Dating in the Dark – A Preview

Yes, you read that right: Dating in the Dark. I don’t know about you, but I can’t resist something that on the surface seems so deliriously stupid (in a good way, not an I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! crapfest kind of way).

Just from the title of the show we know that we are dealing primarily with dates and darkness, but how does this show actually work? I couldn’t be more excited to get you up to speed.

Every week, three single women and three single men get together in a house; only they are unable to see each other. (Because it’s so dark! Okay, not really. I just couldn’t resist.) The men and women are sequestered in their own gender-specific sections of the house. The “dates” occur in a darkroom in the house where they can interact, but can’t see what the other looks like. (Their eyeballs are forbidden to adjust.) This dating ritual goes on for several days, after which each person will choose which member of the opposite sex they’d like to see revealed. Also, it should be mentioned that each episode is a standalone featuring six new people. Sorry, no multi-episode story arcs here.

This scenario presents some obvious questions, to which I have found some answers via the promo clip on the ABC website.

How do the viewers see the participants if they are in the dark?

Looks like a lot of infrared cameras. I’d say it looks a bit clearer than the post-Tribal Council drama on Survivor or people getting frisky at night on The Real World.

Is there a host? Who can help guide me through this delightful new show?

Why, yes there is. His name is Rossi Moreale. You may know him from Can You Duet and Temptation. Or you may know him from Foody Call on The Style Network or Riding with Rossi on The Travel Channel. Or you may know him from Junkyard Mega-Wars on TLC or Spike TV’s Midnight Spike. Let’s face it, there are a lot of places you might know him from. (A lot of shows I’ve never seen or heard of, but that’s okay. What did Jeff Probst do before Survivor? [Editor’s Note: I believe it was Rock & Roll Jeopardy.])

This isn’t going to be some kind of hokey exploitation gag like Average Joe was a few years back, is it?

I am happy to report that it appears Dating in the Dark is not going for the shtick of “let’s mock people who aren’t what we think of as beautiful!” In fact, after viewing the promo clip, I felt good that the contestants on the show seemed to be neither models nor… uh… the opposite. In fact, I’d hazard a guess that the producers are seeking to pull the heartstrings with as much cheese as possible.

Will the recaps of these shows be totally from a male perspective?

No! Granted my opinions most likely will skew towards the Neanderthal, but I’d like to get various perspectives on something that happens on an episode. Due to the time at night the show airs (10 PM), a recap may not get posted the very next morning. So readers have some time to send their input to me at fussellian@gmail.com.

Dating in the Dark? Seriously?

Yes! Yes! Yes! It’s a real show! How great is that?!

Jeff Friend lives in Seattle with his wife, two sons, and a couple of Wire Fox Terriers. You can contact him at fussellian@gmail.com.

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