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The Dating Rules of VH1's Tough Love

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Rules for Love According to Steve Ward

One of VH1's popular reality TV shows is "Tough Love." In Tough Love, matchmaker Steve Ward is on a quest to teach eight women how to find love in his personalized love bootcamp. In each episode, he teaches a few rules and then tests the women. He asks them to practice his rules. With these rules, he practically guarantees each woman will be able to find true love. What are these Tough Love rules? Tough Love in Season 3 is all about couples.

Image from Tough Love.

Season 3 Finished

6 couples are in for some tough love. Watch full episodes and see who got hitched.

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Tough Love on VH1

Season 2 begins November 15.
What happened after the show?

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Welcome to Boot Camp

Tough Love Rules from Episode One, First aired 11/15/09

  • #70 - Less is more. Especially when it comes to sexual partners. For women, it should be like a golf score, the lower the better.
  • #48 - Put a cork in it. Telling a guy how much you like to drink makes you sound like a loser.
  • #55 - Stop staring, please. Making eye contact shows you confidence, but too much makes you look a little crazy.

Communication

Tough Love Rules from Episode Two, First aired 11/22/09

  • #20 - You don't keep your ear to the ground, you'll never hear the buffalo coming. If you're into a guy so much that you can't pay attention to anything he's saying, you might miss some need-to-know information.
  • #4 - Remember your date's name! What, are you going to say, "hey you" all day long?
  • #87 - If you want to impress a guy, don't speak with your mouth full of food.

Sex, Lies, and Bootcamp

Tough Love Rules from Episode Three, First aired 11/29/09

  • #77 - Don't try too hard. Faking sexy is like bad plastic surgery. It only takes a glance to know it ain't real.
  • #14 - If you want a guy to kiss you, kiss him!

Daddy Issues

Tough Love Rules from Episode Four, First aired 12/6/09

  • #8 - Never let a pretty face fool you.

The Wow Factor

Tough Love Rules from Episode Five, First aired 12/13/09

  • #59 - Do not under any circumstances, do not fist bump anyone you might want to have sex with. It's like having a tattoo on your knuckles that say, "Just Friends."

You Can't Handle the Truth

Tough Love Rules from Episode Six, First aired 12/21/09

No rules revealed.

Money Can't Buy Me Love

Tough Love Rules from Episode Seven, First aired 1/3/10

  • #81 - When accepting a gift from a guy, the value of it should be appropriate to how you really feel about him. Otherwise, you'll come off pretty cold-hearted and even greedy.
  • #54 - Don't order a guy around. If you're barking orders, he'll eventually just bark back.
  • #79 - Never call your date "friend." Otherwise, he'll think romance is off the table because he's in the "friend" zone.
  • #11 - Don't dominate the conversation. If you're giving a guy a checklist when you first meet him, you can just check yourself right off his list. It's a complete turn-off.

Revenge of the Exes

Tough Love Rules from Episode Eight, First aired 1/10/10

  • #66 - No guy ever is excited to meet your ex. He's only playing it cool because he doesn't want to embarrass you or himself.

Ghosts of Dating Future

Tough Love Rules from Episode Nine, First aired 1/18/10

No rules revealed.

Away We Go!

Episode Ten, first aired 1/24/10

No rules revealed.

Season Finale

Episode Eleven, first aired 1/31/10

No rules revealed.

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Other Love Advice

Find your own "bootcamp"

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Your chance to chime in

Are the "Tough Love" rules ridiculous or do they make sense?

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They make sense. Those looking for love should follow them.

June buttafli says:

they make a lot of sense if you use it correctly id actually work

Posted February 14, 2012

Sasha says:

they make sense the rules r just......perfect <3

Posted February 06, 2012

desa999 says:

Yes they make sense to me

Posted January 27, 2012

pandoraboxfacts says:

nice post. A dating coach is necessary as always. Thanks.

Posted December 19, 2011

Joe says:

It makes sense, I should take my wife to one of Steve bootcamps she breaks all the rules.

Posted December 11, 2011

They are ridiculous. He gets paid to tell people that?

Omar Little says:

I fist bump on the regular and i have hella sex

Posted April 20, 2011

monday says:

Rule #1 Don't talk, ever. Then you won't ever say anything that might give some superficial guy might not like. Oh and if he says things you don't like, go with it, or he may not like you!

Posted October 14, 2010

monday says:

Yeah, make sure you trick people into falling in love with you by playing this game with all of these rules, so that your "match" doesn't find out who you really are until you are knocked up and he's stuck.

Posted October 14, 2010

neil_ward says:

7/10 - mostly good stuff but also some points that I disagree with thrown in.

http://www.top-dating-coach.com

Posted May 03, 2010

Yo Gerl says:

niggazs mayne shyt

Posted December 14, 2009

 
view all 44 comments

Season 1

Watch Season 1 On Demand from Amazon

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What Men Really Think

Tough Love Rules from Episode One, First aired 3/15/09

  • #76 - A first date is never a good time to air your dirty laundry.
  • #53 - Don't bring wedding plans up on a date or else a guy's gonna think your biological clock is more like a stopwatch.
  • #19 - There's no room for hypocrisy in dating. If you won't date guys older than you, don't expect younger guys to want to date you.
  • #1 - Don't be weird.
  • #12 - Don't go fishing for compliments. If a guy thinks you look good, he will tell you.

Red Flags and White Lies

Tough Love Rules from Episode Two, First aired 3/22/09

  • #75 - Shut your yap. Women, I know you want the guy to know you so you both can feel more comfortable, but when you give the guy too much information, you're going to ruin the fantasy, and he's not going to want to come back for more.
  • #21 - You should only text on an N2K basis. That's stuff you need to know, like I'm running late or I can't make it or I'm married.

Sex and the Male Brain

Tough Love Rules from Episode Three, First aired 3/29/09

  • #73 - Don't try to outthink love. Love is emotional, not cerebral. Sometimes you can be so smart, it makes you stupid.
  • #14 - Get a little closer. Send the guy some signals. Don't just play with your hair, make eye contact, gaze at his lips. And if all else fails, kiss him yourself.

Friends Don't Let Friends Date Bitches

Tough Love Rules from Episode Four, First aired 4/5/09

No rules revealed.

Dollars and Sex

Tough Love Rules from Episode Five, First aired 4/12/09

  • #100 - Everybody gets rejected, but it's important to try to learn something from it.

Dirty Little Secrets

Tough Love Rules from Episode Six, First aired 4/19/09

  • #31 - When revealing secrets, turn a negative into a positive. Don't just let him in on a negative experience. Tell him how it's helped you grow.
  • #84 - Don't assume a guy you're dating looks at a dollar bill the same way you do. Everyone has a different relationship with money.
  • #91 - Don't use a secret as a weapon. Reveal it in a way that makes you bond, not one that sends him running for cover.

Return of the Exes

Tough Love Rules from Episode Seven, First aired 4/26/09

  • #36 - A partial truth is still a lie. Telling only part of the truth is like being a little bit pregnant.

Season Finale

Tough Love Rules from Season Finale, First aired 5/3/09

  • #33 - When asking out a guy, try not to be nervous. Most guys love being asked out since they're usually the one doing the asking. So, be confident and direct.
Important!

Watch Tough Love On the Web

Get full episodes on VH1.com.

All the Rules in Numerical Order

All the lessons of Tough Love bootcamp


Top Ringtones for your Mobile!

  • #1 - Don't be weird.
  • #4 - Remember your date's name! What, are you going to say, "hey you" all day long?
  • #8 - Never let a pretty face fool you.
  • #11 - Don't dominate the conversation. If you're giving a guy a checklist when you first meet him, you can just check yourself right off his list. It's a complete turn-off.
  • #12 - Don't go fishing for compliments. If a guy thinks you look good, he will tell you.
  • #14 - Get a little closer. Send the guy some signals. Don't just play with your hair, make eye contact, gaze at his lips. And if all else fails, kiss him yourself.
  • #14 - If you want a guy to kiss you, kiss him! (Season 2)
  • #19 - There's no room for hypocrisy in dating. If you won't date guys older than you, don't expect younger guys to want to date you.
  • #20 - You don't keep your ear to the ground, you'll never hear the buffalo coming. If you're into a guy so much that you can't pay attention to anything he's saying, you might miss some need-to-know information.
  • #21 - You should only text on an N2K basis. That's stuff you need to know, like I'm running late or I can't make it or I'm married.
  • #31 - When revealing secrets, turn a negative into a positive. Don't just let him in on a negative experience. Tell him how it's helped you grow.
  • #33 - When asking out a guy, try not to be nervous. Most guys love being asked out since they're usually the one doing the asking. So, be confident and direct.
  • #36 - A partial truth is still a lie. Telling only part of the truth is like being a little bit pregnant.
  • #48 - Put a cork in it. Telling a guy how much you like to drink makes you sound like a loser.
  • #53 - Don't bring wedding plans up on a date or else a guy's gonna think your biological clock is more like a stopwatch.
  • #54 - Don't order a guy around. If you're barking orders, he'll eventually just bark back.
  • #55 - Stop staring, please. Making eye contact shows you confidence, but too much makes you look a little crazy.
  • #59 - Do not under any circumstances, do not fist bump anyone you might want to have sex with. It's like having a tattoo on your knuckles that say, "Just Friends."
  • #66 - No guy ever is excited to meet your ex. He's only playing it cool because he doesn't want to embarrass you or himself.
  • #70 - Less is more. Especially when it comes to sexual partners. For women, it should be like a golf score, the lower the better.
  • #73 - Don't try to outthink love. Love is emotional, not cerebral. Sometimes you can be so smart, it makes you stupid.
  • #75 - Shut your yap. Women, I know you want the guy to know you so you both can feel more comfortable, but when you give the guy too much information, you're going to ruin the fantasy, and he's not going to want to come back for more.
  • #76 - A first date is never a good time to air your dirty laundry.
  • #77 - Don't try too hard. Faking sexy is like bad plastic surgery. It only takes a glance to know it ain't real.
  • #79 - Never call your date "friend." Otherwise, he'll think romance is off the table because he's in the "friend" zone.
  • #81 - When accepting a gift from a guy, the value of it should be appropriate to how you really feel about him. Otherwise, you'll come off pretty cold-hearted and even greedy.
  • #84 - Don't assume a guy you're dating looks at a dollar bill the same way you do. Everyone has a different relationship with money.
  • #87 - If you want to impress a guy, don't speak with your mouth full of food.
  • #91 - Don't use a secret as a weapon. Reveal it in a way that makes you bond, not one that sends him running for cover.
  • #100 - Everybody gets rejected, but it's important to try to learn something from it.

Bloggers on Tough Love

What people are saying now about Tough Love

Matchmakers' new game: Give clients a redo
They're full-service pros with the savvy of Bravo's "Millionaire Matchmaker" Patti Stanger and the cunning of VH1's "Tough Love" host Steve Ward. What's more, they're not merely looking to find you a date, or even a mate. They aim to change how you ...
Are You New Hampshire's Sexiest Bachelor?
Some examples are ABC's The Bachelor and The Bachelorette (Andy Baldwin, California, 2005 and Mickey McLean, Ohio, 2010), VH1's Tough Love (Steven Ward, Pennsylvania, 2003), and CBS's Survivor (Jaison Robinson, California, 2006 and Marcus Lehman, ...
Who Is Angel Taylor From The Voice Season 2?
Angel's song ?Like You Do? was featured in the Season 6 finale of One Tree Hill and a season two episode of VH1's Tough Love. While Angel told the audience in the Feb. 6 episode that her mother and sisters escaped from their abusive father, ...
Brother of John Legend is ready for his star to shine
When the brothers duet, it's honestly tough to tell who's singing. But having two guys from Springfield who specialize in ooey, gooey, old-school soul can't be a bad thing, can it? Besides, this isn'ta case of Jermaine trying hopelessly to match ...
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