‘Pop the Balloon’ Creators Hit Back at Critics Who Say Their Viral Dating Show Highlights the Worst of What Dating Is Like Today
“Pop the Balloon” creators BM Matundu and Arlette Amuli created a viral phenomenon around a dating show.
Modern dating can feel exhausting, but this married African couple found a way to keep audiences hooked.
Social media, podcasts, and shows like “Pop the Balloon,” “Love Is Blind,” and “Married at First Sight” continue fueling conversations about dating, love, and Black relationships.
On “Pop the Balloon,” 10 single contestants line up onstage while holding balloons. A newcomer enters, introduces themselves and tries to win over the remaining contestants.
Contestants can pop their balloons at any point to reject someone based on their first impression. The last person with an intact balloon gets a chance at a date.
The format has sparked plenty of debate, including criticism that the show reinforces negative stereotypes about Black dating.
In an Aug. 17 clip, show creators explained to CNN Africa why they believe dating is actually difficult after learning some people blame shows like theirs for exploiting Black dating culture.
Matundu said, “People are living in unrealistic expectations. It’s not realistic. You need to stop acting as if, like, you’re gonna find somebody that’s perfect.”
Interviewer Larry Madowo suggested the show’s bigger revelation is that dating has become superficial. The couple, married for five years, agreed and nodded in unison.
Amuli called modern dating “very materialistic” and said people often fail to look beyond someone’s appearance.
The 31-year-old said someone may dislike a small detail about a person, such as their socks, and despite everything else being great, they’ll still want to end things.
“So I just wish people would try to look past the outside a little more,” Amuli said.
Madowo said he interviewed a young Black woman who said, “I don’t like the show because it highlights the worst stereotypes about Black people.”
When he asked Matundu and Amuli for their thoughts, Matundu said he believes that if they did the show on other races, it would be the same.
“This is just what the dating scene is,” he added. “But our main goal is to, ‘let’s solve the problem. We are showing people this is the problem. How are you gonna fix a problem if you don’t see it?’”
Amuli added that the show brings together people from different backgrounds, including doctors, students, servers and lawyers between 21 and 50-plus.
“It’s like we can’t determine what kind of character they come put on the show. So that’s what I think makes our show really stand out, is that we let people be themselves,” she said.
In a second clip, Madowo broke down the show’s success, noting that four couples have gotten married after meeting on “Pop the Balloon.”
He later highlighted the show’s success, noting that four couples have married after meeting on “Pop the Balloon.” Some contestants have also moved across the country for relationships that began on the show.
“We’re changing people’s lives,” he said, as his wife added, “Black love is not dead. There are still people looking for love within our community.”
Fans reacted to the couples take in CNN Africa’s comments.
One person said, “The show is only showcase what’s out here. People just rather be petty than be sincere. Or they don’t know any better.”
Another person wrote, “This is the best show online. Puts a mirror to the culture.”
But someone else who disagreed said, “You’re not showing the problem you’re exploiting the problem cmon now.”
A fourth wrote, “That show is ghetto & they are not all walks of life. STOP IT.”
“Pop the Balloon” started in 2023 after Amuli and Matundu became frequent watchers of dating shows like “90 Day Fiancé” and “Married At First Sight.”
Matundu got so into the shows that he thought of ways he could make his own. Once he got his idea, he bought $1,500 worth of camera equipment, and the couple immediately became viral when Amuli posted the first episode on her page.
The format is simple.
A suitor walks out to a line of several men or women holding balloons. The people in line pop their balloons if they aren’t interested in the suitor’s looks.
After introductions, the contestant and the remaining people holding balloons can ask each other questions. If either side sees something or hears a response they don’t like, they will pop a balloon, and that person is no longer considered an option.
The hope is that the suitor ends up with a person at the end, but sometimes they leave with no one.
The couple has successfully reached 117 episodes, with nearly every one amassing about one million views.
It got so successful that they signed a deal to bring the show to Netflix in 2025. While they would stay on as executive producer, Amuli would no longer be the host.
Instead, “Insecure” star Yvonne Orji was the new face holding the mic.
But viewers quickly voiced their disdain for the Netflix version, saying it felt inauthentic and corny.
So after low viewership, Netflix canceled the show. Now Amuli and Matundu have returned to their original platform – Youtube – and are back with viral clips and their one million views.