Jerry O'Connell on Filming 'The Real Love Boat' on a Cruise Ship: "I Am Officially a Cruiser" (EXCLUSIVE)

You don't have to know much about the original Love Boat television show to appreciate the CBS reality show The Real Love Boat. And in an exclusive interview with Distractify ahead of its premiere, host Jerry O'Connell shared more about the show, how it works, and what sets it apart from other reality dating shows.

But where was The Real Love Boat filmed? The show clearly draws inspiration from the TV show of the same name which premiered in 1976, in that contestants find love on a ship. The big difference here, however, is that the romances are real.

And, according to Jerry, so are the heartbreaks. He hosts the show with his wife, Rebecca Romijn, and they spent weeks at sea to help singles find their perfect matches.

As the title of the show suggests, The Real Love Boat was indeed filmed on a boat. Or, to be more exact, on a cruise ship. Jerry shared with us that he and his wife filmed the reality show with Princess Cruises and that the experience was shared with thousands of other patrons on the ship at the same time. So it's the real deal.

He added that the ship sailed throughout the Mediterranean and that, before the show, he had never been on a cruise before. Now, he told us, he is "officially a cruiser." But when it comes to hosting the show on the ship, Jerry said the biggest thing for him was seeing the Real Love Boat contestants fall in love and explore new relationships.

"It was inspiring seeing them find love," Jerry said. "It was [also] inspiring seeing people not work out … Now I realize why when you find someone that you really connect with, you have to cherish that person because finding connections is not easy."

And just in case you need further proof that the point of The Real Love Boat is to find real love on a boat, Jerry assured us that they filmed on the cruise for 21 days in July 2022. He joked that there was "no escape" from him for his wife and that it was a "huge feat" they stayed married afterward.

Jerry also shared, more seriously, that what sets this show apart from other reality dating shows is its heart and the people who want to find love.

"It's real people," Jerry said. "These aren't just people looking for followers or clout. We have firemen, we have nurses. We have real people on this ship."

Clearly not everyone who finds love on The Real Love Boat keeps that love, since Jerry hinted at seeing some heartbreak among the contestants. But again, that's where the "real" part of the show comes into play.

Watch The Real Love Boat on Wednesdays at 9 p.m. EST on CBS.