Netflix reality TV show fans will want to keep an eye out for “Perfect Match” star Justin Assad when going out in Boston this summer. The 27-year-old Massachusetts native is single and says he’s so serious about “finding his person” that, at this point, he is “dating to marry.”
“I really don’t have a type, to be honest. I like an easygoing person. Someone who’s kind, personable, has a good sense of humor, is passionate in her endeavors but doesn’t take life too seriously,” he said.
Who is Justin Assad?
Assad’s close-knit, Lebanese-Irish family originally hails from Boston’s Charlestown neighborhood, but during his childhood, his parents moved him, his older brother, twin sister and younger sister north to Melrose.
“I spent summers on the Cape, just like every other Massachusetts kid,” he said. “I’m really just a typical Massachusetts boy-next-door-type person.”
Assad attended high school at Hamilton’s Pingree School and became a notable athlete, playing football, basketball, lacrosse and running track. Taking after his father — who played football at Springfield’s American International College — Assad went on to attend Assumption College in Worcester on a football scholarship and played as a wide receiver while studying business management and English.
A beach-lover at heart, Assad initially hated living in Worcester, he said. But by the end of his time at Assumption, he never wanted to leave.
“Worcester has an amazing culture over there. From the food to the arts to the people, it’s a culmination of so many different cultures,” he said.
How Assad got into reality TV
Not long after Assad graduated college, a Netflix reality TV show producer contacted him on Instagram and asked him to apply to be on one of their shows. At the encouragement of his sisters who love reality TV, he decided to take a chance on it.
“I didn’t think too much about it. It was more so just an opportunity that presented itself. I wanted to take it by the horns,” he said.
Assad came close to being cast on the streaming service’s social media-based reality show “The Circle” but was ultimately cast on a new, pseudo-survivalist game show called “Surviving Paradise,” which was filmed in May 2022. While not a dating show, a romance developed between him and another contestant on the show — Sarah Kate “SK” Reynolds.
The two began flirting early on during filming, and with little to do while staying at the show’s rugged outdoors, no-amenities residence known as “the camp,” the two quickly began having deep conversations, Assad said.
But, after days of sleeping outside with no tent, eating only unseasoned rice and beans and lacking access to running water, Assad struggled to drum up the energy to court Reynolds more and more despite encouragement from the show’s producers.
Ultimately, the romance was cut short when the two were pitted against each other during an emotional mind game that resulted in Reynolds’ elimination from the game. The pair later pursued their connection off-screen, but it didn’t last, Assad said.
“We had our fun after the show ended, but we kind of just came to grips with the fact that we’re two different people,” he said.
Coming back to Netflix for ‘Perfect Match’
After his first foray into reality TV, Assad worked for Dell EMC — which has a hub in Hopkinton — as a tech salesperson. Then, in August 2023, he partook in a second round of filming with Netflix, this time on season two of its dating show “Perfect Match,” which is premiering this month.
At first, Assad thought the show would just be a fun time. But the show’s producers quickly made it clear to him that they were serious about helping the cast members find love, he said.
“If you’re gonna do it, you might as well take it seriously,” he said.
At the time, Assad was going to therapy in the hopes of dealing with issues that had caused problems in his previous relationships, such as his reluctance to be vulnerable with his partners and his tendency to close himself off emotionally when he gets uncomfortable.
“I had this crazy growth, and I’m starting to be open and being more affectionate and then ‘Perfect Match’ calls,” he said. “I’m like, ‘This is a sign. I’m going to find my perfect match and I’m going to be emotionally there and ready for this moment in time.”
The show so far
In the first slate of episodes released this month, Assad was paired with “Too Hot To Handle” star Elys Hutchinson. Their first date — which was also the first blind date he’d ever been on — involved an ice bath so small it looked like it could barely fit one person, let alone two.
Hutchinson ended up not getting into the bath for medical reasons, but Assad braved the cold waters like a true New Englander before humorously declaring, “The shrinkage is real.” He remained nervous during the rest of the date but felt Hutchinson was “his type” and admired her strong will, he said.
Later that night at the villa — the show’s primary setting, Assad realized that most of the other cast members already knew each other or knew of each other through the Netflix reality TV show community. He, on the other hand, had only ever watched one of the streaming service’s reality shows, and that was “Love on the Spectrum” — a docuseries that follows romances between autistic people. The show’s cast members have yet to be featured on “Perfect Match” despite the fact that part of its conceit is that the entire cast is made up of Netflix reality TV alumni.
Additionally, when “Perfect Match” was filmed, “Surviving Paradise” had yet to be released on Netflix, so none of the other cast members knew who Assad was either. Yet, despite some awkwardness on their date, by the end of the night, Hutchinson told Assad she was interested in him, and they “matched” — meaning that they moved into a room in the villa together until the next “matching” night, which would happen in a few days.
In such a setting, the pair quickly became romantic and emotionally close, Assad said. Hutchinson is known to be someone whose layers are “hard to peel back” — as Assad described it, but he thinks his ability to coax her into more meaningful conversations was a pleasant surprise for both of them.
“Imagine going on a first date and then never leaving their side and moving in with them,” he said.
What’s next
A second batch of “Perfect Match” season two episodes are set to become available on Netflix on Friday, but Assad confirmed that he and Hutchinson are no longer together. These episodes will likely show both advancements in their relationship and its eventual downfall, he said.
Regardless of the outcome of their relationship, Assad indicated that he was serious about Hutchinson when they dated and said that watching these episodes would likely impact him emotionally.
Outside of reality TV, Assad is working as a full-time content creator through Instagram and TikTok and is looking to pursue acting as a career. He said he loves movies — his favorites of which range from “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” to “Cars 2″ — and got into acting as a child through roles in Charlestown Working Theater productions.
Assad is open to doing another Netflix reality show, but only if he doesn’t meet a serious romantic partner before he’s contacted by producers, he said. He currently leases an apartment in Los Angeles but often comes back to Massachusetts to visit his family and his beloved home state.
For Assad, an ideal Boston date would be dinner at Petit Robert Bistro — a French restaurant in the South End, followed by drinks nearby, he said. Alternatively, he could see himself taking his date on a walk around Castle Island where they can get to know each other while enjoying the beautiful coastline.
What Assad is looking for most in a partner is someone who’s understanding and empathetic, he said. Even so, for him, being a Massachusetts native like himself will always be a green flag.
