Double occupation, the island of love, 5 guys for me… The face of Quebec love reality shows is about to undergo a change. Winter 2023 will mark the arrival of a dating show just for people with disabilities, has learned The Press.
Posted at 8:00 a.m.
Title What if it was you?this 10-episode series hosted by Varda Étienne and produced by Pixcom (Audrey came back, Alerts) will be offered on AMI-tv. The broadcaster serving the blind, those with reduced mobility or who are hard of hearing plans to go on the air in February.
In each half hour, a single person with a disability will meet three suitors, who may or may not have a disability. At the end of the head-to-head, the person will have to select their favorite.
At Pixcom, we describe What if it was you? as a “very inclusive” dating show, developed in collaboration with AMI-télé. Among the competitors are single people with intellectual disabilities, deafness or autism spectrum disorder, and others in wheelchairs, due to accident or illness.
PHOTO PATRICK MALTAIS VERRETTE, PROVIDED BY AMI-TÉLÉ
Candidate Kevin Ouellet during the show’s first days of filming What if it was you?
“We tried to have diversity from all points of view. We also tried to have sexual diversity,” says director Estelle Bouchard (The nerds, It does not wonder).
“It’s still different as casting. We are far from the island of love and D’OD says Pixcom’s Director of Francophone Development, François-Étienne Parent.
Recruitment easier than expected
Recruitment of candidates began in the spring. According to François-Étienne Parent, this crucial step in the preparation of a love reality show went smoothly.
The answer is good because it is not a clientele in which the dating shows.
François-Étienne Parent, Director of Francophone Development at Pixcom
“People tell us that it’s difficult to meet,” continues producer Amélie Dionne-Martel. They’re tired of apps and all that. That’s why they sign up for dating shows in large numbers. »
Only one thing complicated the pre-production of the new television meeting: the COVID-19 pandemic. “People with disabilities can sometimes have a little more fragile health, explains Amélie Dionne-Martel. We didn’t want to take any risks: we had to find alternate suitors in case someone showed symptoms the day of the shoot. »
As for the choice of Varda Étienne for animation, it imposed itself “naturally”.
PHOTO OLIVIER JEAN, LA PRESSE ARCHIVES
Varda Etienne
“We had no one else in mind,” says Amélie Dionne-Martel. It was the only one. We like his frank, but endearing side. She puts some teeth into her comments. We needed it. »
A welcomed initiative
The Regroupement des activistes pour l’inclusion au Québec (RAPLIQ) applauds the launch of the program What if it was you?. Reached by telephone, co-founder, outgoing president and spokesperson for the organization, Linda Gauthier, explains that she welcomes the project not only because it increases the visibility of people with disabilities on the small screen, but also because finds non-disabled people among the trios of suitors.
If there had only been people with disabilities, it would have ghettoized the concept. Because I am disabled, but not my husband. And I know plenty of others, couples like us.
Linda Gauthier, from RAPLIQ
This was an important aspect for the team behind the show.
“Otherwise, it would seem to say that people with disabilities can just hang out with each other,” says director Estelle Bouchard. This is far from what we want to show. »
Although she frowns every time she hears the term “reality TV”, Linda Gauthier, of RAPLIQ, considers What if it was you? as a “progress”. “We too have love needs, both emotional and physical. It would be nice if we could see it. »
Other examples
What if it was you? is not the only love reality show involving so-called “different” people. Since 2020, Netflix has relayed Love on the Spectrum (in French, Stories of love and autism), an Australian production that sensitively explores the world of encounters between young adults with autism.
Two seasons are currently offered. For the past few months, the platform has also been offering the American adaptation, aptly named Love on the Spectrum US.
One could also mention The Undateablesa British reality show broadcast on Channel 4 since 2012 in which we show how people struggling with various types of disorders (trisomy, learning difficulties, etc.) try to find love.
Is a show like What if it was you ? could have seen the light of day earlier in Quebec? Estelle Bouchard thinks so. However, the stars were aligned in 2022 for it to be launched with such aplomb.
“We have talked a lot about inclusion in recent years, about cultural diversity, sexual diversity, underlines the director. I think we’ve come to [représenter] body diversity. »
“I dare to hope that all the programs will open up to that,” adds Amélie Dionne-Martel.