The promo for "Love in the Stars" (courtesy of Discovery Plus)
While many television genres tend to lose their power over the years, it seems that the matchmaking reality that has been with us since the days of "Take me Sharon" (which aired two decades ago) - is only getting stronger.
The most watched reality show on the streaming giant Netflix (as of last November) is "
Love Is
Blind", on Bequest 12 it is "
Wedding at First Sight
" - one of the flagship programs of the 0 franchise, and on Network 13 they bring a beautiful fight with "
New Love
".
We were only recently informed that the successful matchmaking show "
Love
Island" is coming to Israel and if we judge by its success in the world - there is no doubt that it will also leave a mark on us.
Even the Israeli producer and big brother for his generations,
Yoram Zak
, understood that this is the genre that is recommended to put the chips on and brought us "
The Group
", the only reason it was less successful in the ratings charts is that its format - like that of
2025
- was not cohesive enough.
In "Hatunami" couples are matched according to many compatibility tests seemingly designed to find the perfect match. It worked for them more than once, especially with couples which at the beginning looked like a disaster waiting to happen. In fact, one of the parameters that no matchmaking program in Israel or abroad tends to take into account in the matching phase is astrology.
For some of you this will sound like a parameter that is a bit strange to take into account - but think about it for a moment: how many times have you had the chance to check the luck of your potential spouse?
Even those who doubt the method will be happy to discover that the stars find a winning connection for them.
The new matchmaking program coming to
Discovery +
this Friday (16.12), "
Love in the Stars"
", promises not to use any other matching method other than astrology - in a social experiment designed to test whether it is possible to find a perfect marital match based on zodiac signs alone.
To be precise, the match is not made only by connecting zodiac signs, but by deciphering each person's birth chart of the contestants - who are supposed to specify the level of matching.
The interpretation was conducted by three leading professionals in the field:
Francesca Udi
, a relationship astrologer specializing in matchmaking,
Colin Bandel
, the astrologer of Cosmopolitan USA and
Michelle Knight
, known as "the astrologer of the stars" and boasting a long list of famous clients including
Sharon Osbourne
and
Russell Brand
.
The reality show "Love in the Stars" (photo: courtesy of Discovery Plus)
Michelle Knight
, the Sunday Times bestselling author, told Walla!
On the astrological matching process carried out by the mentors in the program, after the claims that the matches were also based on appearance and personal preferences.
"We deciphered hundreds and hundreds of birth charts and it's really tricky to find the perfect match," Michelle told us, "the contestants in the show never told us what they wanted, what their preferences were. We would have ignored it anyway. The matches are purely based on astrology." .
The show features 12 bachelors and bachelorettes who come to a sort of resort-style "Love Island" to find true love.
The experts studied the birth charts of the contestants and matched six couples according to astrology.
These learn to know each other and face a variety of challenges during which they will find out if true love is written in the stars?
Since astrology in particular and mysticism in general is a matchmaking method that has received quite a bit of criticism, the astrologers who accompany the contestants should fear even more than a mentor in a standard broadcast program that the method they believe in so much - and based an extensive career on - will not work.
More in Walla!
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The mentors of "Love in the Stars": Francesca Udi (right), Colin Bandel and Michelle Knight (left) (photo: courtesy of Discovery Plus)
When we asked Michelle if she wasn't afraid that her reputation would be destroyed as a result of the program - if there were no lasting couples - she claimed that this was the last thing on her mind.
"I have nothing to lose, I'm not worried," she said, "I knew it would work to a certain level. I didn't know to what level because this experiment had not been done before. It's an amazing experiment. Look, I've done a lot in my life, I've created amazing things, I've seen people growing, developing and achieving. My reputation speaks for itself. Let's just say that even if this experiment had failed in the worst possible way - no spoilers - I would still be on top of it and say it was interesting and worth checking out. I have complete faith in what I'm doing and I I'm not afraid to be praised."
"I'm not afraid of being praised", Michelle Knight in an interview with Walla! (Photo: courtesy of Discovery Plus)
What awaits us in the season?
The first episode does not stretch the viewers too much until the moment of the long-awaited meeting.
In fact, already in the first minutes of the episode, all the contestants meet for a group introduction.
The catch: no one knows who in the group is the match chosen for them according to their luck - except for two gay men who, if they knew each other's sexual orientation just from a preliminary conversation, must have concluded that they were the intended pairing.
The contestants go through a whole day of conversations, flirting and guessing until the evening hours - then they find out if they bet correctly.
During the season, the astrologers accompany the contestants and serve as relationship counselors for everything.
Although the contestants came to the program knowing that they would be matched according to their birth chart and luck - some doubt during the season the reliability of the method.
"Marriage compatibility from an astrological point of view is not a magic solution. Astrology can ensure a good connection, influence and growth as a person - but at the end of the day, a relationship needs work," says Michelle, "I don't think it's that simple to say which luck matches which luck. There are many things that need to take into account. A good connection between the moon and Venus is always good, because if you have this connection - it will be possible to overcome other obstacles, but I also encountered situations that worked on the map and not in the test of truth."
Does it really work?
One of the success stories of the season - judging by the promo (photo: courtesy of Discovery Plus)
When asked about birth charts that matched perfectly but worked less in real life, Michelle provided examples: "The moon is very important in astrology. Let's say your moon is in Taurus, which means trust is something that is very important to you, especially in relationships. When the other party says something, he has to keep his word. Suppose I matched you with a Sagittarius Moon, who is a free person who may say one thing and do another. At first it will seem like an unsuitable match. However, if the parties learn to understand each other and let this trust build, he may be the ideal person. My wife, for example, is different Completely from me. Our moons are not compatible but there are other things in the chart that show that this is a perfect marriage. We should have worked on the moon thing. In our first years we learned about each other. 9 years we have been together and I have never been happier. I thank the stars for our connection." .
Can it be concluded from her words that the contestants in the program may also conclude very quickly that the astrological connection is not really enough and not give it the necessary time?
Michelle replied: "The program accompanies people for three weeks and yes, it is possible that at the end some of the contestants will come to the conclusion that it is not suitable. This is not a reason to give up. In three weeks you cannot always achieve what you want. Relationships are hard work and the astrological connection is an excellent starting point."
"Love in the stars", 16.12 on Discovery + for yes and STINGTV customers.
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