The Big D was looking like it was going to join the club of competitive reality shows filmed in their entirety yet never actually screened when it was shelved just weeks before its premiere last summer. Unlike Welcome to the Neighborhood and Seriously Dude, I’m Gay, the culling wasn’t down to any questionable subject matter – its risqué title relates to divorce, not you know what. It was simply written off for tax purposes following the Warner Bros. Discovery merger. That’s why nearly a full year on it’s been able to find a new home and potentially a bigger audience now it has a two-week head-start on The Bachelorette.
This long-awaited series finally hit our screens on USA Network back on June 14, and there’s little doubt that The Big D will be of interest to fans of ABC’s flagship summer dating show. It’s hosted by one of its genuine success stories, season 12 lead JoJo Fletcher and her chosen suitor Jordan Rodgers: they’ve since become The Bachelorette’s fifth married couple having walked down the aisle last May. And following joint presenting stints on CNBC’s house-flipping show Cash Pad and Paramount Network’s exhausting Battle of the Fittest Couples, the pair now appear to be muscling in on Nick and Vanessa Lachey’s territory.
Indeed, the newlyweds’ latest vehicle is an even messier version of the Lacheys’ most recent Netflix hit. Whereas The Ultimatum: Marry or Move On asks various long-term couples to choose between the ultimate commitment and complete separation (because, of course, there’s no middle ground), The Big D asks various recent divorcees to choose between reconciliation (platonically or romantically) and essentially acting as each other’s wingmen. That’s right: in what would be most people’s idea of dating hell, each new singleton is encouraged to forge a connection with another in the full glare, and with the often-begrudging approval, of their ex.
As we soon discover in the opening minutes of the series, most couples are at cross-purposes. Ariel, for example, has high hopes she can win back the “goofball” she was married to for nearly five years. Blair, on the other hand, still seems aggrieved she put more effort into her social media accounts than their relationship. Within moments of their arrival, he’s eyeing up another contestant while flaunting a six-pack that makes his new male housemates green with envy. “I’m very jealous of Blair’s godly body,” Brooks admits in a rare display of male vulnerability. “I look like a tattooed pirate.”
Then there’s Dede and the series’ most obvious villain Thakur, a lunkheaded man with more red flags than a bullfighter at a Chinese military parade. “I really want to be friends again,” says the former in their introductory clip. “Sometimes I resent her for leaving,” comes the latter’s ominous-sounding response. Thakur displays double standards throughout, castigating Dede simply for acknowledging another man just moments after nearly drinking himself into a stupor during a sexually-charged game of Never Have I Ever. Later, in a piece-to-camera he freely admits to bullshitting other contestants in order to avoid elimination. Thakur doesn’t appear to understand the loose concept of the show he’s signed up for, but he does know how to play the reality TV game. Whether The Big D should be promoting such toxicity in the name of light entertainment is another thing.
A game in which the women must give their former partners the QVC treatment by highlighting their redeeming qualities also exposes another problematic male. Selected as the most effective salesman by resident expert Dr. Jada Jackson thanks to her poetic approach (“Now he may be all bark and no bite but this man’s bills are paid right”), Casey chooses another guy for a jet-ski date, prompting ex Brooks to agree she’s a “spiteful f***ing pig.” You may find yourself shouting at the TV for her to ride off into the sunset and never come back.
Luckily, the other relationships are a little more root-worthy. Judging by the first and only episode available for review, Gillian appears to be one of those rare reality contestants with some sense of self-awareness. “I still care about him, even though I’m a little dead inside,” she wryly remarks about her high school sweetheart David. And if Alexis and Devon can just sort out their interfering in-laws problems, then you get the feeling they have a good chance of leaving the villa arm in arm.
As ever, those who willingly subject their romantic lives to the manipulations of reality TV are rewarded with a luxury vacation: this time, it’s a tropical paradise in the sun-soaked Costa Rica that houses all the drama. To heighten the pressure cooker environment, each divorced couple is also required to sleep in the same room (albeit in single beds) adorned with pictures of their wedding day. And as ever, there’s also an impressive prize money sum ($50,000) to completely undermine the idea everyone involved is only interested in looking for love.
The closing preview of the forthcoming nine episodes suggests things will only get more intense as the cold hard cash gets dangled closer. Expect poolside drama, panic attacks and plenty more old flames now single and ready to mingle. That’s no doubt a relief to those expecting constant fireworks as the first eliminee, decided entirely by the female participants, takes the news they’re going home empty-handed on both a personal and financial level surprisingly well. There’s even a reassuring hug!
Of course, whether it’s in full-blown chaos mode or attempting to justify its flimsy social experiment claims, The Big D – just like every dating show that’s emerged in the wake of Love Is Blind – is still the kind of car crash TV you can’t help rubberneck at. It might not be worth an 11-month wait but despite some questionable casting, it just about justifies its escape from tax write-off obscurity.
Jon O’Brien (@jonobrien81) is a freelance entertainment and sports writer from the North West of England. His work has appeared in the likes of Billboard, Vulture, Grammy Awards, New Scientist, Paste, i-D and The Guardian.