The show is based on the short film Sequin Raze (2013), which was written and directed by Sarah Gertrude Shapiro, the co-creator, writer, and executive producer of UnREAL. She was also a producer on Der Bachelor (2002) from 2002-2004.
Showrunner Sarah Gertrude Shapiro only wanted Jeremy (Josh Kelly) to appear for one season. He was brought back at the request of the studio. In exchange for this compromise, Shapiro asked to have a black bachelor and a Black Lives Matter activist as characters in season 2.
Freddie Stroma became engaged to his UnREAL season 1 co-star Johanna Braddy on May 15, 2016 during a romantic weekend in Vancouver, They were married at The Stables at Foxhall Resort and Sporting Club in Atlanta, Georgia on Friday, December 30, 2016.
Constance Zimmer initially turned down the role of Quinn without reading the script. Megyn Price played the role in the original pilot after which the network and the producers offered the role to Zimmer again.