VH1 Enlists Brutally Honest, Professional Matchmaker Steven Ward to Teach Women to Find Mr. Right in New Series 'Tough Love'

Premiering Sunday, March 15, the Eight-Episode Series Will Showcase Eight Women at a Relationship Boot Camp as They Seek to Improve Their Chances at Finding True Love

Drew Barrymore's Flower Films and High Noon Entertainment to Produce Series for VH1

SANTA MONICA, Calif., Feb. 25 -- For all the really great women out there that can't seem to figure out why they are single - meet Steven Ward. This matchmaker is here to give women a unique perspective on dating - an inside peak into the male brain. Steven refuses to sugar coat anything and instead tells women exactly how men think and feel, so they can understand how they are perceived. This Spring, VH1 is putting his skills to the test with eight - one hour episodes of VH1's "Tough Love" premiering on Sunday, March 15 at 10PM*. Steven's brutally honest approach to matchmaking is what's made him one of America's most successful matchmakers. He has the guts to tell women not what they want to hear, but what they need to hear in order to find love.

Steven Ward is Vice President and Partner of Master Matchmakers, a business founded by his mother, JoAnn Ward. Based in Philadelphia, PA, JoAnn has been matching clients for the past 23 years. Now a master matchmaker himself, Steven seeks to connect sophisticated singles that are looking for long - term relationships.

Flower Films and High Noon Entertainment have partnered with VH1 to produce "Tough Love." High Noon Entertainment is one of America's largest creators of unscripted television, currently producing projects for VH1 and various networks. Nancy Juvonen and Drew Barrymore's Flower Films has produced highly successful feature films such as Never Been Kissed, Fifty First Dates, Fever Pitch and He's Just Not That Into You. Flower Films' knack for romance and comedy, combined with High Noon's experience in reality television, creates a powerful, dynamic partnership.

"We are thrilled to partner with Drew Barrymore as well as Flower Films and High Noon Entertainment on this project," said Jeff Olde, Executive Vice President, Original Programming and Production, VH1. "The moment they introduced us to Steven we knew that he is not your mother's matchmaker and has the rare courage to tell women what men honestly think. Our collaboration will maximize all of the positive potential in what's sure to be an entertaining show with real heart and stakes."

In each of the eight episodes, Steven will examine the bad habits of eight women and retrain them on the basics of dating and maintaining a relationship. During this "tough love boot camp," Steven will attempt to reshape their "destructive" dating habits using his rules of dating. Steven will tackle such issues as first impressions, jealousy and communication while challenging the women with situations outside their comfort zones. Once they have completed the lesson, the women will be sent out on dates with men hand-picked by Steven from his pool of hot, eligible bachelors.

"We at Flower Films are intrigued by the dissection of relationships, just like every other person on the planet," said Executive Producer, Barrymore. "We're all trying to figure out how to make love function while continuing to better ourselves. This show is a fun way to do that."

In this new series, Steven is tested like never before as he attempts to break old dating habits and transform these eight women who have been unlucky in love. Through his no holds barred technique he'll seek to help women understand how they're seen through the eyes of the elusive single male. Although they may not like his rules, they've got to listen to this matchmaker's "Tough Love" if they want to find true love. VH1's "Tough Love" premieres on Sunday, March 15 at 10PM* A sneak premiere of the series' first episode will launch on VH1.com on Tuesday, March 10. Additional content including weekly sneak peeks and full episodes will be available on VH1.com throughout the season.

Jim Berger and Pamela Healey will executive produce for High Noon Entertainment, while Nancy Juvonen, Drew Barrymore, Ember Truesdell and Chris Miller will executive produce for Flower Films. Richard Hall also serves as executive producer. Jeff Olde, Alex Demyanenko, Jill Holmes and Noah Pollack are executive producers for VH1.

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*All times ET/PT