LOVE, LUXURY
& PLENTY OF LAVS
On Set & Behind the Scenes of XOXO
By Andrew King
XOXO advisor Cary Tauben, host Anouk Meunier, advisor Olivier Primeau & advisor Elisabetta Fantone
In the months leading up to its premiere in the fall of 2018, the
Quebec-based reality show XOXO promised viewers a “new
era in reality TV.”
The objective of the program was clear from the outset:
to bring together groups of attractive, outgoing singles in
hopes of forming the most prominent and talked-about cou-
ple in Quebec. Over the course of its 11-week broadcast run,
the series saw its participants living lavish, celebrity-inspired
lifestyles and taking part in glamorous trips and outings as the
show’s three resident advisors used modern matchmaking
30 • PROFESSIONAL SOUND
strategies to explore potential pairings. Of course, romance
wasn’t the only prize; the XOXO hopefuls were also vying for
$100,000 in cash, VIP access to some of the world’s top music
festivals, and keys to a posh condo in Florida.
While much of the series was set in the downtown Mon-
treal penthouses where the five eligible-and-eager guys and
18 girls resided throughout its run, other shooting locations
included days on Caribbean beaches and luxury yachts and
nights at top-tier restaurants and clubs in busy international
metropolises.