‘Pop The Balloon’ Creators Bring Their Matchmaking Formula To A Dating App

The move into tech was a natural progression in response to the audience

In February, Bolia “BM” Matundu and Arlette Amuli, the couple behind the viral dating game show Pop the Balloon or Find Love, hosted a gala outside of Phoenix to celebrate the latest evolution of their matchmaking experiment: a dating app called Luv or Pop.

The couple say the move into tech was a natural progression in response to their audience.

“We got so many DMs, emails, and comments from people, like, ‘I’m too shy to come on the show. Can you please do something for those of us who don’t want to be out there publicly?’” Amuli said. “The dating app is the perfect way.”

“That’s where it is right now — everything is tech,” Matundutold BLACK ENTERPRISE. “Everybody uses the phone and we just wanted to interact with our fans more.”

The app mirrors the show’s defining mechanic: the red balloon signaling interest or rejection.

“You can actually collect balloons and pop on the app,” Matundu explained. “It kind of gives you the experience without having to come on the show.”

Amuli says Luv or Pop is also designed to address the fatigue many singles feel on traditional dating platforms.

“The way we’re trying to cut down on it being another swipe, swipe, swipe kind of app is with preference-based searching,” Amuli shares. “You put in your preferences, if you want kids or if you want someone that’s six feet. People who come up on your feed would be someone that’s your type based on what you put in, so it limits the whole swiping aspect.”

“People that apply on our show very intentional,” Matunduadded. “They’re looking for real love. You have to verify your identity, so it’s real people on the app and no fake bots …verifying is very important for success.”

While many viral clips from Pop the Balloon circulate because contestants fail to find matches, Amuli and Matundu say the show’s real impact changed how they saw their work.

“When people started finding real love and we had couples getting engaged and married, that’s what really blew up for us,” Matundu said.

“For me, it was during our first proposal we had with Mike and Khe,” Amuli added, referring to the engagement of contestants Mike Braswell and Nicole “Khe” Okeke in 2024. “That’s when I was like, ‘Oh my God, wait! People are really coming on with the intention to find a match and actually get married.’ That’s when like the light bulb went off.”

The series has also turned Amuli into an unlikely relationship referee. Her reactions, questions, and occasional offer to return a popped balloon have become part of the show’s appeal.

“She’s great on camera,” Matundu said. “She knows what to say. She keeps the conversations going and calms people’s nerves.”

“I think it’s just being personable,” Amuli said. “I like to make people feel welcome.”

Amuli credits her husband’s production eye for the show’s consistency.

“He’s a perfectionist,” Amuli said. “When you look at the set—the shots, the lighting—that’s all him. That’s what I think really keeps the people tuned in, the production is so crisp and clean.”

The couple expanded the concept in 2025 when Netflix launched a live adaptation of Pop the Balloon, with Amuli and Matundu serving as executive producers and comedienne Yvonne Orji hosting. The transition underscored both the show’s reach and the challenge of scaling a format built on intimacy.

Now they face a similar test with Luv or Pop: translating a community built around watching strangers date into one that’s actively participating.

“The hardest part is getting people to trust in what you’re building,” Matundu said. “There’s going to be bugs. There are issues you have to fix. The hardest part is keeping people there. We’re going to make it work.”

“It’s getting people to see what’s different about this app” Amulia dded. “You have to come on and experience it for yourself before you decide if it’s for you.”

At the Luv or Pop gala, supporters greeted the couple enthusiastically, cheering their arrival and posing for photos — a reminder that the show has grown beyond online entertainment into a shared social experience.

Luv or Pop app is currently in beta testing. Whether the formula that produced engagements and marriages on YouTube will translate to a dating platform remains to be seen. But Amuli and Matundu say their goal isn’t simply downloads. They want participation. And, ideally, more real-world matches.