Queer summer TV is finally back, and she brought emotional chaos in a crop top. The Ultimatum: Queer Love Season 2 drops June 25 on Netflix, and if you haven’t already cleared your calendar and now’s the time because we all know or TikTok feed will be filled with commentary. .
This season, six new queer couples are entering the experiment-slash-relationship obstacle course, where one partner is ready to lock it down, and the other is somewhere between maybe one day and probably not. Over eight weeks, they’ll split up, partner-swap with another freshly single cast member, live in a trial marriage, and then return to their original relationship to decide whether to get married or move on. If it sounds chaotic, it’s because it is. And that’s exactly why we’ll be watching.
Last season gave us some entertaining moments, a bit of drama, and a whole lot of emotional processing. I mean, it felt like half the show was group therapy, many times beautiful, validating, and exhausting. Don’t get me wrong, I’m fully here for emotionally intelligent, self-aware, communicative queer people (we really are elite in that department), but shamelessly, I’m hoping Season 2 turns up the drama just a little. Give me some gay chaos, producers. I believe in you.
If you somehow missed Season 1, it’s worth watching while you wait for the new one to drop. Think of it as a crash course in lesbian and queer nonbinary relationship dynamics, where love languages include journaling, eye contact, and saying “I just need to process this” 47 times an episode. Only one couple made it out intact, but honestly? The real win was seeing queers on reality TV being tender, messy, complicated, and so, so human.
This season, the action moves to Miami, which means parasailing dates, poolside confessions, and pastel-hued chaos under the sun. And let’s just say—the EveryQueer team has opinions on Miami. We’ve spent more time uncovering queer-owned businesses and vibey lesbian nightlife in Miami than Netflix spent on casting straight drama for the original Ultimatum. Honestly, the production team should’ve hit us up for recs—we’ve got a lesbian travel guide and a queer nightlife guide that’ll take you from brunch to rooftop drag party without missing a beat.
The cast this time includes AJ & Britney, Haley & Pilar, Kyle & Bridget, Mel & Marie, Dayna & Magan, and Ashley & Marita—all somewhere on the spectrum between “we’re soulmates” and “we’ve been arguing about marriage for three years.” Like last time, one partner has issued the ultimatum, and the other’s still deciding if they even believe in marriage. Because let’s be real, for hetero couples, it’s usually just “are we ready or not?” But for queer folks, it’s often layered. Some of us didn’t grow up with marriage as a given. Some still don’t buy into the institution at all. And some just need to make out with a hot stranger on reality TV before circling back to their forever person. As one does.
I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t already guessing who’s gonna thrive, who’s gonna spiral, and who’s gonna fall for their trial spouse and send us all into a meme frenzy. Will Season 2 deliver more mess, more heart, and maybe a little more fun than Season 1? I sure hope so. Emotional literacy is hot, but a little cocktail-fueled tension never hurt reality TV.
Either way, we’ll be watching. Because there’s still so little queer representation on reality television—especially for women and nonbinary folks—that when we do get a show centered on our relationships, even the messiest moments feel revolutionary. The Ultimatum: Queer Love isn’t just a dating show. It’s visibility. It’s vulnerability. It’s that one ex who says, “I’m doing the work,” but still ghosts you after Pride.
So set your reminders for June 25. Catch up on Season 1 if you haven’t already. And whether you’re watching with your queer crew, your current partner, or alone while texting your situationship commentary, one thing’s for sure: we’ll all be talking about it—online, in group chats, and over brunch.
