7 Of The Weirdest Things 'The Courtship' Contestants Had To Do On The New Reality Show
If you haven't seen the new Bridgerton inspired reality show, calledThe Courtship, go turn on the TV now.
Contestants on the new show were transported to the Regency era and had to do some pretty weird things to play the role of the handsome duke — and win the heart of the leading lady, Nicole Remy.
The show was actually filmed in North Yorkshire, England, in a stunning castle straight out of a fairytale. That's not all that makes this show unique though.
It actually brought back a bunch of things from the olden days of dating — including meeting the entire family super early and attending balls.
They also have everything from horseback riding and carriages, to archery dates and outfits right out of the Bridgerton costume wardrobe.
Narcity sat down with one of the stars of the show who is from Alberta and lives in Vancouver, B.C. — named Derek Kesseler. He gave the inside scoop on what the show was like — including the strange things he had to do on it.
‘The Courtship’ Star Derek Kesseler Is From Vancouver & Here’s What We Know About HimNarcity | YouTube
Imagine a mix between The Bachelorette and Bridgerton — that's basically The Courtship.
Here are seven things that the contestants had to do on the show.
Refer To Each Other By Their Last Names
"The one thing that stood out to me that was one of the strangest things that I think a lot of the guys had difficulty with was calling each other by our last names," said Kesseler.
For the filming process, he was Mr. Kesseler only — which would be tricky to get used to saying all of the time.
Live In An Actual Castle
Kesseler said it was a wild experience actually being at this castle. He said that he couldn't believe it was real and that it totally gave him a "pinch me" feeling.
He also said that there was no detail missed in the re-creation of the era. Every bit of it screamed Regency vibes during filming.
Stand Up When A Lady Enters The Room
Production nailed every detail of the old-school dating scene it seems like.
Kesseler said that there was a bunch of little things that they had to remember. One of the etiquettes was standing up when a lady came into the room.
Sounds exhausting TBH.
They Were Decked Out In Regency Clothes
Kesseler recalled wearing the Regency period fashion as actually being one of his favourite parts. Gloves and a full suit were their daily fits during filming.
He said that wearing the coat with a tail was especially odd though. Just imagining it is hilarious.
Wait until the leading lady sees them at home in sweat pants after all of this!
They Danced At A Ball
We're not talking about going out to a club kind of dancing here either — it was the waltz.
Kesseler said that he actually loved stepping into the era because he got to do things like going to a ball — which he would never go to outside of the show.
They also did horseback riding and archery for some super romantic dates.
They Had To Be Real Gentlemen
The contestants had to 'walk the walk' and 'talk the talk' for this show.
Kesseler said that when he stepped into the era it made him want to be a proper old-school gentleman.
He even re-watched Bridgerton in preparation for the show!
It's a good thing he did because he said that filming The Courtship felt like being on the set of the iconic Netflix show.
"Not to say chivalry is dead, but the way it was back then, there's just so many things that were so standard, that you don't really think about," Kesseler said.
They Met Nicole Remy's Family Early On
During their courtship, Kesseler said that they met the leading lady, Nicole Remy's, parents, sister, and friend.
"It's not just impressing her on a date it's impressing her dad, mom, and the whole family," he said.