Boarding the Regal Princess as the Head of Entertainment, TV presenter Daniel Doody is no stranger to the world of cruise ships, having worked on one many years ago, he told 10 Play that's also how he met his wife Joanne.
Fellow cupid and Cruise Director Hannah Ferrier similarly revealed that her start in the yachting industry was inspired when she went on a trip around Europe with her mum to "get away from an ex". Falling in love with the south of France, Hannah gave up her cushy life and career in IT and telecommunications to work on yachts.
Years later, Hannah became one of the stars of the Below Deck franchise, and now is returning to the high seas and the world of reality TV, hoping to assist our singles as they find love on The Real Love Boat.
"I just knew that when I did something after Below Deck, I wanted it to make sense to me, to my life and to the audience," Hannah told 10 Play. "When The Real Love Boat came along I was like um, hi? It all just clicked into place and made sense."
Both Hannah and Doody admitted they consider themselves quite the matchmakers out in the real world. "I've introduced a couple of my friends with other friends and, to this day, they are still happily together," Doody said, adding, "Good job, Doody!"
Hannah agreed, adding, "I just had my sister and a girlfriend over last night and I was going through their dating profiles... they're having chats today with the guys I chose last night so I definitely do it in my real life as well!"
As the modern-day versions of cupids, Hannah and Doody watched over the passengers of the Real Love Boat. "I bring the party vibes onboard the Regal Princess," Doody said.
"Hannah and I also set up destination dates for our couples, meanwhile, Darren helps our single passengers find their forever partner and guides them on a journey towards love," he continued.
"A lot of these singles kind of go, 'I want a guy who's 6'2", tall dark and handsome, needs to have this and that' and it's like yeah, but that's not working for you, you know?" Hannah added.
"That's where Doody and I come in. Just, like, okay, we want you to have a look at this guy and maybe open your mind a little bit to whether this could be a good fit for you!"
"It was great to see many of the singles trying to make a genuine connection with others," Doody said. "There were sparks between couples and there was also a bit of drama to throw in the mix. Finding love can be tricky at the best of times."
Adding that "love is not always smooth sailing", Doody revealed the major difference between our two cupids.
"As somebody who has worked in reality TV for so many years I know what's going to be interesting to watch," Hannah explained, "that's how Doody and I differed a little bit in our roles. He'd be like 'Oh no!' and I'd be like 'Oh yes!!'
"I think I definitely got a bit of enjoyment out of that because you want to make a juicy TV show," she continued. "As much as you definitely want people to find love, you also want the show to be entertaining for viewers at home.
"Doody is just the smiliest, happiest person and sometimes I'm just like, how?" Hannah said. "How do you go through life with all this positive energy all the time?" Describing herself as "a little more cynical", Hannah added, "It was a really good balance between the two of us."
The Real Love Boat sets sail on Wednesday, October 5 on 10 and 10 Play on demand
