Living single

Living single

When former UCLA student Chris Hardwick competed on ‘Studs,’ the
job market was not exactly on his mind. Little did he know that
this venture would not only give him his 15 minutes of fame, but a
shot at hosting the new MTV dating show ‘Singled Out.’

By Emily Forster

It is not often that a professional bowler’s child grows up to
be a host on MTV.

It does, however, occasionally happen.

Former UCLA student Chris Hardwick, host of MTV’s newest show
"Singled Out," does not come from the average Hollywood
background.

"My dad was a professional bowler. He was one of the greatest
professional bowlers that ever lived. I grew up on the pro-bowler’s
tour. My mother’s an opera singer. They’re definitely into pursuing
your dreams," Hardwick says. "My parents have been totally
supportive."

At the moment, Hardwick’s parents are supportive of his role on
"Singled Out," MTV’s unique dating show. The show emphasizes
pre-dating rituals rather than dating itself.

His parents’ support is not shocking considering Hardwick’s
extremely successful track record.

Although he originally entered UCLA majoring in math , Hardwick
switched to the art major when he decided to become a
cartoonist.

"I interned on the ‘Ren and Stimpy Show,’ but it didn’t work
out," says Hardwick, speaking of his only setback in the business.
After that, he decided to become a philosophy major.

"Philosophy is sort of the interim between math and art. It’s
formulated, but it’s also creative," says Hardwick. He found
philosophy a helpful major for honing his comedic skills.

"Philosophy is a fantastic major for stand-up because it twists
your thinking to a point where you look at things in a screwed-up
way," says Hardwick.

Hardwick did not get to where he is because of a string of
attempts and failures, unlike most in the entertainment
business.

"I got this job because I slept with the right producer,"
Hardwick jokes with a straight face. "No, I got it because MTV
liked me on the television show ‘Trashed,’ but how I got that job
is the crazy story. The kooky anecdote, which I’m not excessively
proud of, is that once, many years ago, I was on a show called
‘Studs’," admits Hardwick.

"I did the show and never thought anything of it, and then a
year and a half later I got a call from a guy from Fox saying,
‘would you like to be a contestant on another game show.’ I said,
‘No, not really’."

The representative from Fox told Hardwick that one of the people
who worked on "Studs" was in charge of finding a host for MTV’s new
show "Trashed," and that people working on "Studs" remembered how
funny Hardwick’s episode was. The representative offered to talk to
the casting director of "Trashed," and Hardwick got the job.

"So that was it," says Hardwick. Relaxing in his spacious
dressing room on the set of "Singled Out," Hardwick acts as though
everyone who was ever on "Studs" has been handed two jobs on
MTV.

The luck Hardwick has enjoyed seems to have dribbled onto the
show itself. Lisa Berger, MTV’s development executive, explains
that MTV was searching for a dating show for today’s MTV
generation.

"MTV wanted to get some new programming and one of the
directions they wanted to take the programming in was toward a
relationship show for the ’90s for MTV."

"Burt Wheeler and Sharon Sussman, the creators of the show,
simply pitched the idea to me over the phone and I said, ‘That’s
it. That’s the perfect MTV dating show’," says Berger.

The perfect MTV dating show does not involve the date that two
people go on, but the elimination process that occurs before a
couple decides to go out. Before the actual show, the participants
are asked creative questions and then during the show a female
"picker" will be asked those same super-hip, MTV-esque questions.
Every male in the audience is a potential winner, and each one who
has the same answers as the "picker" remains. More and more people
are eliminated until the second round of the show.

During the second round, the picker asks the participants to
perform embarrassing acts until the picker has narrowed the
would-be dates down to three.

In the third round, the female offers the three males a subject
and two choices. For each answer that is the same as the picker,
the male moves a step closer in squares arranged around the circle
the picker sits in. The first male in the circle gets to go on a
date with the picker.

The audience then returns and the process begins again with a
male picker. The charm of the show is a combination of the creative
questions and the charismatic hosts Hardwick and Jenny McCarthy,
but mostly the mortifying tasks required of the participants.

Although embarrassment is practically guaranteed for the
contestants who get past the first round, the show has an abundance
of young, attractive men and women hoping to make their big break
in show biz by appearing on "Singled Out."

Lyn Spiegel, head contestant coordinator, explains that "Singled
Out" gets its contestants from the show’s eight contestant
coordinators and three field coordinators.

"We go to clubs on the weekend with clipboards and get people’s
phone numbers who seem fun, energetic and between the ages of 18
and 24. We call them a few days later and tell them to come down to
the studio dressed like they’re going on a date," says Spiegel.

Greg Bennetts, a writer on the show and a UCLA student, is one
of the few people involved in the show who has no social life.

"It’s a dream job because it’s writing for money, and I get to
wear whatever I want, but it’s a lot less glamorous than people
think. The hours are incredibly long, usually 10 to 12 hours a day
and I have no social life. It’s not strenuous or anything, but all
of the writing gets frustrating, so it’s kind of a job from hell,
too," says Bennetts.

Despite the work involved, Hardwick is still pursuing several
careers and his luck seems to permeate all aspects of the
entertainment industry.

After joining KROQ’s "Kevin and Bean Morning Show" to promote
"Singled Out" with his co host, McCarthy, he was offered a job as a
deejay.

Most recently, he won two awards for his performance with UCLA
junior, Mike Phirman, in Spring Sing ’95.

"I was working on ‘Singled Out’, so Mike and I didn’t have a lot
of time to practice. We were kind of worried that all of the other
groups would put a lot more time into it. Our biggest fear was that
we would go on stage and people would say, ‘What the hell are those
people doing’?" recalls Hardwick, whose worrying was
unnecessary.

Hardwick and Phirman not only received two awards at Spring
Sing, but were specially praised by one of the event’s judges, Cory
Feldman.

"Doing Spring Sing was kind of like a hidden dream," says
Hardwick. "I always wanted to perform in front of a couple thousand
people. It was an amazing rush."

Hardwick had the chance to reach thousands of people in Spring
Sing, but he’s reaching millions on "Singled Out."

"Singled Out" not only provides Hardwick the chance to reach MTV
viewers, but the chance for MTV viewers to meet each other.

As Spiegel explains, "We want them to have fun and meet people.
That’s the whole purpose of the show."

TELEVISION: To be a contestant on "Singled Out" call MTV’s
contestant hotline at (818) 505-7950.