Are You the One? singles are tasked to find their perfect match and will win a million dollars if they can do so within 10 weeks. However, if at least one perfect match isn’t sitting together at a ceremony, the cast blacks out, losing $250,000 of their prize fund. Has any season blacked out during the first match-up ceremony?
‘Are You the One?’ history of blackouts
By the end of every episode of Are You the One?, the cast pair up with who they believe is their perfect match and lock it in at a match-up ceremony.
Beams then light up how many perfect matches there are but don’t reveal which couples.
If no light beams appear, the cast has blacked out, signifying the person they’re sitting next to isn’t who the matchmakers believe is right for them.
The first two seasons didn’t feature a blackout, as the season 1 cast always had at least one perfect match. Season 2 came close in week four, but Paris Eike and Tyler Pratt, perfect matches who sat together the whole season, saved the group.
Blackouts in ‘Are You the One?’ now cost the cast $250,000 from their total prize fund
Season 3 is the first to implement a punishment for a blackout, a $250,000 deduction from the million-dollar prize, and coincidentally featured the franchise’s first blackout.
The cast of season 4 never blacked out but season 5 did, once, and became the first, and currently only season, in which everyone didn’t find their perfect matches by week 10.
Additionally, one rule change implemented in the season punished the cast more severely for blacking out multiple times, as the fund would decrease by 50%.
Seasons 6 and 7 never blacked out but season 8 did, once in week 5. Therefore, no season has blacked out during the first match-up ceremony since season 9 who accomplished the feat. Seasons 3 and 5 have come the closest as they experienced their blackouts during week 2.
Aqel Carson and Anissa Aguilar and Julia-Ruth Smith and Nathan Grant might be a perfect match
During episode 3, Aqel Carson connected with Anissa Aguilar when he spoke to her about a serious motorcycle accident that nearly left him paralyzed.
After going on a date with Hamudi Hasoon, which went horribly as he rejected her vulnerability when talking about a previous experience with an ex-boyfriend, the two were selected to go to the Truth Booth but were determined not to be a perfect match.
Therefore, Aqel continued to pursue her. He claimed he could give her the love she deserved, bringing Anissa to tears. He later chose to sit next to her at the match-up ceremony, noting he wanted a connection founded on friendship. The cast went on to see two light beams, and it seemed Aqel and Anissa were one.
Additionally, Julia-Ruth Smith began pursuing Nathan Grant after realizing Brendan Mosca reminds her too much of her past. On paper, they could be a perfect match. The two didn’t sit next to one another as he picked Mijntje Lupgens but did pair up for the second ceremony, possibly resulting in the other light beam. Are You the One? airs Wednesdays on Paramount+.
