FIRST DATES
VANCOUVER-SHOT TV SHOW RETURNS FOR SECOND SEASON
After watching a preview episode of the TV show First Dates, I hugged my husband and said: “I’m so glad I don’t have to go on dates.”
To which he replied: “I’m glad you’re not going on dates, too.”
Seriously, being single looks hard. First Dates makes that abundantly clear as seemingly (it’s a TV show after all) nice singles sit down and nervously (for the most part) ask the person they are hoping could be their future partner what kind of movies they like and whether they are a dog or cat person.
“Everybody has that same thing. They are thinking this could be my last first date, and that’s our ambition,” says the show’s producer Toby Dormer.
As a viewer and someone who has been on a date, it’s hard not to feel a tinge of nerves or cringe a bit as singles arrive at the Gastown restaurant, sip a drink and make small talk with servers. These are real people, after all.
“Some people you just instantly feel for. You want them to have a good date. When they are walking into their date we as the production team get nervous,” says Dormer. “We have butterflies. We are right there with them.”
Now starting its second season, First Dates brings 300 singles together over dinner, drinks and a desire to enter into a long-term relationship. More than 1,000 Lower Mainland singles auditioned for the Vancouver-shot show.
So who are these singles? Now a cynic who has seen plenty of unscripted TV might say people on shows like this are hoping to turn a date with a stranger into a date with fame. Dormer says nope, not on his watch.
“You can tell straightaway that they are thinking this will be a way to further their career," Dormer says of weeding out the fame-seekers. “Some of them might sneak through, but we do our best to make sure everyone here is genuinely single, genuinely looking for love and are going to come to this with the right intentions. We don’t want someone who is looking to be the next Kardashian alongside someone who is really looking for love. It’s just not fair.”
The people who come to the show generally have lots of dating experience. They’ve been online dating, tried Tinder, experienced eHarmony and have exhausted all their friends’ and family’s contact lists. According to Dormer, some reported going on four to five dates a week. One woman even left a show taping to rush to another date.
“You know what? I think there are so many people out there looking for somebody special and they’re finding it really hard,” says Dormer. “The big message we got from Season 1 and Season 2 is that it’s hard out there."
So a blind date on TV, why not?
Once the daters meet they sit down over dinner and drinks. Everyone in the room is on dates. The cameras (about 50) are all remote so there are no production staff lingering like third wheels and reminding the nervous singles that their every move is being recorded.
While not all dates go well and, yes, a tense meet up can make for good TV, Dormer says the plan is always to create couples.
“I’m always rooting for people. I want them to find love,” he says. "We take it very seriously. If we see a couple sharing a kiss (afterwards), outside the restaurant the whole team is high-fiving. That’s what we want, we want those matches."
New this season is the location and the increased presence of the serving staff.
Bartender Adam Snider is one of those the camera is focusing on more this year.
Despite having never gone on a blind date himself, Snider says his years behind the bar have made him a pretty good judge of first dates.
“I can pretty much tell right away of how the date is going to end up based on body language,” says Snider, who is called upon sometimes to help a date along through either drinks or conversation.
Snider has seen it all, and he definitely has a good idea what can cause a date to crash.
“Not dressing well, drinking too much, talking about themselves too much and generally trying too hard,” he says about the don’ts of a date. “Never talk about your ex.”
See? Bartenders do give good advice.