EAGLE BEACH, ARUBA—As part of Barack Obama’s exclusive deal to produce original content for the streaming service, Netflix announced Friday that production has finished on Barack Of Love, a reality series in which 24 young women vie for the heart of the former president.
Netflix confirmed two dozen women were flown in from all over the United States to a replica White House mansion in the scenic island getaway of Aruba, where, over the course of eight episodes, they competed in daily presidential challenges such as attending state visits with foreign dignitaries, selecting judicial nominees, planning a romantic date night in a mock-up of Obama’s Hyde Park neighborhood, and developing a coherent Syria policy.
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“Viewers will be thrilled to watch Mr. Obama as he navigates a sea of love to find the one special woman he wants to share his post-presidency with,” said Netflix executive Cindy Holland, noting that the series would premiere with the tagline “Love has no term limit.” “There will be tears and heartbreak, but when this wild ride is over, one of these lucky ‘first ladies’ will land the president she’s always dreamed of.”
“At the end of the day, finding that special someone is a challenge for everyone, even the former leader of the free world,” Holland added.
Filming is said to have begun in February, with Obama greeting his prospective love interests as they exited a Hummer limousine onto the North Lawn of the recreated White House. One by one, the contestants—including former Miss Teen USA Danika Owens, 22; office temp Ambre Newlon, 21; and Tucson-based cocktail waitress Kassidy Vance, 25—reportedly hugged the president and gave a short introduction, some choosing to recite a favorite passage from The Audacity Of Hope and all hoping to become one of the final eight contestants selected to join Obama’s Cabinet.
Publicity clips revealed that after the young women settled into their luxurious new digs, they spent a day preparing to serve as Obama’s press secretary, with each getting a chance to conduct a daily briefing for reporters and the winner receiving a bouquet of flowers picked from the Rose Garden by the onetime commander in chief. In a promotional screener for the first episode, drama struck right away, with several of the women complaining they weren’t able to spend quality time with Obama because 23-year-old event planner Mindy Bell has hogged him all night by making out with him in the Oval Office jacuzzi. However, by the end of the series premiere, Bell was forced to leave the White House after failing to receive an American flag lapel pin symbolizing Obama’s love.
“Barack and I just, like, have so much in common between our love of basketball and helping people,” yoga instructor Kayleigh Sutherland, 21, said in one of the clips after winning a challenge in which each woman has to serve as a senior adviser to the former president, briefing him on the best strategy for winning her heart. “Some of the other girls have criticized me, saying I didn’t even vote for him. But what they don’t realize is that I’m very politics minded [sic] and would have voted for him in a heartbeat if I had turned 18 in time.”
“I still can’t believe he has daughters my age,” Sutherland added.
Producers stated that as the show progresses, several frontrunners begin to emerge, with Obama taking a liking to Alexis Nash, 23, after they bond during a group date to promote job-training initiatives for low-income Chicago youths. According to sources, conservative Trump supporter Tami Lynn Gibbs, 21, also becomes a favorite following a one-on-one date during which she and the president visit his hometown of Honolulu and fly Predator drones together on the beach during sunset.
Netflix executives said the series builds to a climax as the contestants become increasingly competitive about who gets to join Obama in the Lincoln Bedroom once he has dismissed the Secret Service for the night. They described how the president’s resolve was put to the test when he must hold diplomatic talks in the Situation Room after several of the contestants insulted 24-year-old acupuncturist Ree Ree Clark, calling her a “skank” and a “gold-digging hoe in chief.” Following lengthy negotiations, Obama reportedly managed to secure a resolution in which all parties agreed the use of such epithets was not conducive to long-term mutual prosperity.
“These are some really wonderful women, and if I could choose all of them, I would,” the 44th president said in one scene as he stares pensively out over the Truman Balcony in a tan tuxedo, awaiting the ceremony in which he will finally reveal the name of the woman he wants to be with. “Unfortunately, I can’t, so I’ll just have to follow my heart. In the end, it’s the heart that matters. This may be the most difficult situation I’ve ever faced.”
“After all, this is love we’re talking about,” the Nobel Peace Prize laureate adds.
At press time, sources confirmed Obama had nearly proposed to Barack Of Love champion Alexis Nash, but after a last-minute change of heart, he instead chose to elope with the show’s runner-up, Ann Coulter.
