Meet the Love Trip: Paris Quartet Trying to Find Love on TV's Most Progressive Dating Show

Falling in love in Paris is the dream for virtually all romantics out there. It's sold to us on Hallmark cards, on saccharine journal covers, in movies, and in books. For the chosen four at the center of Freeform's new reality dating series, Love Trip: Paris, it became the reality. 

Rose, Lacy, Caroline, and Josielyn moved into a chic apartment building in the summer of 2022 and spent the new few months dating a batch of French suitors of different races, sexual orientations, and gender identities. The twist? The suitors all lived in the same hotel. It's a truly modern love experiment. 

"I do feel like there are real connections forming, especially if you have the opportunity to meet amazing people and allow yourself to be open to the experience," Josielyn told TV Guide during our trip to the set last fall. "Anything could happen." 

All four of the Americans are new to reality TV but came in feeling very optimistic about being able to find love on a TV show, even if the idea was nervewracking at first. "You have to be so vulnerable," Lacy explained. "I have a mental health podcast so I'll be vulnerable all day, within my medium of control. But on a dating show that's you, that's your heart. People are so brave who do that." 

5:21

Watch Now

However, the inclusivity of the show's casting made each of the cast members feel good about putting themselves out there. "It's so open to LGBT and the queer community, which is just so exciting to be able to see that in a dating show," Josielyn elaborated. "Myself, being a part of the LGBT community, it just made me feel safe and happy to just date like everyone else and in a comfortable, safe spot." 

"There has not been a show that is this inclusive in a dating format," Rose added. "It's really about love and finding that. [Watch] for representation, for the beautiful views of Paris, and there is a lot of drama as well." 

There is the drama that comes from everyone trying to find love in the same dating pool (while living in that pool), but there is also an additional aspect to Love Trip: Paris that keeps the cast and their suitors on their toes. "We have a fun little app that tells us very interesting things to do," Caroline revealed to TV Guide with a disgruntled face, referencing the app that sends them on challenges or relays them messages, when they'd rather be chilling or don't want to hear what it has to say. "The app and the miscommunication are the drama, but the people are all fantastic. Everyone is beautiful, Paris is beautiful, and we are hilarious." 

At the end of the day, Love Trip: Paris, like most Freeform programming, is about showcasing a realistic experience that will resonate with young adults. It seems that the show, even with dramatic inventions, is still trying to show what it's like to be a young person dating today, and none of the cast trying to find love shy away from that. 

"Love Trip: Paris is filled with people with very caring hearts. We are very authentic humans," Lacy said. "The people have made the difference… The fact that all of us are just being ourselves, completely, always, it's very shame-free and that is a very attractive energy." 

While none of the cast could, or would, reveal whether they find love at the end of the season, they were unanimous about what was the most important thing they are taking out of the show: each other. 

"Dating is hard in and of itself, and having amazing girls that you can go to and talk about your struggles. How do you flirt? How do you talk to boys? How do you talk to girls? How do you bring up wanting to be married so soon?" Josielyn explained. "All of those crazy questions, it is just so nice to have girls that you can go to and ask for advice." 

And Rose added, "Love comes in so many different formats and friendship is such an amazing view of that." 

We can cheers to that. 

Love Trip: Paris airs Tuesdays at 9/8c on Freeform. Episodes are available the next day on Hulu.