'Dating in the Dark': Who comes up with this stuff?
After inadvertently ignoring two hours of Bachelorette drama, I found myself paying attention to Dating in the Dark immediately thereafter. (I don't know why.)
The premise of the show sounds like something you'd hear in a parody of a reality-show pitch meeting: So we take these people, and it's a dating show, but the only time they get to interact is in total darkness, so they don't know what the other people look like! Genius, right?
No, not really.
But it was vaguely compelling. There's a house, there are three men, there are three women, there's a room separating the men's and women's parts of the house that is totally dark but covered with infrared cameras. Everyone meets and interacts, and later they are told who their most compatible match is based on the opinion of some unseen expert.
On last night's show, all the couples were drawn to said match and decided to pursue that person exclusively. It was weird and goofy, but all three of the couples seemed to get along and find common ground (and, in two of the three cases, make out).
Then the big reveal: Each couples goes into the dark room and each person is illuminated for 10 to 15 seconds. Based on that glimpse alone, the couples had to decide whether to meet outside the house.
Meet. Not get married. Not be shackled together for 14 hours. Not move in together.
So, it's a no-brainer, right? They were getting along, and maybe the people didn't look exactly like what their other half had pictured, but who cares? Why not go to coffee or dinner and get more than 10 seconds to look at the person and figure out whether the chemistry is really there?
For two of the couples, yes. For the other, the poor dude stood on the veranda waiting and watched as the woman walked out downstairs and down the driveway with her suitcases. Brutal!
But this show can't last. I think one episode is kind of interesting in a "huh, weird" kind of way, but after that, there's not that much intrigue.
Comments
I thought the show was interesting. Just as interesting as meeting someone on Match.com (which I have never done...yet). I liked the show and look forward to next week's.
Posted by: Ang | July 21, 2009 4:37 PM
I think it was pretty good. Different by saying looks shouldn't be all that matters. It's interesting to me. I would watch it again.
Posted by: Karen | July 21, 2009 5:05 PM
How did I miss this? (Oh, I was probably in Farm Town.) I'm going straight home and setting it to record next week.
Posted by: Bucky | July 21, 2009 5:16 PM
I thought it was pretty entertaining, sort of like Blind Date meets overproduced slick network dating show. It was refereshing to see pretty true to life people who were actually pretty unselfconscious and genuine. Particularly when they can't even see the camera.
SKK: I actually thought the people seemed refreshingly normal, too. Until the end when the one woman walked away from the guy. Anyone else think she might have been pushed in that direction by producers or something? It seemed to come out of nowhere, and like he said, he isn't a hobbit!
Posted by: JonG | July 21, 2009 5:21 PM
I like that show very much because it is reality, natural, real people. I would like to see that show next week.
Posted by: Wanda | July 21, 2009 8:43 PM
I had to admit I was hooked until the very end. Brutal is right. I was screaming a not-nice word at the woman who left without meeting that wonderfully nice and very cute man she had a connection with. Like the writer said: "meet and date" - not marry, not live together, just date. I'm embarrassed to be a female if some of us act like her. She should be ashamed. I don't think I can handle watching again.
Posted by: Amy | July 21, 2009 9:11 PM
I thought it was weird that she left without meeting him out on the veranda. When they had the sketch artists do the drawings of what they thought they looked like her picture was almost right on with what that guy looked like. She seemed pretty superficial after she was sucking face with the guy the whole time...
Posted by: Chris in KS | July 22, 2009 8:02 AM
The show is fake! Tonight's episode had Chrystee who was on Scrubs for a few episodes and she played it off like she wasn't an actress.
Posted by: Crystal | July 27, 2009 10:34 PM
I find the show interesting as well, but I would really like to see them give a little update at the end. They could check in with the "couples" after a couple of months and let us know if they never saw each other again, or are still dating, etc.
SKK: I was thinking that exact thing after last night's episode. I was wondering if they will do a reunion show at the end of the season or something. I think a text update would work just as well.
Posted by: Charisma | July 28, 2009 2:19 AM
i don't think the show is fake at all. the one girl christee said she was an actress at the very beginning and you could really tell that she wasn't just "acting" on the show. She was the one that was rejected. Overall I think the show is really interesting because it's a different outlook on dating and relationships and it's neat to see the focus on personality instead of looks which are unfortunately usually viewed as the most important thing. I definitely look forward to next week!
Posted by: ess | July 28, 2009 9:48 PM
OK, I finally watched the second episode (recorded it) and wasn't impressed. Mildly interesting at first. Dragged on in the middle. The end is just mean, letting them skulk off if they don't want to go on a date while the other half of the couple waits up on the veranda.
Plus, the scenes shot in the dark are too spooky...their eyes don't focus on anything. They look like zombies. Made me cringe.
SKK: The eyes were a LOT creepier this week. I think the baseball guy in particular was looking up at the ceiling instead of toward the voice of the other person, and it was rather off-putting. And yes, the end is very mean.
Posted by: Bucky | July 30, 2009 9:24 AM
The show's a fake. If those night vision cameras were real, then there wouldn't be a light source ABOVE the actors, nor would there be shadows cast by the actors (pay attention to their shadows on the white sofas and the white bean bag chair). They used black colored walls and floor to eliminate as many shadows as they could. Honestly, if it's a real pitch black room, there won't be shadows! The show said that they use infrared cameras... yeah right! Here's a real infrared camera on youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6mV4ecEbV1s
Posted by: Nathan | September 8, 2009 8:27 PM
Yes it is a fake. A total, total fake. "Night vision" cameras work by either picking up heat (see the post above) or by enhancing low light which doesn't work in pitch blackness. So yea they're lit, they can see each other and they're faking the whole thing.
Besides that point could someone tell me why you're even watching this nonsense? TV is dead. These shows are the final convulsions. Get over it. TURN IT OFF and live a better life.
Posted by: Fake | October 10, 2009 7:30 PM
I like this dating in the dark idea. I think that my husband and I would be together if we had met like that it really was all about personality. We talked until 2:00 in the morning on our first date.
I have teenage daughters, don't they date in the dark anyway or try too. We have to keep turning on the lights and reminding them that the electric bill is paid.
I think this show could have potential. I'll have to look for it.
Posted by: Sherry T. | October 12, 2009 8:03 PM