Dates of our lives
By Daily Bruin Staff
Feb. 6, 2002 9:00 p.m.
 Rendez-View Comedian Greg Proops and
relationship expert Ellen Ladowsky host
Rendez-View, and commentate on the dating scene.
By Shana Dines
Daily Bruin Contributor
Is it voyeurism or curiosity, loneliness or horniness, a sick
obsession or just plain old boredom?
All of these characteristics make TV viewers crave dating shows
and have subsequently made the shows so damn popular.
“They are entertaining because they are so
unrealistic,” said Yasman Alaghband, a first-year MCD Bio
student. “Guy meets girl, and it’s so extreme. They
either love each other or hate each other.”
Taking over the airwaves recently, they are forerunners in the
reality TV era. The road to fame, however, has not been a short
one.
Going back to their origins, dating shows can be traced to their
grandparents, “The Dating Game,” which premiered in
1965, and “The Love Connection,” which began in 1981.
These artifacts of TV history set the standard for the dating shows
of today. With substantial renovations and alterations, they were
reinvented to appeal to more modern demographics. One of the main
changes was taking the shows out onto the streets.
“It just seemed like the right time to move the whole
dating concept out of the studio and into the field, where you
actually start to experience and be part of the date itself,”
said Tom Kline, producer of “Rendez-View” and creator
of “Blind Date” and “Fifth Wheel.”
“It’s such a universal theme of dating; everybody can
relate to it.”
 Blind Date Roger Lodge hosts the show
"Blind Date," which draws on and features the quirkiness of blind
dates. With such a wide variety of shows to choose from, there
really is a scenario to suit just about anyone’s fancy. In
order to clear things up, here’s a breakdown of the major
players:
“Blind Date,” one of the original next-generation
shows, features commentary from host Roger Lodge, as well as
graphics, icons, and various other little interruptions to keep the
viewer entertained. Partnered with this is
“Rendez-View,” which is hosted by comedian Greg Proops
and relationship expert Ellen Ladowsky, in addition to two
celebrity guests. Getting the studio audience to participate in the
gossiping, “Rendez-View” seems to be the most
interactive of the bunch.
“ElimiDate” features one man and four women, or vice
versa, who go through a series of three rounds, in which the main
squeeze of the date must “elimidate” one suitor after
each round. Starting out with two men and two women, “Fifth
Wheel”offers up another version of the group date scenario.
After the four of them pair off and get to know each other, a fifth
person is thrown in to stir up the drama.
“Dismissed” is MTV’s answer to the dating show
bandwagon. There are two contestants who fight over the lucky third
person, who is not necessarily of the opposite sex.
“Dismissed” is the only show that features same-sex
relationships.
 Blind Date Participants of "Blind Date" seek romance and
action.
“Change of Heart” takes unstable relationships and
pushes them to the limits as host Lynne Koplitz leads the
contestants and live studio audience through the dates of two
lovers as they test the waters with other fish. At the end of each
episode, the original couple must choose if they want to stay
together or if they’ve had a “change of
heart.”
Numerous other dating shows are struggling for existence in
syndication or on local cable networks.
“There a lot of dating shows on the air and some of them
are going to go away, but I like to think that there’s a
place for the good ones to stay for a while. They speak to a
segment of the audience that seems to really respond to
them,” Kline said.
The ups and downs of dating seems to be a topic to which that
audience can relate. The shows seem to be popular even with the
pre-teen crowd as well, those looking forward to the dating drama
that awaits them.
“I have an 11-year-old son and all of his friends are
watching the show,” Kline said. “They like them because
they are just starting to have those feelings about guys and girls
and all that stuff.”
Between the guilty pleasure of voyeurism, the comedic commentary
of the hosts, and the possibility of a fairy tale ending, dating
show producers seem to have found a formula that works.
“It’s the fantasy; it’s love; everyone’s
interested in that; it’s maybe finding your life-mate or your
soulmate or just someone to go out with,” said Alex Duda,
executive producer of “ElimiDate.” “I think love
is a subject that will always fascinate people and I think
that’s what attracts people to these dating shows.”
Lack of a permanent cast further offers ever-changing
entertainment in dating shows. The success of each episode depends
on immediate connections.
“It begins and ends in casting: every time you have five
different personalities, so every time you have a different
show,” Duda said. “You never know what’s going to
happen.”
While the crash-and-burn dates may be more entertaining, Kline
swears that no one is put on dates that are predestined to
fail.
“We definitely do not try to mismatch people,” Kline
said. “We try to put people together who we think will
connect and we’re right about 20 percent of the
time.”
Either way, the masterminds behind all of the various dating
shows have hit the target and are doing everything right. In its
first season, “ElimiDate” raised its ratings by 70
percent.
“We are happy where we are, but we want to keep
growing,” Duda said.
Strong ratings aside, success is shown by the fact that channel
surfing at any hour of the day often reveals a dating show in one
of its forms.
Though few things stay gold forever in the entertainment
industry, there seems to be some promise for longevity among the
diamonds of the dating show rough.
“Love is something that will always interest us,”
Duda said. “I hope that this genre will stick
around.”
