Why Long Live Love on SBS is the best program ever

Who would have thought? The ultimate guilty pleasure, just to watch on SBS. Nahh, that's just crazy. And I was a bit late to this discovery, because that meant I had 109 episodes still to watch. I haven't managed all 109 yet, but I'm well on my way... Yes, I'm of course talking about the show Lang Leve de Liefde, or the gift that keeps on giving.

The idea is quite simple: two people are paired together and then have to spend 24 hours together in a house. After that, they have the chance to extend it, for a maximum of five days. Are they still not tired of each other? Then they are treated to a romantic weekend away.

Let me start with the fact that the episodes that are the most enjoyable are not the episodes where they make it to that weekend away... But I can really be amazed by the fact that people who don't know each other and therefore know nothing about each other have such a lack of chemistry that they end up fighting each other out of the tent within 24 hours.

But even if there is a match, it can be pure enjoyment. Marco and Rosa are into each other, and then of course you go for a dip in the jacuzzi together... Seems logical to me. ‘Ouch, it's hot,’ Marco says a few times until he decides to get out of the bath and then passes out. It's completely enjoyable that the voice-over during the preview says: ‘Watch tomorrow as Marco falls head over heels for Rosa.’ HAHA.

Or then there's Brabander Tayfun, who is matched with Fleur. The latter is, to say the least, not very impressed with the Brabo. According to him, he speaks a decent word across the border, but speaks four languages fluently: English, Dutch, Turkish, and Brabants. Yes, he seriously claims that. When he makes the shocking discovery that Fleur can actually understand him when he speaks Brabants (language wonder), he doesn't let that get him down and treats her to a self-written rap. Was she waiting for that? No, nobody was. The match didn't work out according to Tayfun, because Fleur was ‘too dumb’ for him. Oooookeee...

No, then there's the couple Indy-Lynn and Mike, who discovered the trampoline in the garden. Indy-Lynn bounced around happily because she had a background in athletics... And while Mike grabs his belt (he doesn't want his pants to fall down while jumping), this girl makes a slightly unfortunate jump and breaks her arm. She goes to the hospital, Mike chills in the garden, consults some friends who advise him to leave as soon as possible, and the match (very surprisingly) ultimately doesn't happen.

But there's more. A woman who feels the chemistry until she hears that he absolutely doesn't want a dog in his bed. Well, she just happens to have some little dogs that absolutely need to sleep in her bed. The result? She spends the 24 hours crying.

But the one who really made me want to throw something at my screen was Melissa, who was matched with René. That poor, poor René. She literally spent 24 hours screaming at him and accused him of constantly interrupting her (spoiler: he didn't). Every time he tried to say something, she screamed: ‘NOW YOU'RE DOING IT AGAIN.’ Ooohhh, she was terrible. And René was so endearing. I want him to come back. He deserves a nice match.

The best news: starting August 10, there are new, extra-long episodes. CAN'T WAIT.