The concept of dating shows has existed for as long as reality television itself. A group of strangers is brought together in a shared space, forming connections while navigating competition, vulnerability, and the possibility of love. It is a format that has travelled widely, with global franchises drawing large audiences across platforms.
Nigeria has had its own versions, including What Will People Say, Husband Material, and Shoot Your Shot with Bisola Aiyeola. With AM Heartbeat, which premiered earlier this year on Africa Magic Showcase, the aim was to push the format further by focusing on authenticity and the realities of Gen Z relationships.
In this interview with The Nollywood Reporter, showrunner Uche Ikejimba reflects on the thinking behind the show, particularly the casting process that shaped its first season.
When Africa Magic requested a dating show that could connect with younger audiences, Ikejimba drew from her experience in reality television, including her work on Big Brother Naija. Her earlier projects also included game shows and short-form dating formats.
“We have kind of developed a lot of reality TV show concepts through the years with game shows called Come Play, Indomie-sponsored game shows that we did. We have also done a bit of short love shows here and there like What Will People Say, Husband Material, Shoot Your Shot with Bisola Aiyeola where we are just trying to get people to find love.” She continued. “Then we realized that those were magazine format-type shows, with little reality in them.”
That realisation informed the direction of Heartbeat, which set out to lean more fully into unscripted interactions. Central to that goal was casting.
“The casting choices were very critical because it is a love show. One thing about this is that contestants have to look, sound, be a certain way and also believe that these people are in it for the right choices which is to find love or cause drama. This drama doesn’t even have to come from fighting, so we wanted people with the right personalities for TV.”
The process was designed to be thorough. According to Ikejimba, potential contestants went through multiple stages before being selected.
“We had a series of casting processes, got scouts to find people who were willing to be on a love show, from that we even did closed auditions as well.” She continued. “So the final people we picked, they had gone through about four phases to be officially selected for the final phase before doing your medicals and psyche evaluation. We had to think about the people Nigerians would love to watch, and how to effectively introduce our singles to the world.”
Beyond selecting participants, the team also focused on how they would be introduced to viewers. Early audience connection, she notes, is crucial to the success of any reality format.
“We also needed something heavy, which was why we shot the profiles using their distinct personalities to create strong profiles for them, used as cutaways on social media because the first episode can either make or break the show.” She emphasized. “Our goal for Heartbeat was to be very visually driven, especially from the first episode, which was achieved in order to pass the right message.”
Clarity of character was another priority.“They had to be articulate, in order to express themselves.”The result was a cast that generated conversation, with each participant bringing a distinct presence into the shared space.
“One of our strongest characters is Ken who has several endearing traits in such a way that he is very authentic in his expressions and he isn’t afraid to take risks on the show. Another character is Chidera, who has strong opinions about feminism and men and is one of the first to connect with someone(not to give too much away). Then there is Queen Lateefah, who is also a daring person with her actions and words, while Igwe gives playboy but inviting energy from beginning to end which is exactly the right qualities we were looking for.”
What mattered as much as individual personalities was how they interacted.“In the Love Pad, no one’s personality matches, because everyone standing on their own has an authentic personality. At the end of the day, we needed to ensure that we casted people that can fall in love with each other, in order to deliver the romance side of the show. After all, it is a dating show. The beauty of reality TV is finding people who just understand what reality TV truly is.”
Ikejimba also points to the importance of context. Casting decisions were shaped by an awareness of the audience and the cultural environment the show exists within.
“For a society like this, acceptability is one thing, finding the right cast is another thing. We are trying to understand what love means for the Gen Zs, and early millennials, or more importantly the ones that are at the core of lifestyle at the moment. I see that generations and ages are different and our understanding and interpretation of love and relationships is very different.”
When the show aired, it prompted conversations around its themes and presentation, including moments that pushed familiar boundaries for local audiences. For Ikejimba, the reception was a significant part of the experience.
“For me, the most rewarding thing about the show is ensuring that it was produced, it aired, and the reception was great. There are some risqué parts of the show where people are very expressive with themselves and we see quite some level of nudity that Nigerians aren’t used to, and you expect some form of backlash but there isn’t any so far. This just shows me how far Nigerians have come and understand that it is reality TV, which is very surprising because I expected otherwise based on how our society is.”
She remains measured about the outcome while acknowledging the risks involved.”Heartbeat is something that is exciting and authentic. We took a risk honestly and we are proud of what it is right now and how it turned out.”
AM Heartbeat premiered on Africa Magic Showcase with 12 episodes and a reunion special.