Dating in New York is hard. If Carrie Bradshaw hasn't convinced you already, the Swiping America cast just might.
In the Max reality dating shows, a group of four NYC urbanites ventures out of town to various cities—New Orleans, Honolulu and Seattle, to name a few—and hand over swiping duties to producers. Will they find love or head back home solo? You'll want to add the so-called "rom-doc" to your list to find out.
In comparison to watching the drama unfold on Temptation Island or casting picks for favorites on the Love Island voting app, Swiping America takes a more realistic, relatable approach to dating and, more importantly, an inclusive one, too.
“The beautiful thing about this show is we are the most inclusive, nonjudgmental dating show out there,” creator Stephen Warren told Variety. “We have queer people, lesbians, we have trans, we have nonbinary. There are no judgments because love is love.”
Once you add Swiping America to the list of gay dating shows to stream, have a look at the cast participating in the journey.
Meet the 'Swiping America' cast
“Johnnie [Ingram] and I are watching all of our cast and crew swiping and hooking up with all these different people in all the small towns we were visiting,” Warren further revealed to Variety. “So we thought, ‘What would happen if we switch this around, and we took four New Yorkers and took them all across the country and swiped for them?’
Here's who decided to take the two up on their offer.
1. Ashleigh Warren
Ashleigh Warren is a social media marketing strategist, the founder of the agency, So Social, and the author of The Micro-Influencer's Brand Partnership Bible: Grow Your Income, Following & Brand (see at Amazon) just got out of a situationship and wanted to take things to a new level with someone new. She loves to travel, try new cultural experiences and surround herself with those she loves most.
2. Kesun Lee
The realtor is ready for a travel buddy and to do all the things she loves with someone special, whether it's yoga or museum visits. What particularly intrigued her about Swiping America was the fact that it was so different than what we're used to seeing in the reality TV genre.
“It was pitched [to me] as a docuseries that was meant to be intentionally very sophisticated and unlike anything else, any other dating show that had been presented so far," she told ShowBiz Cheat Sheet.
3. Kris Kelkar
Data scientist Kris Kelkar had his reservations about joining the series, but ultimately, being pushed out of his comfort zone is just what he needed.
“I was talking to my therapist and I was like, ‘I just feel really stuck in my life and I want to press this button that’s certainly going to cause a lot of chaos.’ And it did," he told ShowBiz Cheat Sheet.
4. Reagan Baker
The hair and beauty expert learned about the series at the end of the lockdown and couldn't wait to explore possibilities in new places. Plus, she's also partial to the close relationship she's formed with the other singles.
"I’ve never seen a cast like this, ever. We each represent different conversations happening in the modern dating world that so many people can relate to," she told Cosmopolitan.
We're definitely ready to tag along for this exciting ride! And, truth be told, it seems like a good break from the dating drama that's been taking place on reality TV. (We won't mention names...)
Watch the 'Swiping America' trailer:
Swiping America premiered on Thursday, June 15 on Max. Four episodes will drop on Thursday, June 22, followed by the final two episodes on Thursday, June 29.
