Carrboro one of two reality show finalists!

It’s official – Carrboro is one of two finalists in the running to become the setting for Lovetown, USA, a new reality dating show to air on the Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN). But producers say they need more male applicants.
The show is being produced by the BBC for OWN, and on Tuesday the production team visited Carrboro and hosted a town hall meeting to answer questions and get a better sense of the town.
Bruce Toms, Lovetown’s executive producer, said the team had been searching for the right town over the past several months, and last week presented eight towns to OWN. Those were narrowed to two, but producers would not identify the other town.
According to the Kingsland, Ga., town website, Kingsland is still in the Lovetown running as well, and producers held a similar town hall meeting there on Wednesday.
Toms said producers have been very particular in finding the right town for the show.
“[Network executives] fell in love with this town. I love this town because it’s a unique town,” Toms said. “What popped off the tape for me and for the people at OWN was just that there’s such a great community spirit here.”
Rob Bagshaw, an executive producer for the show, said Winfrey has been very supportive of the show.
“She loves the idea of Lovetown, USA, and she’s seen some early footage of Carrboro, and loved it too,” he said.
The show seeks to guide eight singles on the quest for love over a 30-day period, while examining the effects it can have on a community. Bagshaw said the show is more of a documentary series than a reality television show.
“There’s no reality competition here. We are not eliminating,” he said.
“You wouldn’t see this on a big network, and that’s because we really want to follow the singles that we choose. We want to really follow their journey and find the right match for them,” Bagshaw continued.
The producers said that in selecting a town, they were looking for a place with a picturesque downtown, a strong community spirit and a population of about 15,000, including a good number of singles.
“We just think that Carrboro encompasses all of those things,” casting director Katie MacIntosh said.
However, MacIntosh emphasized that the show needs more male applicants.
“Without single people that want to fall in love, there is no show,” MacIntosh said. “We need to balance out the scale a little bit.”
The producers said they would welcome applicants of any age or sexual orientation from Carrboro and its surrounding areas, including Chapel Hill. Singles still have the chance to apply – email LovetownUSA@gmail.com for details.