Princess Charming is a German reality dating show that premiered on May 25, 2021, streaming on premium sector of RTL+ and began airing on October 29, 2021, on television on VOX. It is streaming on RTL+, operated by the RTL media group, in German. The show features women-identifying and non-binary contestants[1] and is modeled after Prince Charming (started in 2019).[2] Princess Charming was hailed as an example of German TV shows becoming more inclusive by Deutsche Welle.[3]
| Princess Charming | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Dating game show |
| Presented by |
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| Starring |
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| Narrated by |
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| Opening theme |
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| Country of origin | Germany |
| Original language | German |
| No. of seasons | 4 |
| No. of episodes | 40 |
| Production | |
| Running time | 75-80 Minutes |
| Production company | Seapoint Productions GmbH & Co. KG |
| Original release | |
| Network | RTL+ |
| Release | 25 May 2021 – present |
| Network | VOX |
| Release | 29 October 2021 – 28 June 2022 |
| Network | VOXup |
| Release | 10 July 2024 – present |
On June 22, 2021, RTL+ officially renewed the series for a second season which premiered on June 14, 2022.[4]
On March 20, 2023, RTL+ renewed the series for a third season[5] which premiered on September 1, 2023.[6] VOX did not include it in its schedule. The channel had previously stopped the airing of the second season earlier than intended due to low ratings.[7]
On December 11, 2023, RTL+ renewed the series for a fourth season[8] which premiered on July 3, 2024. It was also broadcast on free-to-air television by VOXup, a sister station of VOX.[9]
Format
editThe original concept of Princess Charming, opening casting calls in October 2020, was to have a bisexual female lead, while the contestants were supposed to be lesbian or bisexual women and heterosexual men.[10] However, the channel, in response to audience and applicant requests, changed the show concept to focus on a lesbian lead in December of the same year.[11]
Unlike The Bachelor's "rose ceremony" or Prince Charming's black tie ceremony, contestants are eliminated if they are asked by the Princess Charming to take off and return the necklace they had previously been given.
Seasons
edit| Season | Original run | Princess | Winner | Runner-up | Still together | Relationship notes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RTL+ | VOX | VOXup | ||||||
| 1 | May 25, 2021 – July 27, 2021 | October 29, 2021 – December 3, 2021 | N/A | Irina Schlauch | Lou | Elsa | No | After the end of filming Irina and Lou didn't start a relationship. |
| 2 | June 14, 2022 – August 16, 2022 | June 21, 2022 – June 28, 2022[a] | N/A | Hanna Sökeland | Jessica | Laura | Yes | Hanna and Jessica were still together as of the Reunion in August 2022. |
| 3 | September 1, 2023 – November 3, 2023 | N/A | N/A | Madleen Matthias | Elsa | Nina | No | After the end of filming Madleen and Elsa didn't start a relationship. |
| 4 | July 3, 2024 – September 4, 2024 | N/A | July 10, 2024 – September 11, 2024 | Lea Hoppenworth | N/A | Christine, Maike |
N/A | Lea declined to get involved with either finalist. |
Season 1
editThe first season premiered May 25, 2021 on RTL+ and October 29, 2021, on VOX. 30-year-old Irina Schlauch, a lawyer from Cologne, was the first Princess Charming. She said in an interview to be a fan of Prince Charming and wanting to "create more visibility and acceptance" for lesbian women through the show's format. In the same interview, she mentioned enjoying sports, including soccer, and having a twin sister.[12] The season, which was filmed on the Greek island of Crete, consisted of nine episodes and one reunion special.[13]
At the Reunion, Irina and Lou announced they did not start a relationship after the finale.[14]
Contestants
edit| Name | Age | Hometown | Outcome | Place |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lou | 21 | Saarbrücken | Winner | 1 |
| Elsa | 22 | Berlin | Runner-up | 2 |
| Bine | 33 | Berlin | Week 8 | 3-4 |
| Miri | 28 | Kiel | ||
| Gea | 28 | Berlin | Week 7 | 5-6 |
| Kati | 29 | Berlin | ||
| Iry | 27 | Cologne | Week 6 | 7-8 |
| Sarina | 27 | Stolberg | ||
| Wiki | 27 | Hamburg | 9 (quit) | |
| Jana | 26 | Dorsten | Week 5 | 10-11 |
| Johanna | 26 | Hildesheim | ||
| Saskia | 25 | Berlin | 12 (quit) | |
| Britta | 26 | Aachen | Week 4 | 13 (disqualified)[b] |
| Anja | 30 | Leipzig | Week 3 | 14-16 |
| Niki | 27 | Berlin | ||
| Tabi | 25 | Dortmund | ||
| Lia | 30 | Berlin | Week 2 | 17-18 |
| Sandra | 31 | Ratingen | ||
| Sonja | 30 | Salzburg | Week 1 | 19-20 (disqualified)[c] |
| Ulle | 28 | Berlin |
Contestant Progress
edit| Contestants | Episode/Week | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Reunion | |
| Lou | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | WINNER | Guest |
| Elsa | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | ELIM | Guest |
| Bine | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | ELIM | Guest | |
| Miri | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | ELIM | Guest | |
| Gea | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | ELIM | Guest | ||
| Kati | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | ELIM | Guest | ||
| Iry | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | ELIM | ||||
| Sarina | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | ELIM | ||||
| Wiki | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | QUIT | ||||
| Jana | IN | IN | IN | IN | ELIM | |||||
| Johanna | IN | IN | IN | IN | ELIM | |||||
| Saskia | IN | IN | IN | IN | QUIT | |||||
| Britta | IN | IN | IN | DISQ | Guest | |||||
| Anja | IN | IN | ELIM | |||||||
| Niki | IN | IN | ELIM | |||||||
| Tabi | IN | IN | ELIM | |||||||
| Lia | IN | ELIM | ||||||||
| Sandra | IN | ELIM | ||||||||
| Sonja | DISQ | |||||||||
| Ulle | DISQ | |||||||||
- The contestant went on a Group date with the Princess.
- The contestant went on both a Group date and a Single date with the Princess.
- The contestant went on a Single date with the Princess
- The contestant went on a Group date and stayed a night together with the Princess.
- The contestant went on a Double date with the Princess and another contestant.
- The contestant quit the competition.
- The contestant was disqualified.
- The contestant had to give up her necklace and was eliminated.
- The contestant was the runner up.
- The contestant won Princess Charming.
Season 2
editThe Princess Charming of the second season, 28-year-old project leader Hanna Sökeland from Hanover, was introduced on April 21, 2022.[15] The second season began airing June 14, 2022 on RTL+.[16] VOX initially broadcast the season, releasing each episode one week after its debut on RTL+.[17] However, the channel stopped airing it after the first two episodes due to low ratings. This also meant that the season could only be watched by RTL+ subscribers, since the "catch-up offer" (meaning the episodes were available for free on the RTL+ website for a few days after airing on VOX) expired.[18]
At the Reunion, Hanna and Jessica announced they were still together (as of August 2022).[19]
Contestants
edit| Name | Age | Hometown | Outcome | Place |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jessica | 26 | Munich | Winner | 1 |
| Laura | 22 | Munich | Runner-up | 2 |
| Carolin | 29 | Leipzig | Week 8 | 3-4 |
| Jasmin Amelia | 28 | Osnabrück | ||
| Maria | 30 | Cologne | Week 7 | 5 |
| Tyshea | 30 | Cologne | 6 (quit) | |
| Sabcho | 28 | Berlin | Week 6 | 7 |
| Dora | 23 | Cologne | 8-9 (quit)[d] | |
| Paula | 28 | Bremen | ||
| Jördis | 34 | Berlin | Week 5 | 10 |
| Sarah | 28 | Düsseldorf | 11 (quit) | |
| Charlotte | 29 | Bremen | Week 4 | 12-13 |
| Lena | 20 | Leverkusen | ||
| Katharina | 30 | Cologne | 14 (quit) | |
| Anastasia | 26 | Kempten | Week 3 | 15 (quit) |
| Aylin | 30 | Berlin | Week 2 | 16-17 |
| Kim | 25 | Hanover | ||
| Jay | 27 | Frankfurt | 18 (quit) | |
| Vivien | 25 | Velbert | Week 1 | 19 |
Contestant Progress
edit| Contestants | Episode/Week | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Reunion | |
| Jessica | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | WINNER | Guest |
| Laura | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | ELIM | Guest |
| Carolin | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | ELIM | Guest | |
| Jasmin Amelia | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | ELIM | ||
| Maria | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | ELIM | Guest | ||
| Tyshea | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | QUIT | |||
| Sabcho | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | ELIM | ||||
| Dora | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | QUIT | Guest | |||
| Paula | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | QUIT | Guest | |||
| Jördis | IN | IN | IN | IN | ELIM | |||||
| Sarah | IN | IN | IN | IN | QUIT | |||||
| Charlotte | IN | IN | IN | ELIM | ||||||
| Lena | IN | IN | IN | ELIM | ||||||
| Katharina | IN | IN | IN | QUIT | ||||||
| Anastasia | IN | IN | QUIT | |||||||
| Aylin | IN | ELIM | ||||||||
| Kim | IN | ELIM | ||||||||
| Jay | IN | QUIT | ||||||||
| Vivien | ELIM | |||||||||
- The contestant went on a Group date with the Princess.
- The contestant went on both a Group date and a Single date with the Princess.
- The contestant went on a Single date with the Princess
- The contestant went on both a Group date and stayed a night together with the Princess.
- The contestant went on a Single date and stayed a night together with the Princess.
- The contestant quit the competition.
- The contestant had to give up her necklace and was eliminated.
- The contestant was the runner up.
- The contestant won Princess Charming.
Season 3
editThe Princess Charming of the third season, 23-year-old college student Madleen Matthias from Weyhe, was introduced on August 16, 2022. Unlike the previous two seasons, this one was shot on the Thai island of Ko Samui. The third season began airing September 1, 2023 on RTL+. Three contestants were absent from the first episode and joined the competition later on. One of them, Stephie Stark, had previously been a contestant on the German version of The Bachelor and publicly came out as pansexual before joining Princess Charming.[20] The season additionally featured Elsa, a returning contestant from Season 1.[21]
At the Reunion, Madleen and Elsa announced they did not start a relationship after the finale.[22]
Contestants
edit| Name | Age | Hometown | Outcome | Place |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Elsa | 24 | Berlin | Winner | 1 |
| Nina | 31 | Berlin | Runner-up | 2 |
| Aleyna | 23 | Cologne | Week 8 | 3-4 |
| Natalie | 31 | Mönchengladbach | ||
| Jazz | 28 | Hamburg | Week 7 | 5-6 |
| Melanie | 29 | Berlin | ||
| Aysun | 23 | Mannheim | Week 6 | 7-9 |
| Gabi | 29 | Berlin | ||
| Lili | 29 | Cologne | ||
| Linh | 26 | Salzburg | Week 5 | 10-11 |
| Stephie | 28 | Cologne | ||
| Kim | 32 | Cologne | Week 4 | 12 |
| Maria | 29 | Frankfurt | 13-14 (quit)[e] | |
| Rahel | 27 | Berlin | ||
| Desi | 25 | Cologne | Week 3 | 15 (quit) |
| Ailena | 26 | Regensburg | 16-17 | |
| Meli | 27 | Zürich | ||
| Ebru | 33 | Buchholz in der Nordheide | Week 2 | 18-20 |
| Lucy | 25 | Innsbruck | ||
| Nora | 25 | Cologne |
Contestant Progress
edit| Contestants | Episode/Week | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Reunion | |
| Elsa | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | WINNER | Guest | |||
| Nina | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | ELIM | Guest |
| Aleyna | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | ELIM | Guest | |
| Natalie | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | ELIM | Guest | |
| Jazz | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | ELIM | |||
| Melanie | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | ELIM | Guest | ||
| Aysun | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | ELIM | ||||
| Gabi | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | ELIM | ||||
| Lili | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | ELIM | Guest | |||
| Linh | IN | IN | IN | IN | ELIM | |||||
| Stephie | IN | IN | IN | ELIM | ||||||
| Kim | IN | IN | IN | ELIM | ||||||
| Maria | IN | IN | IN | QUIT | ||||||
| Rahel | IN | IN | IN | QUIT | ||||||
| Desi | IN | IN | QUIT | Guest | ||||||
| Aileena | IN | IN | ELIM | |||||||
| Meli | IN | ELIM | ||||||||
| Ebru | IN | ELIM | ||||||||
| Lucy | IN | ELIM | ||||||||
| Nora | IN | ELIM | ||||||||
- The contestant went on a Group date with the Princess.
- The contestant went on both a Group date and a Single date with the Princess.
- The contestant went on a Single date with the Princess
- The contestant went on a Single date and stayed a night together with the Princess.
- The contestant quit the competition.
- The contestant had to give up her necklace and was eliminated.
- The contestant was the runner up.
- The contestant won Princess Charming.
Season 4
editThe Princess Charming of the fourth season, 30-year-old copywriter Lea Hoppenworth from Berlin, was introduced on June 11, 2024. This season was shot on Ko Samui again and began airing on July 3 of the same year.[23] Maike, one of the featured contestants, had previously been in a relationship with Hoppenworth.[24]
In the finale, Hoppenworth decided to eliminate both remaining contestants. She was therefore the first Princess Charming to not pick a winner.[25]
Contestants
edit| Name | Age | Hometown | Outcome | Place |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Christine | 28 | Cologne | Runner-up | 2 |
| Maike | 30 | Berlin | ||
| Marlen | 31 | Cologne | Week 9 | 3-4 |
| Sarah | 29 | Berlin | ||
| Katharina | 28 | Regensburg | Week 8 | 5-8 |
| Marjam | 30 | Hamburg | ||
| Hang | 31 | Hanover | ||
| Laura | 28 | Bochum | ||
| Lara | 27 | Frankfurt | Week 7 | 9-10 |
| Tommi | 23 | Osnabrück | ||
| Inci | 27 | Heidelberg | 11 (quit) | |
| Lucia | 28 | Leipzig | Week 5 | 12-14 |
| Sara | 20 | Vienna | ||
| Seleya | 23 | Cologne | ||
| Melissa | 28 | Neuss | 15 (quit) | |
| Sina | 24 | Munich | 16-17 | |
| Tay | 25 | Zurich | ||
| Julia | 23 | Berlin | Week 2 | 18-20 |
| Lisa | 24 | Bamberg | ||
| Viviana | 24 | Vienna |
Contestant Progress
edit| Contestants | Episode/Week | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | |
| Christine | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | ELIM |
| Maike | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | ELIM |
| Marlen | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | ELIM | |
| Sarah | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | ELIM | |
| Katharina | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | ELIM | ||
| Marjam | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | ELIM | ||
| Hang | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | ELIM | ||
| Laura | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | ELIM | ||
| Inci | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | QUIT | |||
| Lara | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | ELIM | |||
| Tommi | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | ELIM | |||
| Melissa | IN | IN | IN | IN | QUIT | |||||
| Lucia | IN | IN | IN | IN | ELIM | |||||
| Sara | IN | IN | IN | IN | ELIM | |||||
| Seleya | IN | IN | IN | IN | ELIM | |||||
| Sina | IN | IN | IN | IN | ELIM | |||||
| Tay | IN | IN | IN | IN | ELIM | |||||
| Julia | IN | ELIM | ||||||||
| Lisa | IN | ELIM | ||||||||
| Viviana | IN | ELIM | ||||||||
- The contestant went on a Group date with the Princess.
- The contestant went on both a Group date and a Single date with the Princess.
- The contestant went on a Single date with the Princess.
- The contestant went on a Double date and stayed a night together with the Princess.
- The contestant went on a Double date with the Princess and another contestant.
- The contestant quit the competition.
- The contestant had to give up her necklace and was eliminated.
- The contestant was the runner up.
Notes
edit- ^ VOX stopped airing the season after the first two episodes due to low ratings.
- ^ Britta was disqualified after fracturing her elbow during a Group date.
- ^ Sonja and Ulle were disqualified after an (unaired) altercation.
- ^ Dora and Paula quit the show together due to developing feelings for each other.
- ^ Maria and Rahel quit the show together due to developing feelings for each other.
References
edit- ^ ""Princess Charming" kommt - RTL startet lesbische Datingshow". stern.de (in German). 14 December 2020. Retrieved 2021-06-15.
- ^ Döbele, Ralf. ""Prince Charming": Deutschlands erste Gay-Dating-Show". fernsehserien.de (in German). Retrieved 2021-06-15.
- ^ Welle (www.dw.com), Deutsche. "Is Germany nailing diverse and inclusive entertainment? | DW | 02.07.2021". DW.COM. Retrieved 2022-03-15.
- ^ "2022 geht "Princess Charming" in die zweite Runde". RTL (in German). 2021-06-22.
- ^ ""Princess Charming" geht in die dritte Runde". GGG.at. 2023-03-20. Retrieved 2023-11-03.
- ^ Heichel, Michelle (2023-10-28). ""Princess Charming" 2023: Sendetermine und Übertragung". Augsburger Allgemeine. Retrieved 2023-11-03.
- ^ Roth, Veit-Luca (2023-08-16). "Dritte "Princess Charming"-Staffel startet im September". Quotenmeter.de. Retrieved 2023-11-03.
- ^ ""Princess Charming"-Kandidatinnen für 2024 gesucht, "Charming Boys" machen Pause". Queer.de. 2023-12-11. Retrieved 2024-09-05.
- ^ Döbele, Ralf (2024-06-11). "Das ist die neue "Princess Charming": RTL+ verrät Termin für Staffel 4". TV Wunschliste. Retrieved 2024-09-05.
- ^ SPIEGEL, DER (19 October 2020). "Nach "Prince Charming" kommt jetzt "Princess Charming"". Der Spiegel (in German). Retrieved 2021-06-15.
- ^ SPIEGEL, DER (11 December 2020). "Neue Datingshow: "Princess Charming" sucht die Frau fürs Leben". Der Spiegel (in German). Retrieved 2021-06-15.
- ^ Adey, Oliver (2021-05-25). "2021 - Irina Schlauch: This is how the "Princess Charming" experienced her coming out". Brigitte. Retrieved 2021-06-15.
- ^ "Princess Charming ist wieder solo". Queer.de. 2021-07-27. Retrieved 2023-10-28.
- ^ ""Princess Charming" Irina ist wieder single: Aber was lief da zwischen den Finalistinnen?". RedaktionsNetzwerk Deutschland. 2021-07-27. Retrieved 2023-10-28.
- ^ "Hanna aus Hannover ist die neue "Princess Charming"".
- ^ ""Princess Charming": Hanna sucht ab Mitte Juni die große Liebe".
- ^ ""Princess Charming" läuft nicht mehr bei Vox". Queer.de (in German). 2022-07-05. Retrieved 2022-08-09.
- ^ Mantel, Uwe (2022-07-04). "Vox nimmt "Princess Charming" aus dem Programm". DWDL.de (in German). Retrieved 2022-08-09.
- ^ Koshka, Kim (2022-08-16). "Warum mich die zweite Staffel von "Princess Charming" sehr enttäuscht hat". Queer.de. Retrieved 2023-10-28.
- ^ "RTL stellt die Princess 2023 vor". Queer.de. 2023-08-16. Retrieved 2023-10-28.
- ^ Westermayer, Daniela (2023-08-31). "Elsa versucht ihr Glück nochmal". Südwest Presse. Retrieved 2023-10-28.
- ^ Vock, Christian (2023-11-03). ""Princess Charming": Zwei Überraschungen beim "großen Wiedersehen"". Web.de. Retrieved 2023-11-03.
- ^ "Die neue Princess heißt Lea". Queer.de. 2024-06-11. Retrieved 2024-09-05.
- ^ Westermayer, Daniela (2024-07-03). "Kandidatin Maike ist Leas Ex!". Südwest Presse. Retrieved 2024-09-05.
- ^ Schupp, Karin (2024-09-04). "Princess Charming 4: Das war Folge 10". L-MAG. Retrieved 2024-09-05.