The following story contains spoilers for the finale episode of “Let’s Marry Harry.”
“Too Hot to Handle” star, OnlyFans model and seemingly eternal bachelor Harry Jowsey finally decided to settle down. Even more he decided to tie the knot, where he got his start – Netflix.
David Friedman (“Temptation Island”) was tapped by the streamer and Alex Cooper’s Unwell Productions to executive produce and showrun the series with Jowsey attached to lead the reality series. Even Friedman was captivated by the notorious flirt.
“You’re just immediately drawn in by him. He’s charismatic. He’s genuine,” he told TheWrap.
“Let’s Marry Harry” follows a similar format to ABC’s “The Bachelor,” but instead the story starts with an engagement. Twenty women joined the show and were immediately presented with engagement rings. The reality competition series would end in a marriage to Jowsey, presumably.
Friedman told TheWrap that he wanted to make the series feel unique to other dating series on the market and introduced three confidants that would dictate Jowsey’s decisions. Georgia Hassarati (Harry’s ex-girlfriend) as well as Amanda Kloots and Sonny Henty joined the series as the reality star’s friends and decided for the bachelor which of the women should stay and go.
The series also leans on tropes from “Love Island” and “Temptation Island,” forcing Jowsey to live in the same quarters as the twenty women vying for his attention. The proximity led to secret encounters and many kisses with his fiancés.
Jowsey had free reign after the challenges to talk to whoever he pleased, and the women had the same opportunity to approach him whenever they wanted. The showrunner set the stage intentionally to allow the relationships to flourish more organically.
“I didn’t want to make it like a game … If women want to come knock on his door, well, he’s right upstairs,” he said. “I took a lot of the gimmicks out because I just thought there’d be more connecting and genuine relationships if they were allowed to just figure it out for themselves.”
The showrunner added that sharing the space with the women forced Jowsey to confront his decisions in real time as the women realized how he was moving with their competition.
“He’s not one to typically have to worry about that,” Friedman added. “He does what he wants … And in this case, he had to be really thoughtful, or at least the best he could, with his actions.”
Throughout the season Jowsey only had intimate relations with two of the women – both of which made it to the final episode of the series – and the other women only found out about one of them. However, his confidants did call him out for reverting to old habits, saying he did kiss 11 women in one night.
Jowsey threw in a twist of his own, introducing a small engagement ring that he gifted to just one woman in private, Dannelle Davidson. The showrunner clarified that the ring was completely Jowsey’s idea and started as a joke but became more meaningful.
Skeptics wondered if Jowsey was actually ready for marriage, but he set the record straight early on in the series that after the death of his father, the New Zealand native wanted a family of his own.
The series shot in five weeks last October, beginning at a villa in rustic California before venturing to Vegas and later Jowsey’s hometown in New Zealand. The reality star introduced two women to his family before they picked out their wedding dresses and prepared to walk down the aisle.
As opposed to other dating shows like “Love Is Blind,” Friedman did not want to make the series feel like a game for Jowsey or the contestants. This choice played into the reality star’s decision to break things off with Dannelle in private instead of in front of her family and friends.
“Again, that felt too much like a TV show to me,” Friedman said. “Would you do that to somebody that you actually care about? Because even though he didn’t pick Dannelle, he really did care about both these women. ‘Would you do that to someone unless it was on TV?’ And the answer was no.”
When asked if he believed Jowsey would actually make it to the altar, Friedman said that it was a continuous toss up with the leading man going back and forth as the season progressed. The reality star did ultimately tie the knot in the season finale, choosing the woman whom he believed his deceased dad would have wanted, Amber Mozo.
Friedman did not reveal if the couple still remains together post-show but ensured viewers that all would be answered in the forthcoming reunion episode.
“A lot happened in a very short amount of time, and what often happens is then you get caught up in it. You take a minute, and then you reflect,” Friedman teased of Jowsey’s current relationship status. “You face all the stuff that you’re not going to face in that bubble. You open up that bubble, and now you have got to figure out what that looks like.”
As for if there’s more potential for the series outside of Jowsey, the executive producer said that he is open to discussions but is currently focused on the rollout for the original iteration of the reality show.
The “Let’s Marry Harry” reunion will take place next Wednesday, Aug. 26 on Netflix and will be hosted by influencer Haley Baylee.
“He’s not afraid of anything. Nothing will be off limits,” Friedman teased.
