'The Ultimatum' Season 1: Everything We Know

The producers of 'Love is Blind' have a new dating experiment.

the ultimatum netflix
(Image credit: Netflix)

Are you feeling the drama withdrawals now that Love is Blind season 2 is over? Don't worry, 'cause the creators of LiB have a brand-new social experiment/potential dating disaster heading our way in just a month (!). Netflix's newest dating show The Ultimatum: Marry or Move On, also hosted by Nick and Vanessa Lachey, is another complete departure from the typical reality dating formula, featuring participants who are hesitant at the idea of marriage! (Bachelor fans, let go of your pearls.)

The first season of the new series stars six longtime couples all dealing with the same problem: one partner is eager to get married, while the other is still unsure. Over eight weeks, the couples will have to decide whether to get married or break up, while also getting the chance to see how a trial marriage would go...just not with their original partner. Here's everything we know about The Ultimatum.

When will 'The Ultimatum' come out?

Unlike Love is Blind, which releases through weekly batches, we're getting the bulk of The Ultimatum all at once. The first eight episodes will hit Netflix April 6, with the finale and reunion dropping on April 13. 

That first drop gives us enough episodes to possibly spread out the viewing so there won't be much of a wait until the finale. Though, if Ultimatum spoilers will hit Twitter at the same rapid pace as LiB ones, you might as well just spend a day bingeing the whole thing.

Is there a trailer for 'The Ultimatum'?

Netflix dropped the official teaser along with the announcement of the show, right at the end of the Love is Blind season 2 reunion. The two-minute clip focuses on the matchmaking portion of the show, giving Love Island on a city rooftop vibes. Of course, it also makes sure to include testimonials from participants pointing out how weird it is to see their partners dating other people (sound familiar?).

What are the rules of 'The Ultimatum'?

This new dating show combines the relationship challenges of a show like Temptation Island with the forced cohabitation of Love is Blind. The official description from Netflix reads, "An ultimatum is issued—and in just over eight weeks, they must commit to marriage, or move on. In the meantime, each will choose a new potential partner from one of the other couples, in a life-changing opportunity to get a glimpse of two different possible futures."

The six couples have a set time frame—eight weeks—to decide whether to get married and move on. To add an urgency to that choice, the participants will mingle and date each other, eventually choosing a new partner for a trial marriage. The goal behind living with a new partner for three weeks is to see what could be out there beyond their current partner, since someone else "might be a better fit," as Nick Lachey says in the teaser.

Speaking of the Lacheys, LiB hosts Nick and Vanessa Lachey will also host The Ultimatum, coming off their stellar turn hosting the season 2 reunion. (Who else kind of stans Vanessa now?) Hopefully there will be more than enough drama for a similarly explosive Ultimatum reunion.

What do we know about the cast of 'The Ultimatum'?

Netflix has yet to identify the six couples featured in the teaser, but we got plenty of scenes and voiceovers introducing some of the dilemmas they'll be facing. At the beginning of the clip, one hesitant girlfriend tells a man, "The only thing scarier than losing you right now would be to marry you." 

Then, as the experiment gets going, we hear some changes among the participants. One male cast member says, "My eyes have opened up to a lot of things that I want in a relationship." Another third female participant starts to feel the heat, saying, "I definitely thought giving Jake the ultimatum would bring us together. It is doing the complete opposite." Of course, there's no hint of which of the couples would break up or which would stay together. All will be revealed starting April 6.

Quinci LeGardye
Contributing Culture Editor

Quinci LeGardye is a Contributing Culture Editor who covers TV, movies, Korean entertainment, books, and pop culture. When she isn’t writing or checking Twitter, she’s probably watching the latest K-drama or giving a concert performance in her car.