Austin-based reality show "The Ultimatum" tops Netflix charts
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Austin residents Jake Cunningham and Rae Williams go on a date on Lady Bird Lake. Photo courtesy of Netflix
Austin's skyline is back on Netflix with a new reality series "The Ultimatum: Marry or Move On," which follows six local couples as they decide whether they want to get married or split for good.
The big picture: From the creators of "Love is Blind," "The Ultimatum" cranks up the drama when the show takes six couples, mixes 'em up and makes them date each other.
Why it matters: It's cool to see your local haunts on national TV, even if it's attached to garbage programming — and I mean that lovingly.
- Reality trash is my love language.
What to expect: The 10-episode season starts at the downtown Marriott as viewers meet the couples and they meet each other.
- The pairs go speed dating while sitting poolside, sipping from silver goblets at the hotel's rooftop terrace, Zanzibar.
- Then the cast gathers at The Loybbist, a two-story lounge inside the hotel, to pick their new partners for a three-week "trial marriage."
- During these fake unions, the couples live out of the Aloft Austin Downtown and go on dates in and around the city at spots like The Oasis on Lake Travis and Patrizi's near the Vortex Theater, according to Decider.
- After that, they return to their original partners before deciding who they want to leave the show with: the person they came with, someone new or no one at all.
- Oh and ~obviously~ Nick and Vanessa Lachey host.
What to watch: No spoilers here. You'll have to watch it yourself to see the mess unfold.
Zoom out: Austin has been the golden child of Netflix's newest, hottest reality shows, between this and "Twentysomethings: Austin," which showed young and unemployed adults trying to settle into their new lives.
My thought bubble: "The Ultimatum" builds on this weird legacy, but if you can only stomach one, skip it and opt for "Twentysomethings."
