Alex Cooper’s First Reality TV Venture Has Officially Sunk at Hulu

Podcast stardom has become one of the more reliable pipelines into Hollywood in recent years, with hosts leveraging massive built-in audiences to launch everything from production companies to full-fledged television projects. Few podcasters have translated that influence into a broader media empire quite like the woman behind one of the most downloaded shows in the country.

That expansion took a notable turn earlier this year when she stepped into unscripted television for the first time, producing a yacht-set dating series built around the same audience that made her podcast a cultural phenomenon. What started as a promising new venture into reality TV has now come to an unexpectedly early end.

Alex Cooper’s Hulu dating show ‘Love Overboard’ has been canceled after one season, according to TMZ. The nine-episode series, hosted by former ‘The Bachelorette’ co-lead and ‘The Traitors’ Season 3 winner Gabby Windey, followed 22 singles competing for romantic connections aboard a luxury yacht while also navigating challenges to gain access to the vessel’s amenities.

‘Love Overboard’ premiered on Hulu on March 26, marking Cooper’s first step into unscripted television production through her Unwell Productions banner. Despite the built-in audience Cooper’s brand typically commands through ‘Call Her Daddy,’ the show failed to generate the same level of buzz as some of Hulu’s other unscripted hits, including ‘The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives,’ ‘The Kardashians,’ and ‘Vanderpump Villa.’

According to reporting on the cancellation, low viewership played a central role in Hulu’s decision to pull the plug on a potential second season. By the finale, contestants Gia Aldisert and Tim Demirjian had won the season, walking away with a $100,000 trip around the world as their prize.

Cooper executive produced the series alongside her husband Matt Kaplan, along with Mina Lefevre, Jeff Jenkins, Russell Jay-Staglik, Jason Ehrlich, Ross Weintraub, and Reinout Oerlemans. The show was produced under a joint banner spanning Cooper’s Unwell Productions, Jeff Jenkins Productions, 3BMG, and Walt Disney Television Alternative.

The cancellation lands during a rougher stretch for Cooper’s broader Unwell brand. The company’s beverage arm, Unwell Beverage Co., is also reportedly being wound down less than two years after launching, following its final batch of seasonal flavors, according to TMZ.

Despite those setbacks, Cooper’s relationship with Hulu appears to remain intact beyond just this one project. She’s also developing a scripted series for the streamer titled ‘You Deserve to Know,’ and her larger Unwell business reportedly recently landed an investment valuing the company at around $500 million.

For a media personality who’s built an empire largely on candid conversation and audience connection, the quiet end of ‘Love Overboard’ marks a rare misstep in an otherwise expanding portfolio. Whether Cooper takes another swing at unscripted television down the line remains to be seen, but for now, the yacht has officially sailed on this particular project.

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