Are you a single music lover in Denver looking for your forever dance partner? You’re in luck: A new reality dating show is now casting crunchy locals willing to rage until sunrise if it means finding their happily ever after.
The show is called “Wooking For Love” and it aims to both showcase the Mile High City’s thriving music scene and add a new twist to overplayed reality dating formats. Creator and executive producer LaRue Allegretto said the idea started as a joke – “It was legitimately a pun,” they said – but it caught fire after viewers criticized the local cast of the most recent season of “Love is Blind” for not representing the Denver archetype.
“I was like, well, I’ll make a little video, kind of cheeky. I didn’t mean to start anything with it,” said Allegretto, a local tattoo artist and muralist who uses they/them pronouns. “That video ended up getting over 100,000 views and thousands of comments.”
Admittedly, Allegretto has no experience in TV production, but they said people came out of the woodwork – or shall we say “wook-work” – to offer legal guidance, filming assistance and more. Allegretto said they are working to get financing and possible distribution on a streaming service, but doesn’t have concrete details yet.
That hasn’t stopped people from applying. More than 350 people have so far submitted applications since they opened on Nov. 28, Allegretto said.
“It was a joke until it wasn’t. But it’s no longer a joke. We are well outside the realm of joke at this point,” they said.
“Wook” is a slang term that generally refers to a culture of people in their 20s who attend a lot of music festivals or follow jam bands around the state or the country. The word sometimes refers to the drugs and hygiene habits that can accompany this culture, according to the Urban Dictionary and other online sources.
The concept of the show is similar to conventional dating shows in that contestants (wooks) will seek to find partners while undergoing a series of challenges that test their compatibility. After 12 episodes, the last people standing earn the prize of everlasting love. (At least, that’s the hope.)
“Wooking For Love” will have some notable differences, however. For one, the premise revolves around the live music scene, so dates and challenges will likely take place at concerts and venues, Allegretto said. Contestants could be on the crew setting up for a show, running a vendor booth, or simply enjoying themselves in the crowd. Some of those challenges could include all-nighters.
“Wook has a pretty variable definition,” Allegretto said. “Some people definitely use it derogatorily and some people use it endearingly. We’re looking at the broadest definition of ‘wook’ in that you’re involved in festival culture; it’s an important part of your life. You work, you play, you live in the music and the community, and ultimately what you’re looking to get out of life is that richness of connection and experience.”
The cast is expected to live together at a ranch in Morrison, the Colorado version of a “Love Island” villa, and arrive not in limos, but Subarus in which they may be car-camping together and “vibing under the Colorado sky,” per the website. And instead of hosting elimination ceremonies and handing out roses, Allegretto said participants will have periodic “vibe checks” and cut off wristbands if they want to ditch their couple – or throuple. “Wooking For Love” hopes to recruit Denverites of all genders and sexualities, and also those open to polyamory, Allegretto said.
Participants won’t get legally married at the end of the show, they added. Instead, there will be a “sacred bass union” for those who stick it out through the finale, when participants will be put through the wringer, helping produce a local festival.
Allegretto anticipates hosting auditions in February before beginning filming in the spring. Their team is also in the process of shopping networks, and if all goes well, Allegretto hopes to hit the airwaves by late 2026 or early 2027.
“It’s going to be warm and humorous, and (we’re) picking people who are messy but wholesome. Wholesome degenerates is really the sweet spot,” Allegretto said.
Is your heart thumping like an 808 kick drum? Apply now at wookingforlove.com.