Creators Of Viral Dating Series ‘Pop the Balloon’ Launch Dating App That Centers Black Relationships – AfroTech
For viewers across YouTube and TikTok, “Pop the Balloon or Find Love” has become one of the internet’s most recognizable dating shows.
The viral series places singles face-to-face with potential matches who signal interest or rejection by popping a balloon. Comments on their YouTube videos display reactions that are often hilarious, sometimes awkward, and occasionally heartwarming. What began as a social media experiment quickly grew into a cultural moment in online dating conversations.
Now the creators behind the show are seeking to bring that same energy into the tech world.
Husband-and-wife duo Arlette Amuli and Bolia Matundi are launching Luv or Pop, and they describe it as a dating app designed to turn the show’s decision-driven format into a digital matchmaking experience. Instead of endless swiping, the couple wants users to focus on building intentional connections and making transparent choices.
From Social Media Experiment To Viral Hit
Amuli and Matundi told AFROTECH™ that the idea behind “Pop the Balloon or Find Love” began as a creative experiment between them. From that experiment, Matundi noted that the goal was to create something that encouraged people to approach dating with honesty.
“I liked the idea of people popping balloons,” he said in an interview with AFROTECH™. “So I said to my wife one day, ‘You’re going to host. I want to film, and let’s try and match people with real intentionality, people that really want to match for real.’”
The show’s early success surprised the creators, who pointed out during their interview that the first episode drew modest attention, but the second episode quickly spread across social media.
“For me, it was episode two,” Amuli said. “That was the episode where I kept seeing it everywhere: TikTok and Instagram. People were cutting it up and putting it all over the place. And I was like, wait, people are really tuning in.”
Turning Balloon Popping Into Real Relationships
While viewers often watch for entertainment, Amuli and Matundi say the show has produced something more meaningful: real relationships. Several couples who met on the show have gone on to marry, and others have built long-term partnerships, according to updates from the show on its YouTube channel and podcast.
“It’s not just talk. We actually have success stories to back up what we are doing,” Amuli said. “People came on here with the right intentions, and they found each other and are building that life together.”
Those success stories helped inspire the next phase of the project.
Bringing The Experience To A Dating App
As noted in the press release shared with AFROTECH™, the Luv or Pop app turns the show’s format into an interactive dating experience.
Instead of swiping left or right, users collect balloons for people they’re interested in and pop balloons for those they’re not. The system mirrors the show’s signature structure while encouraging more direct choices, notes the release.
One of the app’s features is Match Lock, which pauses conversations with other matches once two people decide to focus on each other, the press release further explained. Amuli said the feature reflects the platform’s emphasis on intentional dating.
“The main keyword we want people to remember when they hop onto Luv or Pop is ‘intentional,’” she said. “If you’re choosing somebody and saying, ‘I really like our conversations, let’s lock in and see where this goes,’ that shows how serious you are.”
Amuli and Matundi noted that they worked with technologists to ensure the app includes identity verification before users create profiles.
“We want this to be for real people finding real people,” Matundi said.
Centering Black Love
Although Luv or Pop is open to users of all backgrounds, the creators say celebrating Black relationships has always been central to the show. And that focus is intentional.
“We worked so hard to raise Black love on our show,” Matundi explained. “When people started saying ‘Black excellence’ and supporting us, we realized we were making a difference.”
Amuli added, “We wanted to showcase that Black people still love Black people. Our success stories are proving that there is still hope for the Black community in finding Black love.”
From Content Creators To Tech Founders
Amuli and Matundi see the launch of Luv or Pop as the beginning of a new chapter as the couple expands their efforts from being viral content creators to becoming tech entrepreneurs.
“As a creator, it’s very important to have your own [platform],” he said. “The platforms we post on are not ours, so we wanted to build something where people can engage on our own platform.”
With nearly 1.5 million YouTube subscribers, per the couple’s channel as of early 2026, the husband-and-wife duo believe that their audience can help grow the platform quickly and that this goal is not far off.
“In five years, I want Luv or Pop to be the number one dating app people think of,” Amuli said.
If the viral success of “Pop the Balloon or Find Love” is any indication, the journey from balloon popping to digital matchmaking may only be getting started.
