldn't they try to bring some?  Or maybe have a mixer that includes all of the singles' loved ones?  It was so strange to see the singles who were already at a power disadvantage in their throuples have to justify themselves to the couple's family/friends.

As for the couples and singles...

Rehman & Ashmal: I wasn't too keen on Rehman and Ashmal at first but grew to like them as the show went on.  Their communication skills did seem to improve but as a couple they were a hot mess express.  It was great tv but probably not great for Jonathan and Frank.  I get why they liked Jonathan (he fit right in looks wise) but it's not surprising that their whole relationship desolved fairly quickly.

Maximo & Ashlee: they were just as messy as Rehman and Ashmal but covered it up with therapeutic type language.  For people with ethical non-monogamy experience, they sure seemed shady when it came to open and honest communication and being up front with their intentions.  I still don't buy them as a primary couple, they give me roommate vibes.

Brittne & Sean: out of all the couples, Brittne and Sean seemed like the most solid couple.  And they worked really well as a couple too.  I think they probably would benefit the most from a monogamish-type relationship.  It was nice to see that they were engaged in the updates at the end.

Dylan & Lauren:  Jess did seem really cool but it was creepy how much she looked like Lauren.  Also, Lauren's mother seemed way more concerned about how the throuple would impact her daughter's status with Dylan rather than how it would impact her daughter's overall well-being.  Something just seemed strange there.

Wilder & Corey: I want to know the real reason they left early.  Yeah it seemed that they had settled on Denyse but they still had issues that they needed to work out.  Honestly, it felt like they wanted to add a third just to keep up with Wilder's sex drive (3 times a day is insane!).

Jonathan: I really felt for Jonathan at first.  He was definitely being tossed around by Rehman/Ashmal and his hesitancy to stay in their throuple was understandable.  But towards the end, he seemed to be in the drama as much as them.  It's interesting that he and Rehman were together for a little bit after Rehman and Ashmal broke up.

Becca: I really liked Becca.  She seemed easygoing and free.  She was in the middle of a lot of drama and she didn't start most of it.  She seemed understanding and really just wanted to everyone to be honest with her.  She probably would be fun to gossip with over a cocktail.  I thought it was interesting how in both of her pairings she had a stronger connection with the woman.

Edited March 10 by zenithwit

[MicheleinPhilly]

Co-sign with your entire post @zenithwit.

I am not at all surprised that Ashmal and Rehman are no longer together. Rehman is incredibly immature and needs to do some serious work on himself. Also, are hickeys a thing again? I haven't given or received a hickey since I was like 15 years old. Grow up, boys. 

I didn't care for Max and Ash AT ALL. They pretended to be so evolved but they came across as very manipulative. I actually clapped when Becca walked away from them. 

I really liked Britnee and Sean but was a bit confused as to why they were on the show. They obviously have a really strong relationship and I never got the sense from either of them that they were that interested in opening it up to a third. 

As I stated in my initial post, I think Dylan and Lauren are only interested in a reliable third party for threesomes. 

In the event they do decide to go forward with another season, I sincerely hope they make some changes to give the singles more agency/attention. I get that this is a trashy reality dating show but the way they just trot out the singles like playthings is kind of gross. I also hope they do a better job vetting the couples because none of these couples should have been on this show.