The show was created by
Arlette Amuli, an African American of Congolese origins, and her husband,
Bolia “BM” Matundu, a Black Brit also of Congolese descent (he had a previous life as a
UK rapper and then as a
Ndombolo musician).
[...]
And then the inevitable happened:
Netflix came knocking. Fans of the show showered Amuli and Matundu with congratulations, excitement and absolute trepidation. Would Netflix ruin a beloved, groundbreaking and independent Black show by tampering with a winning formula, or would they make a few nips and tucks to elevate it to another level?
Well, they did worse. They gentrified it.
Based on the avalanche of disapproval for Netflix’s version (”or Find Love” was dropped from the title), fans’ worst nightmares came true. Gone was the wholesome insight into Black dating and love patterns; in stepped swearing, twerking, needless disrobing and even what many thought was
racism. Gone were the class, the intellectual insights and the Black “civilians” (of all shades) looking for love; in came a diverse (all of the “contestants” on the first episode of the Netflix show were either white or light-skinned), drink-sodden, rowdy affair including influencers and washed-up reality TV stars. Pop the Balloon or Find Love seemingly became Pop the Balloon and Find Clout. Despite the efforts of the new presenter, the comedian and actor Yvonne Orji (of HBO’s Insecure fame), it was genuinely painful to watch.
[...]
Amuli and Matundu, a proudly Christian couple, were retained as executive producers of the Netflix version. Yet, given the nature of the original, it’s hard to see how they could be happy with this incarnation. This was not their warm, funny show; this was its more sensational viral clips re-imagined by veterans of the shock and awe world of reality TV.
www.theguardian.com
