"My Mom, Your Dad" is a reality show with a twist

Photo Courtesy of Decider

“My Mom, Your Dad” is the new HBO Max reality dating show with a rather unique twist. Debuting in early February 2022, this series gives viewers an inside look at a group of single parents who have been selected by their college-age children to find love – again. The parents, who move into a house together, are unaware that their adult children are right down the street living in a second house, spying on their every move through hidden cameras. Not only are their children watching them, but they are also manipulating their encounters, such as selecting which parents will be matched together for one-on-one dates. These choices could lead to a potential connection and future relationship between two parents. The kids witness a different side of their parents, from the awkward, embarrassing moments to heartfelt, touching confessions. Hosted by Yvonne Orji of HBO Max’s “Insecure,” this dating game is sure to invoke emotions of love, heartbreak, and a bit of cringe for good measure. 

Though all the kids learned a lot about their parents while they watched them date, they did not all necessarily learn a lot from watching their parents date.

“I think if anything it just showed me to be grateful that I'm not, you know, 50 something kind of date. And, uh, because he was, it was hard to watch at times. But, uh, no. I haven't taken any notes or any hints. I've learned nothing at all from him with dating, so yeah, that's how that went,” Philip Patrick Jr., or PJ, Phil Sr.’s son, said.

Children watching their parents on the dating scene is an interesting and sometimes challenging experience. However, many students do not go through it alone.

“So, for me, I found it really cringy just because I also don't see my mom ever dating. We'll talk about it, but we never get into like the details about it. But I mean it brought us closer together. So, I mean that came out of this experience and it definitely opened up more conversation between us. But I mean, I kind of got used to it after watching her for a while,” Breana Sturgis, Karen’s daughter, said.

“Yeah, I think cringey is the best word to describe it. We had no idea we were gonna be doing that. So once we were in it, we're in it and we had to do it. We had no choice. But yeah, like Bri said, we all kind of got used to it, and it did great. I think it brought all of us closer with our parents in a way. But yeah, definitely cringey. It’s weird and not normal to be watching your parent like that,” Alexandra Devoe, Scott’s daughter said. 

“Like everyone said, I think they gave good insight. And also, it helped help me understand like, whoa, where were we going left mom like you're dating? What can we do better? Could we change some things? And so, insight on you know that helped a lot, but I know my mom very well. We’ve been together for quite some time, me being one of the oldest. Oldest in the house so I think I know my mom pretty well. So, seeing her dating life was like. OK, got that, so like that makes sense that tracks for you,” Destiny Orr, Kiki’s daughter said. 

Throughout the experience, there were some exclusive moments that did not make the show. 

“There was a scene that they didn't show, but we had to watch our parents cuddle. Thirty minutes, or so. And that was the worst experience in my entire life. And then we had to commentate on what we thought about them cuddling, and there's just really nothing to say about your parent cuddling,” Carlie Kauffman, Grant’s daughter said.

“I remember, yeah well, it wasn't on the show either, but they told me to come upstairs and they're gonna show me an ESPN top 10 highlight reel of my mom and Scott making out like five different clips,” Myles Johnson, DeNeia’s son said.

“The main thing that was seeing my dad wear spandex. I know that made the show, but, like, you know and then, like, seeing people like online. They talk about it. Like, I remember I saw a comment like asking my dad to do, like, an OnlyFans and like show like that. It's so weird. I didn't think it was fun to see, like, the sexualization of my dad, but I've definitely talked about it in therapy now,” Brooks Brown, Joel’s son, said sarcastically. 

Although there is a game show or competition-like aspect to the show, the kids, many of whom are going through the experience of dating themselves, don’t feel like they’re in a race to find love before their parents. Instead, they are there to support them.

“You know it's not really a competition. I guess it's just, you know, trying to make you know your loved one happy and have them get a level,” Myles Johnson, DeNeia’s son said.

“Yeah, I'm currently engaged to be married. So, you know, I've been in a committed relationship for quite some time now. Uhm, but you know, yeah, there's never a competition. You're just like, I just want you to have what I have and of course, my mom's been married. Like, our parents have been married before and whatnot, so they've had it at one point. So just, like, let's get it back up and so you know doing everything in our power to make sure they have that someone because you know as we get older, uhm, you know we're not in the house anymore. We're you know off doing our own thing in our own lives. We want to make sure that they have that person you know, with them. So I think that's just important. We're just trying to help our parents,” Destiny Orr, Kiki’s daughter said. 

“Yeah, I don't think there's any competition between me and my mom with that. I think just making sure that each other are happy whether we are with someone or not. I think just making sure that we are happy within ourselves is what's most important, because you can't be with someone if you're not comfortable with yourselves,” Breana Sturgis, Karen’s daughter said.

Overall, the experience for both the kids and parents was one to remember.

“You know everything happens for a reason, and I feel like we were all supposed to be in that house exactly at the time we were, so that was the most amazing thing ever. I'm so glad that we did it. We had so much fun. My God, we had so much fun, and we will always have that special memory of all of us,” said Whitney Strunk, Trish’s daughter.

Though disguised in a quirky way, My Mom, Your Dad reminds viewers of the core message.

“It doesn't matter how old you are. It's never too late to find love for sure,” said Strunk.