Fourteen singles are ditching modern dating and getting in touch with their animal instincts on Love in the Jungle, a new series launching Sunday, May 8 on discovery+. Singles Austin Nogiec and Lynsey Fuller opened up to PopCulture.com about the unique experiment, which challenged them to make connections by taking on mating rituals pulled straight from the animal kingdom – complete with little to no verbal communication.
Prior to signing up for the show, Lynsey said it’s been tough to get past the casual dating vibe of Miami, and Austin admitted he’s been “terrible at dating in the past.” Neither of these singles was completely sure what they were signing up for, but when they were assigned their animal persona – Lynsey a tiger, and Austin a koala – they were down for the challenge.
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“I was lucky enough that I had a tiger, so cats make multiple noises,” Lynsey said of taking on the new form of communication, revealing it only took about 20 minutes for everyone to get used to their more animal ways of getting their point across. With a koala, things were a bit more challenging, and Austin called trying to get across his “goofy, fun, extroverted” personality and make deeper connections nonverbally “one of the hardest things I’ve ever done in my entire life.”
It definitely paid off, however. “I think it’s a very unique way to look at things,” he continued. “You’re really in this moment being stripped of every kind of superficial peripheral thing. …You really have to trust your gut not only [with] physical attraction but emotional.” Going through this experience, Austin said he came to see the people around him more than just as potential partners, but as “a door to unlock an experience” or life lesson. “You just don’t give people the chance of day with these dating apps,” he lamented.
Lynsey agrees the unconventional dating experience was “more effective for sure,” than modern dating. “Ditch the dating apps. … Ditch the phones, go to the jungle spend a month together and you’ll definitely walk out married,” she joked. Love in the Jungle premieres globally on Sunday, May 8 only on discovery+.
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