“Ragin’ Cupid”: Love is in the air, come see UL’s first dating show on Betflix 

SATIRE – APRIL FOOLS

Betflix announced the production of “Ragin’ Cupid,” consisting of participants from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. This would be the first dating show in the University’s history. Applications to be a participant on the show are now open and producers are set to begin casting over the summer. 

“Ragin’ Cupid” will have a total of eight female and eight male students competing to find their match. Couples who match up at the end of the show will win a dream vacation with all costs paid for. 

Since the show consists of students as the cast members, it will have a youthful and student-friendly approach instead of the approach taken by more mature dating shows. Participants will be living together in a house designed to look like a school for two weeks and will be given a chance to bond as a group first. 

Over the course of the two weeks, participants will be assigned tasks and challenges to mingle, having ample one-on-one opportunities to get to know participants of the opposite sex. 

There will also be chances for “mini-dates,” where every two days, participants choose who they are most interested in at that point in time and couples who match up get to go on a “mini-date.” 

The “mini-dates” include going out for a meal, on a picnic, to the movies, to the Farmers Market or to a coffee shop. These are chances for participants to have more intimate conversations with each other, get to know each other on a deeper level and to explore their dating preferences. 

At the end of the two weeks, there will be a final match-up where participants will have to decide on their final choice. Couples who match up will win a prized vacation with all costs paid for. 

There are three vacation spots up for grabs: Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, FL, Aspen, CO or Maui, Hawaii. 

Josie LeBlanc, executive producer of “Ragin’ Cupid” and UL Lafayette alumna, expressed, “It has always been a dream of mine to put on a dating show at UL.” She added, “It was the first goal that I wanted to fulfill ever since I graduated from here with a degree in Moving Image Arts.” 

According to LeBlanc, “Ragin’ Cupid” had come a long way, from the ideation process to getting approval. She said, “It’s been a real long journey, and after having to keep this under wraps for the longest, I’m excited to finally be able to say that it’s happening.” 

The biggest challenge presented during the process was getting approval from the University. There were concerns regarding whether students should be partaking in a dating show, being that students are still young. 

LeBlanc said, “The idea was definitely not taken too well by some, and that’s to be expected, you know, I get that they are indeed students and dating shows are seen as something that’s for a more mature age.” 

However, LeBlanc shared that she wanted to portray dating shows in a different light, that it can be something lighthearted expressing the glory and joys of youth. She commented, “Our college days are such a prime time in our lives, it’s the time when we live wild and free, making mistakes, making memories. I wanted to portray the beauty of all of that in this show.” 

When asked about why she wanted to produce a dating show, Leblanc said, “College is when many students enter relationships right, experiencing love, experiencing heartbreaks, whatever it may be. Some may be lucky to find their college sweetheart, some not so much. I wanted to give students who may not have been so lucky in love a chance at it too.” 

“I also just think that college students are a perfect age group to have for a dating show. Before they enter adulthood, they are at the age where they still have the youthfulness and cheekiness of a teenager but are also starting to develop their maturity,” she added. 

Bella Broussard is a junior majoring in Charms. When asked about what she thought of “Ragin’ Cupid,” she commented, “I think it’s perfect actually. I know a lot of friends who would be really excited for it. I love watching dating shows, so to think that we’re gonna have one is crazy to me.” 

Matthew Emmerson, a senior majoring in Defense Against the Dark Arts, shared a similar sentiment. He said, “It’s wild that we’re gonna have a dating show. I couldn’t believe it when I first heard about it. I also think doing a dating show with college students is probably the best idea ever.” 

Students interested in becoming a participant on “Ragin’ Cupid” may send in their applications to talentrecruitmentbetflix@foolsmail.com by May 8, 2025.