Contributed by: kellyseal on Wednesday, May 30 2012 @ 09:19 am
Last modified on
Dating shows have been popular for television audiences, even before reality TV. Remember The Dating Game? Later came The Bachelor and its spin-off The Bachelorette, which draw in substantial audiences even after many years on the air.
The latest dating show to hit the airwaves is The Choice, Fox's sarcastic nod to its rival singing show The Voice, which has overtaken American Idol in popularity among young viewers.
The Choice follows the format of the hit singing show by casting celebrity judges to decide who's hot and who's not. The judges sit with their backs to the stage while singles parade out and try to convince the stars that they are the best choice for a date - sight unseen. If a contestant peaks a judge's interest, he can turn around to face her. If more than one judge is interested, the date has her own choice to make. There's even going to be a "speed dating" round where the contestants have limited time to make the case for why they'd be the best date, and a final challenge question.
This new dating show provides an interesting concept for reality TV, which reminds me of the short-lived show Dating in the Dark. The age-old question is: do you date someone based on her looks, or what's on the inside? When you take away the visual, then the possibilities open up. Like Dating in the Dark, The Choice prevents the judges from basing their picks on a contestant's appearance - by keeping them from actually seeing potential dates. Instead, they talk and see if they hit it off. But are a few minutes of verbal convincing enough to determine real chemistry?
I'm a fan of keeping an open mind and looking for opportunities when it comes to dating, but I'm not so convinced that dating reality shows of any kind give us a real picture of how people interact and what sparks chemistry. After all, there's a lot of pressure for matches to happen - for The Bachelor to meet the love of his life among twenty pre-selected beautiful women (none of whom may actually be right for him), or for the new judges on The Choice to meet someone they might want to take out on a second date.
They might be fun to watch, but don't look to dating shows on TV to give you lessons in finding real and lasting love. That only comes with practice, and often times a lot of dates.