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[Home](/) 2. [News](/news) 3. [Technology & AI Lab](/news) 4. Hornet's Model Search: A Reality Show Gambit to Combat Swipe Fatigue ![A smartphone displaying a social media dating application interface alongside interactive community voting options.](https://images.pexels.com/photos/15217008/pexels-photo-15217008.jpeg?auto=compress&cs=tinysrgb&w=1200&h=220&fit=crop&fm=webp&q=50&dpr=1) A smartphone displaying a social media dating application interface alongside interactive community voting options. [Technology & AI Lab](/news?category=technology-ai) # Hornet's Model Search: A Reality Show Gambit to Combat Swipe Fatigue By [DII Technology Desk](/author/technology-ai)· June 5, 2026· 6 min read [](https://x.com/intent/post?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.datingindustryinsights.com%2Fnews%2Fhornet-expands-model-search-queer-events&text=Hornet's%20Model%20Search%3A%20A%20Reality%20Show%20Gambit%20to%20Combat%20Swipe%20Fatigue)[](https://www.linkedin.com/sharing/share-offsite/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.datingindustryinsights.com%2Fnews%2Fhornet-expands-model-search-queer-events)[](https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.datingindustryinsights.com%2Fnews%2Fhornet-expands-model-search-queer-events) A A ## Key Points - • Hornet attracted over 1,000 participants to its 2025 Thailand Model Search, driving record active user levels in the Thai market. - • Hornet plans to expand its reality competition Model Search programme to Turkey and Thailand in 2026 with live events and community voting. - • Match Group reported slowing growth while Bumble spent 2024 and 2025 repositioning its product to address widespread user swipe fatigue. - • Hornet is launching the Model Search in Turkey despite market risks where LGBTQ+ Pride events face bans and queer visibility invites harassment. Hornet is betting that the future of gay dating apps looks less like [Tinder](/news/diesel-collaborates-tinder-pride-2026) and more like RuPaul's Drag Race. The platform is expanding its Model Search program to Turkey and Thailand in 2026, transforming what was once a digital matching exercise into something closer to a participatory reality competition — complete with weekly challenges, live events, photoshoots, and community voting through the app. This isn't just programming innovation — it's a survival strategy for an industry choking on its own swipe mechanics. ![Mobile phone displaying social media app interface](https://images.pexels.com/photos/16983347/pexels-photo-16983347.jpeg) Mobile phone displaying social media app interface According to the company, the 2025 Thailand edition attracted over 1,000 participants and contributed to what Hornet claims were record active user levels in the market. The 2026 expansion ups the ante with larger live events and involvement from prominent LGBTQ+ figures, whilst the Turkey launch represents a particularly bold move into a market where queer visibility carries genuine risk. The DII Take > Queer dating apps are leading the industry's pivot to hybrid experiences because they have no choice — their users have always needed more than matches. Hornet's Model Search is gamification done properly: it creates reasons to open the app beyond checking messages, builds community identity, and generates content that members actually want to engage with. The Turkey launch is either brave or reckless depending on safety protocols we haven't seen yet, but the broader strategy is sound. This is what post-swipe product development looks like when you accept that dating apps can't survive on matchmaking alone. ### Create a free account Unlock unlimited access and get the weekly briefing delivered to your inbox. Register free No spam. No password. We'll send a one-time link to confirm your email. ## From Swipe Fatigue to Active Participation The dating industry's engagement crisis is no longer speculative. Match Group (MTCH) has reported slowing growth across core properties. [Bumble](/news/bumble-paid-plans-group-dating-launch) (BMBL) spent 2024 and 2025 frantically repositioning its product after admitting that its core experience had gone stale. User complaints about "dating app burnout" have graduated from Reddit threads to mainstream consumer coverage. Victor Sevilla, Hornet's VP of Marketing, framed the Model Search as a direct response to members [seeking](/news/seeking-cto-romance-fraud-growing) experiences 'that go beyond endless swiping and transactional interactions'. That's diplomatic corporate speak for: our users are bored, disengaged, and leaving. ![Person using smartphone with dating app](https://images.pexels.com/photos/16959680/pexels-photo-16959680.jpeg) Person using smartphone with dating app The Model Search addresses this by fundamentally changing what the app is for. Instead of passively browsing profiles, users vote on contestants, follow challenge progress, and engage with content that has narrative stakes beyond "will they match with me". Participants get visibility, creative direction, and offline experiences. Hornet gets user-generated content, sustained engagement, and a reason for lapsed members to return. Other platforms are circling similar territory. Bumble launched IRL events in select cities, attempting to blend digital discovery with physical meetups. [Thursday](/news/thursday-acquires-thursday-com-domain-value) built its entire product around single-day access, manufacturing urgency to combat endless scrolling. But queer apps arguably have stronger community loyalty to leverage — and more urgent reasons to evolve beyond commoditised swiping. ## The Turkey Calculation Hornet's expansion into Turkey deserves scrutiny. The country's LGBTQ+ rights record is poor and worsening. Pride events face bans. Queer visibility can invite harassment, discrimination, or worse. Hornet has historically served dual purposes in restrictive markets: dating, yes, but also discreet community-building for men who cannot safely be out. > Launching a visibility-driven program like Model Search in this context requires careful calibration. The app's users in Turkey will include men for whom public participation in a gay-focused competition could endanger their safety, employment, or family relationships. Hornet will need robust opt-in protocols, clear communication about visibility risks, and likely location-specific safety features. The company hasn't publicly detailed these safeguards. That's either operational discretion or a gap that trust and safety teams should be pressing on. Given Hornet's experience operating in restrictive markets — including Russia, where it previously warned users of police entrapment tactics — the assumption is that safety protocols exist. But assumptions aren't strategy, and the Turkey launch will be a test of whether hybrid programming can scale into high-risk geographies without compromising user security. ## What This Means for the Broader Market Hornet's Model Search is part of a wider pattern: dating apps realising they need to become something more than matchmaking utilities if they want to retain users and justify subscription pricing. ![Close-up of hands holding smartphone with app interface](https://images.pexels.com/photos/16959686/pexels-photo-16959686.jpeg) Close-up of hands holding smartphone with app interface The logic is sound. Engagement attrition is an existential problem for dating platforms. Members download, swipe, match, message, and then either meet someone and leave, or fail to meet someone and quit out of frustration. Both outcomes are bad for retention. The industry's response has been to layer on features — video prompts, personality tests, AI-powered icebreakers — but these are iterative tweaks to the same core loop. [Hybrid experiences break the loop](https://hornet.com/stories/hornet-bets-real-world-community-experiences-dating-apps-face-engagement-fatigue/). They give users reasons to stay engaged even when they're not actively dating. They create content and participation opportunities that generate network effects within the app itself. And for queer platforms in particular, they align with community-building functions that predate dating apps entirely. [Grindr](/news/grindr-survey-authentic-profile-photo-trend) (GRND) has experimented with events and editorial content. Lex built its product around text-first personal ads and community discussion. Taimi added live streaming and group chat features. Each is trying to answer the same question: what keeps users engaged when swipes aren't enough? Hornet's answer is participatory programming with real-world stakes. [The company has previously built one of the largest LGBTQ newsrooms in the world](https://www.forbes.com/sites/stephanrabimov/2018/02/27/how-hornet-built-the-largest-and-one-of-its-kind-global-gay-news-room/), demonstrating its commitment to becoming more than just a dating utility. If it works — if user engagement and retention metrics improve in Thailand and Turkey — expect other platforms to follow. If it doesn't, the industry will still need an answer to the engagement crisis. [Swipe fatigue](/glossary/swipe-fatigue) isn't going away, and neither is the pressure on dating apps to prove they're worth opening more than twice a week. ## Key Takeaways - • Dating app operators must look beyond traditional swipe mechanics towards participatory community experiences to boost user retention and reverse engagement attrition. - • Compliance and safety teams must carefully evaluate risk management protocols when dating apps like Hornet expand visibility-driven community programmes into anti-LGBTQ+ jurisdictions. - • If Hornet demonstrates retention improvements through reality-style programming, rival platforms like Match Group and Bumble will likely replicate interactive hybrid content models. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### How many participants took part in Hornet's 2025 Thailand Model Search? ### Where is Hornet expanding its Model Search in 2026? ### Why is Hornet launching its Model Search in Turkey? ### Who is Victor Sevilla at Hornet? Cite this article [Matchmaking](/tag/matchmaking)[Dating Apps](/tag/dating-apps) D [DII Technology Desk](/author/technology-ai) Technology & AI Desk The DII Technology Desk reports on product, engineering, AI and platform infrastructure across dating and social discovery apps. [More articles by DII Technology Desk](/author/technology-ai) ### In this article - [From Swipe Fatigue to Active Participation](#section-1-from-swipe-fatigue-to-active-participation) - [The Turkey Calculation](#section-2-the-turkey-calculation) - [What This Means for the Broader Market](#section-3-what-this-means-for-the-broader-market) ### Mentioned in This Article Companies [![Taimi logo](https://img.logo.dev/taimi.com?token=pk_K6hdbPRcTQSnsRNEiZ-Ymg&size=64&format=png&fallback=monogram) Taimi Dating Platform ](/companies/taimi)[![Grindr logo](https://img.logo.dev/grindr.com?token=pk_K6hdbPRcTQSnsRNEiZ-Ymg&size=64&format=png&fallback=monogram) Grindr Dating Platform GRND $10.72 ▼-0.80% ](/companies/grindr)[![Seeking logo](https://img.logo.dev/seeking.com?token=pk_K6hdbPRcTQSnsRNEiZ-Ymg&size=64&format=png&fallback=monogram) Seeking Dating Platform ](/companies/seeking)[![Thursday logo](https://img.logo.dev/getthursday.com?token=pk_K6hdbPRcTQSnsRNEiZ-Ymg&size=64&format=png&fallback=monogram) Thursday Dating Platform ](/companies/thursday)[![Hornet logo](https://img.logo.dev/hornet.com?token=pk_K6hdbPRcTQSnsRNEiZ-Ymg&size=64&format=png&fallback=monogram) Hornet Dating Platform ](/companies/hornet) People [](/people/victor-sevilla) [Victor Sevilla VP of Marketing ](/people/victor-sevilla)[![Hornet logo](https://img.logo.dev/hornet.com?token=pk_K6hdbPRcTQSnsRNEiZ-Ymg&size=32&format=png&fallback=monogram)Hornet](/companies/hornet) Products [![Bumble logo](https://img.logo.dev/name/Bumble?token=pk_K6hdbPRcTQSnsRNEiZ-Ymg&size=64&format=png&fallback=monogram)Bumble ](/products/bumble)[![Thursday logo](https://img.logo.dev/thursday.dating?token=pk_K6hdbPRcTQSnsRNEiZ-Ymg&size=64&format=png&fallback=monogram)Thursday ](/products/thursday)[![Tinder logo](https://img.logo.dev/tinder.com?token=pk_K6hdbPRcTQSnsRNEiZ-Ymg&size=64&format=png&fallback=monogram)Tinder ](/products/tinder)[![Taimi logo](https://img.logo.dev/taimi.com?token=pk_K6hdbPRcTQSnsRNEiZ-Ymg&size=64&format=png&fallback=monogram)Taimi ](/products/taimi)[![Once logo](https://img.logo.dev/name/Once?token=pk_K6hdbPRcTQSnsRNEiZ-Ymg&size=64&format=png&fallback=monogram)Once ](/products/once)[![Hornet logo](https://img.logo.dev/name/Hornet?token=pk_K6hdbPRcTQSnsRNEiZ-Ymg&size=64&format=png&fallback=monogram)Hornet ](/products/hornet)[![Seeking logo](https://img.logo.dev/name/Seeking?token=pk_K6hdbPRcTQSnsRNEiZ-Ymg&size=64&format=png&fallback=monogram)Seeking ](/products/seeking)[![Grindr logo](https://img.logo.dev/grindr.com?token=pk_K6hdbPRcTQSnsRNEiZ-Ymg&size=64&format=png&fallback=monogram)Grindr ](/products/grindr-app)[![HER logo](https://img.logo.dev/weareher.com?token=pk_K6hdbPRcTQSnsRNEiZ-Ymg&size=64&format=png&fallback=monogram)HER ](/products/her-app)[![Lex logo](https://img.logo.dev/thisislex.app?token=pk_K6hdbPRcTQSnsRNEiZ-Ymg&size=64&format=png&fallback=monogram)Lex ](/products/lex-app)[![RuPaul's Drag Race logo](https://img.logo.dev/name/RuPaul's%20Drag%20Race?token=pk_K6hdbPRcTQSnsRNEiZ-Ymg&size=64&format=png&fallback=monogram)RuPaul's Drag Race ](/products/rupaul-s-drag-race) ## 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