Just when we thought we couldn’t possibly make room for another dating show in our reality TV diets, Netflix has reeled us back in with Age of Attraction. What makes it so enticing? Rather than sticking to the standard dating show formula – you know, hot young people navigating lust and love in pressure-cooker situations – this new contribution to the genre shakes things up. Now, we have hot people of all ages in the cast. The one catch: they’re not allowed to reveal how old they are to each other.
It’s a refreshing switch up to a format that, let’s face it, typically only caters to genetically blessed twentysomethings. It’s fitting, then, that the filming locations break reality TV tradition, too. Rather than venturing to sunny escapes à la Love Island or the slightly sterile sets of Love Is Blind, this age-defying dating show takes us to greener pastures. Where exactly was it filmed, you ask? We’ve got the inside scoop below.
Where is Age of Attraction filmed?
There’s one place location scouts usually gravitate to when hunting for lush, verdant landscapes. We’ll give you three clues: Justin Bieber, maple syrup and poutine.
Guessed Canada? You’re right on the money. To break from the well-worn formula of finding love in a luxurious villa, Age of Attraction was filmed across various locations in Vancouver and Whistler. Speaking to Deadline, one of the show’s creators Jennifer O’Connell explained the intentional thought process behind this decision. “There’s been a million dating shows on tropical islands, and I think we wanted to stand out a little bit, but also find a place that’s really beautiful,” she said. “If you think about [where] someone of a certain age, you know, not 19 years old, wants to go on a nice retreat, we were trying to create a very high-end resort type situation where you would really be able to enjoy nature and do lots of outdoorsy things. It was nice to shoot somewhere that you haven’t seen a million times on reality TV.”
Naturally, after watching the contestants wander around the idyllic locations, we had to do some digging for specifics.
Age of Attraction contestants spent the majority of their time at Brew Creek Centre, a breathtaking private retreat that’s nestled in the forest outside Whistler. Usually reserved for private events and corporate retreats, the vast 20-acre grounds house 24 guest rooms, meeting and event spaces, catering services and a meditation – all against the backdrop of breathtaking woodlands. A picture perfect sanctuary, we reckon it’d be pretty easy to fall in love here.
The small village of Pemberton is just a little northeast of Whistler – and it’s worth the trip. With dramatic mountain views and serene lakes, it’s the kind of postcard-ready location that looks like a real life screensaver. No wonder it's a popular wedding location. For scenes shot in the village, contestants were stationed at Pemberton Weddings & Events. Foreshadowing? We’ll have to wait and see.
It wouldn’t be a dating show without an itinerary full of, well, dates. Age of Attraction once again ups the ante here, eschewing dinner and a movie for experiences rooted in adventure. Throughout the series, we see couples form bonds on unconventional dates that range from the Train Wreck Trail near Whistler to the Superfly zipline in Whistler. Scrap cosy nights on the sofa. It’s time for Netflix and thrill.
What is Netflix’s new dating show about?
The clue is in the title. Age of Attraction is a dating show that aims to, once and for all, answer the age-old question: is age really just a number? To do this, the show assembled a whopping cast of 40 contestants, with ages ranging from 22 to 60. The goal is to find genuine connection without knowing without knowing each other’s age, relying on chemistry and instinct over age-related stereotypes. Once paired up, the couples are only allowed to reveal their ages once they’re committed to going all in.
The inspiration for the show came from its creators’ own lives. “We were seeing a lot of age gap dating in our own lives and all around us. It’s real, it’s happening, and I think the culture is celebrating it in a different way,” O’Connell explained to Deadline. What’s more, Age of Attraction has a surprisingly feminist angle. “From a female gaze, we noticed more women openly talking about dating younger men. If anyone was going to tell a story about women and men dating outside their own age, we felt we would do a really good job with it. There have been a lot of shows out there where they label, especially women, as cougars or MILFs, and we didn’t want this show to be that.”
