With The Bachelor franchise’s regular programming postponed until 2025, and The Golden Bachelorette winding down after a season that introduced a fresh twist to the usual format, loyal fans might find themselves craving more of the addictive reality TV chaos and romantic drama the shows offer. But don’t worry, there’s something that can fill the gap: Burning Love.
This side-splitting parody, produced by Ben Stiller, brilliantly pokes fun at The Bachelor franchise while showcasing a star-studded cast and plenty of laugh-out-loud moments.
Created by Erica Oyama, who also wrote for the hit show Never Have I Ever, Burning Love will have you laughing at how it exaggerates all the absurd yet entertaining elements of the reality dating series everyone knows so well.
If you’re unfamiliar with Burning Love, it’s a comedic web series that was originally made for Yahoo! Screen, a streaming platform that unfortunately didn’t stick around for too long. While the platform didn’t last, it did give us some hidden gems, including Burning Love, the sci-fi comedy Other Space, and even the final season of the cult-favorite show Community.
Burning Love became one of Yahoo! Screen’s greatest contributions to online entertainment, serving as a masterful parody of the dating show genre, especially focusing on The Bachelor series.
The show didn’t just create an amusing take on the reality show; it took the most exaggerated, wild elements and turned them into a full-on comedy while still keeping the romantic drama at the center of the narrative.
Burning Love Season 1: The Bachelor Role with a Twist
Burning Love follows a similar format to The Bachelor, but with an even funnier, sometimes absurd, twist. Ken Marino plays Mark Orlando, a firefighter who’s in the central “bachelor” role. Mark is looking for love — or at least that’s what he tells everyone — while a group of quirky women compete for his affection.
Each contestant has an exaggerated personality that plays on the familiar types you see in dating shows, from the overly dramatic to the emotionally unstable, and even the ones who are clearly there for any reason other than love.
Marino’s portrayal of Mark is both charming and hilariously clueless. He’s sincere yet utterly unaware of how ridiculous the entire setup is, which is what makes his performance so funny. He takes everything seriously, even when things spiral into chaos, which only adds to the absurdity of the show.
Mark Orlando’s journey is filled with romance, misunderstandings, and plenty of over-the-top drama, all crafted to poke fun at how these shows often play out in real life.
Each episode in Season 1 of Burning Love is packed with hilarious moments, often mimicking the exact formula The Bachelor uses — rose ceremonies, emotional breakdowns, dramatic exits, and shocking twists. But instead of the heartfelt romance we see on The Bachelor, Burning Love turns these into opportunities for laugh-out-loud moments.
One of the stand-out elements of the parody is how it exaggerates the “suspense” and drama that reality dating shows rely on, stretching out moments to comedic lengths that perfectly mirror what we see on The Bachelor but with a humorous twist.
Burning Love Season 2: The Bachelorette Gets Her Time to Shine
In Season 2, Burning Love changes things up by flipping the roles. This time, June Diane Raphael takes center stage as Julie Gristlewhite, the bachelorette who’s now on the search for love. Julie is a completely different type of lead from Mark Orlando, but just as clueless and desperate in her own way.
Her desire to find love borders on obsession, and it’s clear she’s willing to do just about anything to get it. Like Mark in Season 1, Julie is surrounded by a cast of male contestants who each bring their own unique, and often ridiculous, personalities to the show.
What makes Season 2 especially interesting is how it satirizes the format of The Bachelorette, highlighting some of the key differences between the two shows.
While The Bachelor is often centered on a man choosing between women, The Bachelorette focuses on a woman being pursued by men, and this shift in dynamics offers plenty of new comedic opportunities. One of the most noticeable differences is how many of the male contestants don’t seem to take the process seriously at all, which leads to plenty of hilarious moments.
Oyama, the creator of Burning Love, has shared that she believes dating shows like The Bachelorette are often less believable because it’s clear that many of the men are more interested in being on TV than actually finding love. This insight is reflected in the way the male contestants behave in the show, particularly Ryan Hansen’s character, Blaze.
Blaze, played by Hansen (who previously worked with Ken Marino on Party Down), is one of the standout characters in Season 2. Blaze is a carefree womanizer who clearly isn’t there for the right reasons, but Julie can’t seem to see past his good looks and charming demeanor.
Their “situationship” provides some of the funniest moments of the season, particularly in scenes where Julie tries to confront Blaze about his lack of commitment, only to melt into a mess the moment she sees him.
The ongoing tension between Julie and Blaze parodies the way reality shows like The Bachelorette often frame physical attraction as a stand-in for emotional connection, and it’s always funny to watch Julie try (and fail) to keep her composure around him.
June Diane Raphael’s physical comedy skills are on full display in these scenes, as she often finds increasingly ridiculous ways to touch Blaze or press her body against him while trying to act natural.
Her awkwardness is something many Bachelorette viewers will recognize, as it mirrors the kind of forced chemistry that’s often seen on these shows.
Julie’s desperation for love is exaggerated for comedic effect, but it’s also rooted in a very real dynamic that’s often present in reality dating shows — the idea that contestants are constantly searching for “the one” while being distracted by superficial attractions.
Burning Love Season 3: A New Spin on Bachelor Pad
By the time Season 3 rolls around, Burning Love changes up its format again, this time parodying another popular spin-off from The Bachelor franchise, Bachelor Pad. In this season, the show takes on a competition-based format, with past contestants returning to compete for cash prizes instead of love.
This shift allows for even more ridiculous moments, as the contestants are now motivated by money rather than romance. While the previous seasons focused more on the emotional drama of dating, Season 3 leans heavily into the competitive nature of reality TV, creating new opportunities for hilarious situations.
One of the highlights of Season 3 is Kumail Nanjiani’s character, who develops an unrequited crush on another contestant, Carly (played by Janet Varney). Kumail’s character is awkward and desperate, and his attempts to win Carly over provide some of the funniest moments of the season.
His character arc, while played for laughs, also touches on the idea that reality dating shows often create unrealistic expectations about love and relationships, something that Burning Love frequently highlights in its parody.
Carly’s relationship with Julie also mirrors real-life moments from The Bachelor: Vietnam and The Bachelor: Australia, where contestants developed feelings for each other rather than for the lead. This twist adds another layer to the parody, as it plays on the idea that love can be unpredictable and doesn’t always follow the expected path, even in the highly structured world of reality TV.
Spot-On Parody of Reality TV Tropes
One of the things that makes Burning Love so successful as a parody is how well it understands the reality shows it’s making fun of. Every aspect of the show, from the rose ceremonies to the confessionals, is designed to mimic The Bachelor franchise, but with a comedic twist.
The exaggerated emotions, the forced drama, and the constant twists all feel familiar to anyone who’s watched The Bachelor or The Bachelorette, but they’re heightened to an absurd degree that makes them even funnier.
For example, in Burning Love, one contestant, played by Malin Akerman, is clearly only on the show for the free food and a place to stay, a detail that’s hilariously exaggerated but not entirely unbelievable.
The show frequently plays with the idea that many contestants on reality dating shows aren’t really there for love, but for other benefits, like fame or attention. This idea is a recurring theme in the show, particularly in Season 2, where many of the male contestants seem more interested in the cameras than in Julie herself.
Another recurring gag in Burning Love is the constant references to past seasons that don’t actually exist. Ben Stiller, who produces the show, even plays the bachelor from these imaginary seasons, sometimes showing up with his wife, Symphony (played by Christine Taylor), to give advice to the contestants.
These fake backstories add to the feeling that Burning Love is a massive franchise in its own right, despite only having 42 episodes in total.
The show also includes plenty of nods to real moments from The Bachelor franchise. For example, in one of the funniest moments of Burning Love, Jennifer Aniston makes a cameo appearance that now feels eerily similar to a contestant from The Bachelorette who showed up with bandages covering his face, claiming to have had facial reconstruction surgery.
Aniston’s scene is brief but memorable, and it’s clear that the show’s creators knew exactly how to use her star power for maximum comedic effect.
A Star-Studded Cast That Elevates the Comedy
One of the things that sets Burning Love apart from other parodies is its incredible cast of comedic actors. For fans of shows like Childrens Hospital or Party Down, many of the actors in Burning Love will be familiar faces.
In addition to Ken Marino and June Diane Raphael, the cast includes a number of big names from the world of comedy, including Michael Cera, Adam Scott, Kristen Bell, Adam Brody, and even Paul Rudd and Seth Rogen in brief guest roles.
Adam Brody’s character, Max, stands out in Season 2 as one of Julie’s suitors. Max is a Jewish contestant who feels conflicted about the fact that Julie isn’t Jewish, leading to some hilarious moments where he tries to reconcile his feelings in the confessional.
In one scene, Max murmurs, “It’s not that big a deal to me, and then, at the same time, it is the most important thing ever.” Brody’s deadpan delivery makes this one of the funniest moments in the show.
Jennifer Aniston’s cameo, while short, is another highlight. Aniston, who has worked with Burning Love producer Ben Stiller on several projects, was brought in for a quick scene that perfectly plays off the absurdity of reality dating shows. Although her appearance is brief, it’s one of the most memorable moments in the series and shows how well the creators of Burning Love were able to utilize their guest stars.
Burning Love Is Made with Love for The Bachelor
Despite how absurd and cartoonish Burning Love can be at times, it’s clear that the creators of the show have a genuine affection for the reality shows they’re parodying.
The attention to detail, the spot-on imitation of The Bachelor format, and the careful exaggeration of the show’s most ridiculous elements all point to a deep understanding of what makes reality dating shows so compelling, even when they’re at their most outlandish.
This affection is perhaps best summarized by The Bachelor host Chris Harrison, who presented Burning Love with a Webby Award. In his acceptance speech, Harrison said, “It’s said that imitation is the highest form of flattery, and that’s something I have to remind myself each time I watch an episode of Burning Love.”
It’s clear that while Burning Love is poking fun at The Bachelor franchise, it’s doing so from a place of genuine appreciation for the show and its fans.
Whether you’re a die-hard Bachelor fan or just someone who enjoys a good comedy, Burning Love is a must-watch. With its hilarious cast, clever writing, and pitch-perfect parody of the reality dating genre, it’s a show that will keep you laughing from start to finish.
And while The Bachelor might be on a break until 2025, Burning Love is available to rent or purchase on Prime Video in the U.S., giving you the perfect way to pass the time until your favorite reality dating shows return.
