Kinetic Content, the producers of Love is Blind and Married at First Sight, have set out to follow the lives of six teenage couples in Sweethearts. Set in Charleston, South Carolina, the series follows these couples as they navigate the end of high school, their final summer together, and college plans.
The Couples
Allison & Will R. – Allison is home-schooled while Will attends Oceanside Collegiate Academy. Allison’s parents divorced and she’s been grappling with depression because of it. Crediting Will with her motivation to continue, his attitude towards her is very dismissive, and that’s before we learn that his parents are also divorcing. Acknowledging to those close to him that having separate parents is “the new norm”, he tries to see the positive in having separate housing. While Allison weighs her options for college, Will has shown interest in being a firefighter. She dreams of becoming a professional track athlete but has a long way to go. Allison has found it difficult to make friends because of her homeschooling and Will’s apathetic demeanor is a constant source of stress. They need to decide by the end of the school year whether they’ll stay together or call it quits.
Miranda & Quinn. – Miranda is Quinn’s first girlfriend and they are very vocal about their love for each other. They’ve been in a relationship for seven months. Quinn has Tourette syndrome and works at Charleston Bagel with his best friend Brian, who’s dating another cast member named Carissa. Miranda is noticeably more assertive than Quinn and seemingly gets everything she wants. At the very least, her spoiled treatment isn’t the result of anything vain or sinister. Quinn feels that he’s loved by Miranda and being accepted with his Tourette’s means a lot to him. But with the two having separate goals for college, they have some tough decisions to make about their relationship and their future.
Brian & Carissa. – They’ve been together for 10 months. Brian is a workaholic and makes himself available at his parents’ bagel shop. He works weekends but if there’s an opportunity during the school week, he’ll work 7a-11a and then head to school. Carissa has big plans to have money and travel in the future. She travels a lot with her parents, motivating her to work harder in school. She’s been the No. 1 student in her class through high school but now that she’s a senior, competition is heating up for salutatorian. An admitted shopper, she doesn’t want to rely on Brian for her needs and plans to make money for herself. Neither is fully decided on which college they’ll attend and Brian’s choice may keep him away from assisting his parents at the shop.
Elle & Justin – Elle & Justin have been together for 10 months. Justin has a dream of playing professional basketball and his immediate goal is to play in college. Elle has played volleyball since middle school and understands Justin’s desire, but he’s unsure of going to College of Charleston with her.
Jenica & Will T. – The pair have been dating for a year and four months. Will T. graduated last year (he’s currently 19) and Jenica is graduating early. He took a gap year to be with Jenica, so now that she’s graduating, they’ll both be attending the College of Charleston in the fall. They seemed like the strongest couple at first, but small arguments began baring signs of larger problems.
Makhi & Katerina – The late bloomers on the show, Makhi and Katerina are a special couple because we get to see their relationship happen during the show. Starting as best friends, Makhi gathers the courage to officially ask her out. Being best friends since sixth grade gave them an advantage with communication and overall comfort in each other’s space. Like the other couples, college and other tough life choices begin to surface and will challenge whether they stay together or go their separate ways. “If” they don’t make it, they’re the most likely to remain friends.
As an adult, you might look at this show and wonder, “Why?” But soon after you should realize you’re probably not the audience being targeted. Upon watching you’ll immediately feel the Love is Blind vibes the show gives off, from the editing to the music. At least with this show, the drama is typical for teenagers. The decision-making of this age group is less likely to be scrutinized as everyone on Love is Blind and Married at First Sight are full-grown adults. Here, audiences get to see how this new generation of youth handles the difficult scenarios that come with growing up.
If you remember reality TV in the early 2000s, it feels like Laguna Beach but in South Carolina with a sprinkle of diversity. Here, as opposed to a traditional reality show, it’s essentially a competition that plays out with either the couples surviving by the end of the show or going their separate ways. As a teen, this could be seen as a more relatable reality show, reflecting what a lot of teens are experiencing at this age. But when quality and end-goal come into question, it’s about as flat as you could expect.
Sweethearts gets a 6.5 out of 10. Hopefully, the kids make the most of their brief time in the spotlight and for those who didn’t, I hope their mental health wasn’t negatively affected. Some of the issues between the couples are glaringly obvious and that might annoy some, as well as the poor decision-making that’s coupled with being a teen. But, if you’re into reality TV and have a weekend with nothing to do, this is a mildly entertaining way to pass the time.
Sweethearts is streaming now on Prime Video. The series is produced by Amazon MGM Studios.
-Jon Jones
Photos: Courtesy of Prime Video
Genre: Reality
Rating: Unrated
Runtime: 45 mins., 10 Episodes
Trailer: WATCH
U.S. Release Date: February 13, 2024