In recent months, Facebook, like Apple, has made a concerted attempt to make gains in the world of streaming. In order to establish itself as a destination for binge-watchers who take to Netflix, Amazon and Hulu, the social network launched Facebook Watch, where dozens of series – ranging from scripted comedies such as Nicole Byer’s Loosely Exactly Nicole to lighter fare such as Ball in the Family (centered around Lavar Ball’s family-cum-basketball-empire) – are now available to be streamed at the “Watch” tab adjacent to the newsfeed.

Now, Facebook has teamed up with BuzzFeed on a Bachelor-style dating show called RelationShipped, a concept that’s sure to generate viewers, the genre being as reliably watched as it is, if not much else. Although RelationShipped hasn’t really taken off yet, the show makes sense in the context of other Watch offerings so far; Facebook seems less concerned with spearheading projects that make for critical fodder, like those of its streaming counterparts, than it does staking its claim as the port of call for reality TV junkies and fans of entertainment in the vein of Extreme Makeover or Undercover Boss. And RelationShipped, in which Facebook users vote first for the bachelor and then nominate different women to vie for his affection, runs roughly along those same lines.

It plays like a populist, social media-driven version of The Bachelor or, really, any number of dating shows that succeeded it. In the first episode, we’re introduced to five men, each of whom are dependably good-looking and can be seen – as they discuss their hobbies and preferred characteristics in a woman (“not only, oh, a nice face,” one says) – cooking a meal while shirtless. They range from a nutritionist who likes “all things adventure” to a firefighter who calls his morning routine – “shower, sauna, coffee, shave” – the “best routine”. They are available, charming, and cut like marble; Jason S, by way of a crowdsourced voting process taking place mainly in the comments section, is selected to move on to the mansion phase.

At the mansion, Jason meets two women, Brandin and Shaelyn, one of whom is eliminated and replaced by two new prospects nominated by Facebookers each week; the contenders grow by one, which can make for an interesting dynamic between the newbies and those who’ve been around a few weeks. During these proceedings, BuzzFeed’s hyper-millennial imprint on the show is unmissable: nominate your friends so they can date Jason “IRL”, our narrator says. Even more BuzzFeed-y are the random phrases that float across the screen in neon script: when Jason takes Brandin to a rum distillery and she calls it a “super cool spot”, the words “SUPER COOL SPOT” appear. When Brandin and Shaelyn say they’re from Los Angeles and St Louis, respectively, the BuzzFeed headlines come to life again, branding them the “LA Girl” and the “St Louis Gal”. It’ll all appear a bit ham-fisted to fans of The Bachelor and its chintzy elegance; worse, for those who buy into prevailing millennial stereotypes, it’ll be nothing short of unwatchable, a confirmation that we’re as self-involved and phone-obsessed as the world believes us to be.

But RelationShipped upends the traditions of its dating-show predecessors in various ways, its most cruel maneuver being the way contestants are eliminated. Instead of bestowing carnations upon the ladies who live to see another day, Jason S hands Shaelyn an envelope that contains her flight ticket home. Brandin, who bonded with Jason over their shared love of cooking, glances at it momentarily as her face morphs from apprehension to modest pleasure. The most interesting thing about the show is the interplay between longevity and spark – Jason’s spent more time with the mainstays, but their status is threatened each time someone new steps out of the chauffeured car and into the mansion.

So far, Facebook, which recently surpassed the population of China with 2bn users, has been an ideal platform for sharing short video clips, operating as a vehicle driving late-night monologues and cat videos to worldwide viral status. Since it introduced its “Watch” feature in August, the site seems to be cautiously dipping its toes into streaming, rolling out shows like RelationShipped and Returning the Favor that barely stray, at least in substance, from the click-baity videos one might find populating their newsfeed.

But the site has set its goals higher: it recently picked up Five Points, a drama executive produced by Kerry Washington, and Shame, the English-language version of a cult Norwegian teen show. Whether or not those shows will allow Facebook to share in the streaming spoils remains to be seen. But it might make more sense for Facebook to lead, not follow, and establish itself as the streamer-of-choice for lowbrow TV.