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Before Tinder, MTV’s ‘Next’ Turned Dating Into a Brutal Swipe-Left Game Show

The chaotic MTV dating show turned rejection into entertainment years before dating apps made swiping past people feel normal.

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The early 2000s were all about trashy reality television. Every network was hoping to capitalize on the success of reality game shows like The Bachelor, Big Brother, and Survivor. MTV was one of the earliest networks to adopt a reality television formula that worked, creating iconic shows like MTV Cribs, Jersey Shore, Catfish, The Osbournes, and a surprisingly unique dating show, Next.

When Next aired on MTV, it was pretty controversial. They were moving away from the identity that they’d had for 20 years: music. MTV was the place to watch all the latest music videos and........

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