Inside What 'Perfect Match' Contestants Are Actually Competing for Each Season

For most of the singles on the Netflix dating show Perfect Match, the only prize necessary is the promise of finding the ideal partner before the season is over. But does Perfect Match have actual prize money for the winning couple at the end of each season? The idea behind the show is for each of the couples to make it as far as possible so they can each prove themselves as the "perfect match" out of everyone else.

It wouldn't be surprising for there to be a prize for the winners of Perfect Match. On another Netflix dating show Too Hot to Handle, the singles work towards winning a prize fund, and reality shows in general typically include a monetary prize at the end. Or, at the very least, a stipend of some kind. For Perfect Match, though, things might be a bit different, down to the contestants not getting paid for their time at all.

If you watched the first season of Perfect Match, then you know the point of the show isn't to award the best couple with anything more than bragging rights and the title of being the "perfect match" out of everyone else. But for most of the couples on the show, that's more than enough of a prize to make filming thousands of miles from home worth all the trouble.

There is, of course, a chance that Perfect Match contestants get paid a weekly stipend for filming on location. However, no one from the show and no former cast members have come forward to confirm that publicly. So other than a free tropical vacation and a few romantic dates on and off the beach, Perfect Match contestants likely walk away with nothing to show for their time.

By the end of each season of Perfect Match, there are usually a handful of strong couples that have made it by this point. But there's also usually one couple that stands out as unproblematic, minimally dramatic, and legitimately well-matched. And each contestant votes on which couple they think is the best, That couple wins the season as the Perfect Match.

And while no one makes money for winning Perfect Match, they do potentially walk around with thousands more social media followers, and even a few opportunities to shill products on Instagram. Hey, it's all in a day's work for reality TV stars, and it's certainly better than nothing.

Watch Perfect Match on Netflix.