Before Arlette Amuli and Bolia Matundu (also known as “BM”) were making a wildly popular reality series about finding love, they were watching all of them.
“We’re big fans of 90 Day Fiance [and] Married at First Sight,” Amuli tells ESSENCE. “I got him into watching those shows with me. He finally stopped acting like he wasn’t paying attention.”
Matundu became so captivated by the format that he started brainstorming ways to perfect it. He invested $1,500 in camera equipment and got to work. “I remember when I bought the camera, my wife asked, ‘Why are you buying all this stuff?”‘ But that investment would pay off in a big way. The result was Pop The Balloon or Find Love—a polished take on the viral social media trend that has taken the internet by storm.
“I got on TikTok, and I saw a clip of our show, but we weren’t the ones that posted it, and then it kept happening,” Amuli says of when she realized they had a hit on their hands. “I didn’t know people were paying this much attention to it.”
Matundu understands its appeal to the masses. “People are nosey. First of all, they want to know everybody’s business,” he says. He also believes digital fatigue from scrolling through apps to find a match contributes to its success. “I think it all comes down to the idea of you putting yourself out there.” People want to see how it works out for others, hence the reason the videos, which roll out on YouTube, easily rack up more than a million views each time they are released.
Despite all the balloon popping that occurs, Matundu knew it was a hit when it became easier to find participants. “The first two episodes it was difficult. I had to go and find people to be part of the show,” he admits. “After that, it was automatic.”
The couple acknowledges that they didn’t pioneer the concept, but together, they have elevated it. Working as executive producers, they’ve gone from life partners to creative partners, too. “It’s just easier when you know each other so well,” he says. “We give each other signals and stuff like that. I think this is all much easier when you build that type of relationship creatively. We read each other’s minds.”
Crisp sound, which might seem like a small detail, was actually a big part of setting their program apart from others.
“I feel like sound is very important just as much as a video because you need to hear clearly and you need to understand what people are saying,” he says. “So the microphone, for me, had to be a very big part of the show because some people that record their shows, they’re not really recording from a microphone that you can hear from.”
Their shared talents have also contributed to the show’s success. Matundu has production experience, allowing him to create original music. “The introduction beat I made over 12 years ago,” he says. “I held on to that and said to myself, this beat is going to be big one day.”
He encouraged Amuli to host the show, a role in which she’s truly blossomed. “I’ve never done any type of hosting of anything, so it was a new experience,” she says, admitting this level of production was intimidating. “It was a lot different because with my everyday content, I can, you know, say anything or just be myself.”
She hasn’t quite mastered every aspect of the process. When contestants throw shade at each other, for example, sharing why a prospect is or isn’t their type, she reacts. “I try to control my facial expressions,” she says playfully.
But Matundu is proud of how she handles those moments. “The thing I like about my wife is that she knows how to carry herself,” he says.
“It was something that I didn’t know that I would be good at, but the more that we kept filming, the more comfortable I got with it,” she adds. “I kind of started finding my own flow.”
Pop the Balloon went from social media sensation to streaming juggernaut, racking up over 100 million views. It’s now getting the Netflix treatment, as the streaming giant will begin airing a live version hosted by Yvonne Orji on April 10, streaming live every Thursday evening.
Despite the chatter surrounding the move, the couple says the partnership is aimed at giving the series “the global recognition it deserves.” Orji was brought in to host this iteration because she mirrored Amuli’s unique sense of humor, which viewers have always appreciated. “She’s such a people person, very easy to talk to, and that’s where I kind of saw myself,” she shares. “I saw how we meshed well, and I feel like people will be really receptive to her personality.”
The next goal is to expand the reach of the show without abandoning the original audience and concept. The YouTube series will continue to air as they keep helping people make a connection. “On YouTube, our show and our audience is mostly focused on Black love, and we love that,” says Amuli. “That’s what we always want to keep pushing.”
