Love in the age of Netflix reality means two things: You’re about to go on the most unconventional date of your life, and you’ll probably bump into Nick and Vanessa Lachey.

The couple has been bringing soulmates together since 2020, appearing in The Ultimatum: Marry or Move On and Love Is Blind, which launched its landmark 10th season in February. Now the Lacheys are getting some help from another married duo, Nick Viall and Natalie Joy, the hosts of the new dating experiment Age of Attraction. In the Love is Blind pods, singles across the country (and now the globe) have to discover whether love is truly blind, whereas Age of Attraction asks if it’s also ageless — daters mix and mingle without ever knowing how old each other is.

“I can’t wait to watch your show,” Vanessa excitedly tells the Netflix newcomers in a recent chat between the two couples. “It’s another pebble in that pond that opens people’s eyes to love and changes their ways of thinking.”

Vanessa Lachey, host of Love is Blind

Photo by Adam Rose

As a former contestant on The Bachelor, Nick Viall is no stranger to dating series. He’s quick to give credit where it’s due. “Love Is Blind has been the road map to follow,” he says. “I’ve always loved how it makes people peel back layers, sit in a room, and just have a conversation. The world of digital dating makes it really difficult for people to build an emotional connection because everything is physical. People have gotten lonelier and lonelier, and I think their perception of who’s an eligible mate has been warped. With Age of Attraction, we’re also creating this environment to encourage people to really focus on compatibility.”

That’s the reality TV tissue connecting the two series. Both Love Is Blind and Age of Attraction hook audiences with out-of-the-box premises and deliver on the drama — but it’s the genuine connections that count.

“The format of Love Is Blind gives people the security and safety to feel comfortable enough to ask tough questions that normally you wouldn’t want to,” says Nick Lachey. “Every season we step into that lounge, we see the excitement and the relief in their eyes, and it’s amazing how quickly people are willing to let their guard down.” Adds Vanessa, “Netflix took the guessing game out of it. What we love about the show is the simplicity and how it’s bringing [dating] back to old school.”

Nick Lachey, host of Love is Blind

Photo by Adam Rose

Quick to distinguish Age of Attraction from more salacious series like MILF Manor, Viall says the new series is about “giving people a safe space” to find long-lasting love. “With Love Is Blind, people feel unfairly judged because of their physical appearance,” Nick Viall adds. “People also feel unfairly judged by what age they are.” If you don’t believe him, look at his own relationship with Natalie, who’s 18 years his junior. “If you’re someone who wants to find love and is having a hard time doing it, maybe opening up your mind to the possibility of partners that you didn’t before could be a great thing. It certainly was for me,” he says. 

“There’s not a lot of positive information out there about age-different relationships,” Natalie points out. “But watching this show, you just see these beautiful relationships unfold and realize that age really doesn’t matter. It goes out the window completely. By the end of it, you’re like, ‘Oh my God, I’m rooting for them. I love them. I hope they get married and have babies.’”

During the first day of filming, the Vialls were caught off guard by just how committed participants were to the promise of the experiment. “My biggest takeaway in the first 10 minutes was how excited everybody was to be introduced to other singles who were also looking for love,” says Nick Viall. “There was this really pure sincerity about it. Everybody who showed up here is genuinely grateful and willing to take this huge leap of faith.”

Nick Viall, host of Age of Attraction

Photo by Lindsay Siu

Both the Lacheys and Vialls aim to be a soft place to land for the participants. Acting as stewards of their journeys, examples of what successful marriage can look like, and the face of a franchise for millions of fans isn’t for the faint of heart — and it's a responsibility neither takes lightly. 

“We genuinely feel like parents with our kids," Nick Lachey says of the Love Is Blind singles. “We want to see everyone succeed and find what they came here to find. When you see it flourish, really take shape, and culminate in a marriage that lasts, we get irrationally excited about that.”

As for the passionate response from fans, Lachey has come to accept that “you can’t please everybody,” especially when it comes time for the reunion. “If you go in too hard on somebody, there’s going to be a segment of people out there that are saying, ‘Why were you so mean to so-and-so?’” he adds. “But if you don’t ask those tough questions, then the other half is going to say, ‘Well, why didn’t you dig into the tough questions?’”

Imparting some words of wisdom from host to host, Vanessa encourages the Vialls not to get too invested in praise or criticism. “Nick always tells me they build you up to tear you down,” she says. “You’re going to get all the accolades, and then you’re also going to have to fall on the sword for anything that didn’t go well. According to the fans, we’re in charge of casting, editing, and reunion questions.”

Natalie Joy Viall, host of Age of Attraction

Photo by Lindsay Siu

“When I was first on The Bachelor, I was like, ‘Oh, this is Chris Harrison’s show. He’s in charge,’ ” Nick Viall recalls. “You learn fast that it doesn’t work that way.”

Working on Age of Attraction gave Nick and Natalie a “newfound appreciation” for the Lacheys. “You are the face of the show, but you’re [actually] part of this larger team — production, directors, producers, the network —  and fans don’t see the behind the scenes.” Plus, the participants aren’t the only ones getting vulnerable. For years, the Lacheys have given fans a window into their own lives, including their age gap, courtship process, and marital challenges. Six or seven seasons in, however, they realized that audiences weren’t responding in the same way. So they switched up their approach. “What I think we’ve learned is that the viewing public doesn’t want it to be about us,” says Nick. “It’s not about us anymore.”

Heading into their first season of filming, Nick and Natalie were still figuring out what that balance looks like for them. How much should they share? What will audiences respond to? Will it give them license to, as Nick puts it, “just pick them apart”? “It’s really hard because you’re standing in front of, in our case, 40 nervous people — we’re also nervous,” Natalie says. “You’re trying to give them something to feel not so isolated and like we’re all family here. This is a comfortable space, this is a safe space. And then you kind of forget, ‘Oh yeah, this is being filmed for millions of people to see.’”

But therein lies the reward of hosting a dating series on a global platform with your spouse: You have each other.

“To know that he’s sitting right there next to you, has your back, and isn’t a co-host who’s trying to outshine — that safety factor is so beautiful,” Vanessa adds. “He just wants to lift you up, and if I’m ever uncomfortable, I’ll just kind of grab his leg and then he comes in. I honestly don’t know that I could work with anyone else ever again.”