A new fleet of hopeful men and women is embarking on the journey of finding an everlasting love connection on season 4 of OWN’s “Ready to Love,” hosted by comedian and radio show personality Tommy Miles.
The cast of 20 men and women combined is a departure from most dating shows in that the participants are Black, in their 30s to 40s, and have established every other aspect of their life except for longtime companionship. The show is the brainchild of movie producer Will Packer’s production company, Will Packer Media, and Lighthearted Entertainment.
The “Steve Harvey Morning Show” co-host is not just standing by as the participants either fumble or succeed in pursuing opportunities of connection, he’s offering them mentorship.
“They’ve done everything, they’ve excelled in their careers, but they haven’t had time, or made time, for a relationship. And that’s where I step in and try to get them to, you know, ‘Why don’t we implement this into your daily routine? Because your routine is so set,’” Miles explained to Atlanta Black Star.
The latest season is set in Houston, Texas, and, much like the state’s reputation, the participants are bringing big energy, big backgrounds of success and big expectations to meet more than just a “Mr. or Mrs. Right Now.” And just like the theme song, “Know it took me some time to get to the place you wanted me to be, but now I’m ready, I’m ready to love,” Miles says the men and women are showing up and out.
“This season we have some ladies that are bosses, ya know, and they doing it,” says the veteran comedian. “The men are ripped! Physically they’re incredible, and then intellectually they’re there as well. The men, they some sexy men, ladies, so get ready for that, they sexy! They got it going on career-wise, most of them are entrepreneurs, and I like it.”
Miles, who is set to celebrate his 20th wedding anniversary with wife Jacqueline in June, is pulling from his wealth of experience balancing love and career while mentoring the participants. He reiterates throughout the show that making strong and undeniable connections is the goal, not necessarily to be the last man and woman standing.
“If you’re in here to run your game I’mma shut yo’ game down. And there’s always somebody with a game. There’s always somebody trying to figure out what we’re going to do,” Miles added. Some of those curveballs participants attempt to outwit may include exes and best friends being brought in to shake up potential love connections.
Miles hopes the participants use the opportunity to meet potential like-minded suitors to highlight the beauty in building a team with the right partner.
“I think you gotta realize that you’re in a partnership, you know, and you both need each other in order for it to function.” It’s a reality the Texas A&M University alum has witnessed firsthand in his own marriage.
“Guess what, out of this whole journey, at the beginning of it I had no money. I didn’t have a dime. Guess who carried the load? My wife carried the load for my dream. And now to this day she don’t have to work if she don’t want to, and she don’t,” he adds.
With these 20 romance hopefuls putting their dating efforts on display for millions, the big picture is simple: You have to know what longevity is.
“I like that they come in, you’ve been career driven, you’ve been grinding out there, you just haven’t been grinding relationship-wise. And I think this is probably — you know I have my favorite season, this is No. 4 — to me, my favorite was always No. 1. No. 4 is pretty close to No. 1, if not better.”
The new season kicks off April 2 at 9 p.m. only on OWN.
