‘Are You the One?’: Mijntje Lupgens Was a Backup Dancer for Dua Lipa and Jason Derulo
Are You the One? will return for season 9 after disappearing from the air for over three years. One single, Dutch dancer Mijntje Lupgens was a backup dancer for artists including Dua Lipa and Jason Derulo before appearing on the reality TV show.
Mijntje Lupgens was a backup dancer for Dua Lipa before ‘Are You the One?’ appearance
Based in the Netherlands, Mijntje Lupgens was a successful dancer and creative director before joining the cast of Are You the One? for season 9.
She performed backup for several EMA (MTV’s Europe Music Awards) performances with famous artists, including Jason Derulo, Dua Lipa, Akon, and Becky G, and danced with French singer Dadju for the 2021 NRJ Music Awards.
Additionally, her website cites her previous appearances with other well-known musicians, such as Hailee Steinfield, Topic, and Helene Fischer.
She also worked on the 2015 Dutch dance series Dance, Dance, Dance which featured celebrities partnering up with family friends to recreate memorable dance moves. In a May 2020 Instagram post, Mijntje reflected on the previous five years she spent with the show as she wouldn’t return that year, presumably due to COVID-19.
‘Are You the One?’ Season 9 cast features singles worldwide
Season 9 of Are You the One? will feature a few firsts, including moving from MTV to Paramount+ and introducing global contestants to the cast.
The group consists of US-based singles Aqel Carson, Eduardo Dickson Jr., Leo Svete, William Gagnon, Anissa Aguilar, Brooke Rachman, Ciara “CC” Cortez, Danielle Bonaparte, Jordanne Deveaux, Taylor Kelly, Australians Brendan Mosca, Clayton Carey, New Zealand natives Hamudi Hasoon, Julia-Ruth Smith, United Kingdom hopefuls Michael “Mikey” Owusu, Nathan Grant, Oliver “Ollie” Andersen, Shamal “Samuel” Khan, Courtney Rowe, Spanish contestant Dew Anderson, Irish single Rosalyn “Roz” Odujebe, and Mijntje, who appears to be the only Netherland single, fill out the cast for the upcoming season.
Did ‘Are You the One?’ get canceled
In March 2021, Are You the One? Season 5 contestant Gianna Hammer accused producers of giving her a dose of her anti-anxiety medicine while she was drunk at one of the cast parties. Even though the reality TV star says she rejected it as prescriptions shouldn’t mix with alcohol, Gianna claimed the producers reassured her, so she agreed.
According to the castmate, the crew told her the following morning that others took her out of a room because they overheard her denying another co-star’s sexual advances. Gianna recalls the producers promising it didn’t go too far and denied giving her the extra dose of her medication.
Additionally, she said they encouraged her to allow him to stay in the house by promising he would sleep on a couch and had her sign an NDA agreement. In April 2021, Lighthearted Entertainment, the production company between the first eight seasons of AYTO, denied her allegations in a statement to Daily Beast.
Due to the accusations, MTV halted production on season 9 as they would conduct an independent investigation. The season also faced racism allegations as castmates claimed producers didn’t do anything about Carolina Duarte, a white contestant, repeatedly using the “n-word.” Presumably, as a result of the investigations, season 5 has been pulled from streaming services, and ITV Netherlands serves as the new production company for the reality show. AYTO Season 9 premieres January 18, 2023.
