Ready To Love: Season 9/ Episode 1 “Hot and Bothered” – Episode Recap & Review

As the mainline “Ready To Love” returns, there are shifts to the initial mixer that may help those who would otherwise struggle, and a game is put in place that is meant to further challenge participants.

Plot Recap

This Is More Difficult Than Expected – Glen, Damonte, Will, William, April, Mieka, Alexis, Kosheia

As you can imagine, dating publicly can be daunting for many. There is a certain level of accountability; whether or not you have social skills is on display, and while your last name and social media account(s) aren’t put out there, people can easily find you.

Hence why, Glen becomes the first person in the franchise to quit before they even meet anyone. But, in his defense, this isn’t an easy show to be on, never mind impress people. Damonte, for all the style he has, doesn’t do much for most of the ladies once they get past the superficial.

Will and William? Will is a flirt, but he is also bold in ways the ladies feel uncomfortable about, and William? With being a comedian, divorced twice, and having children? The ladies aren’t just looking to laugh but have someone stable, so that’s a problem.

Dating With Intention – Domonique, Laron, Meika, Kosheia, Alexis

As for the ladies? The only one who may have any trouble is Meika due to not wanting more kids. But, it seems the guys like her physically enough that she should be fine outside of those like Domonoqie who are talking about 2 to 10 kids.

Plus, when it comes to Domonique, as shown by him and Laron going head to head in a “Hot and Bothered” game, which judged how much the men knew the ladies, those two have dated around more than enough to find options. On top of that, when it comes time for the elimination conversation, while Laron may not do it for everyone, he has a fierce defender in Kosheia, who seems ready to fight Alexis for a man she just met.

Elimination 1 – William, Damonte

But, even with Glen self-eliminating before things started, the men don’t get a break. William, with no stability, two divorces, and two kids, is a crimson wave of red flags. Beside him, also lacking the stability the women desire, is Damonte, whose sin is talking a lot about himself but not showing enough interest in the ladies.

Between the two, despite his style, Damonte gets eliminated.

Things to Note

1. Next Eliminated (Men): William
2. Next Eliminated (Women): Kosheia
3. Final Couples: It’s hard to say until we meet the other half of the season.

General Information

Network	OWN
Release Date	January 12, 2024
Director(s)	n/a
Writer(s)	n/a
Newly Noted Characters and Cast
Self	Glen
Self	Damonte
Self	Will
Self	William
Self	April
Self	Mieka
Self	Alexis
Self	Kosheia
Self	Domonique
Self	Laron

New Character Description(s)

Glen

Glen is a 41-year-old teacher.

Damonte

Damonte is a 42-year-old fashion stylist and photographer with at least 35 tattoos and seven fashion shows.

Will

Will is a 31-year-old real estate developer.

William

William is a 37-year-old comedian who has done standup for eight years, is divorced twice, has three children, and is part of the National Guard.

April

April is a 41-year-old pharmaceutical director with no children.

Mieka

Mieka is a 36-year-old esthetician with two children and no interest in having more.

Alexis

Alexis is a 32-year-old operations director and a basketball referee on the side. She also has an autoimmune disorder, specifically hidradenitis suppurativa, aka HS, that deals with her ability to sweat and makes it so she has to be very careful with her diet.

Kosheia

Kosheia is a 35-year-old realtor, once divorced, with two children.

Domonique

Dominique is a 35-year-old accountant and art curator who has never been married and has no kids but would want 2 to 10 kids.

Laron

Laron is a 31-year-old systems operations manager who moved to Texas two years ago due to COVID, Texas not collecting taxes, and to find a wife.

Review

Highlights

Limiting How Many Are At The Mixer

“Ready To Love,” as shown by Glen, isn’t for everyone. One of the leading, if not initial, challenges for many is the mixer that has started every season. The problems have ranged from latching onto anyone too soon, being shy or overwhelmed, or expecting to hold court and people come to you.

But, as we’ve seen for the last few seasons, there have been shifts to make things easier, and this might be the best change yet. Granted, it doesn’t seem like we got any notably shy men, beyond Glen, or ladies who are above approaching any of the men. However, with this benefiting one half, we have to wait and see how the other half does.

On The Fence

The Safety Game

This franchise, one of the longest-running on OWN that is still airing, has arguably gotten stale, and while there have been two spin-offs, which make almost 11 seasons total, the success stories are few. So, to shake things up, they added a game, and we’re torn about it.

On the one hand, the game did prove which men were dating around for attention or with intention, as shown by the two men who answered the most questions correctly being safe. But, again, this is a show that pushes you to date around and can feel like it is punishing you for getting to know one person over a few. So, as much as you may want to appreciate the dating with intention, it doesn’t necessarily root out those who may say one thing, but by the end of the reunion show, their actions show their focus was on something else.

Discussion Items

Let us know your thoughts in the comments:

1. Do you like the change where the mixer has fewer people, and what about the game that can keep someone from being eliminated? Do you think it pushes dating to be more intentional or pushes people to play the field more than focus on one person?

Episode Directory

Previous Episode: Ready To Love: Make A Move: Season 1/ Episode 13 “The Final Word” (Series Page | Character Guide)