TAKE ME OUT
WHAT IT’S REALLY LIKE TO GO ON
It’s the greatest pre-goingout Saturday night show ever. What’s not to love? Paddy Mcguinness, some dodgy catchphrases and lots of really awkward dates on the Isle of Fernando’s. Forget Tinder – the best thing about being single in 2017 is that you could still be one of Paddy’s Flirty 30.
While Mark Wright and Laura Jackson dish the dirt on sister show, Take Me Out:
The Gossip, we still have so many more questions. What happens when they go up those stairs? How competitive is it? And what goes down afterhours on Fernando’s? heat spoke to three contestants who’ve lived through it all to find out what it’s really like to go on Take Me Out…
BACKSTAGE ON THE SHOW
When Paddy commands, “Bring on the girls!” they descend onstage looking polished to perfection, but looking that good doesn’t come easy. Beckie Finch, who was on series eight, explains, “It’s like a military operation. Half the girls are shipped to Hair, and the other half to Make-up, at 7.45am. They advise you to bring ten outfits of your own, then you go into Wardrobe and put all your clothes on in front of the team, and they say what they think will work on TV.”
And getting the perfect look
isn’t the only concern, there’s also the small matter of manoeuvring their way down the stairs at the start. Shauni Rixon, who went on a date with TOWIE’S Arg in February’s Celebrity Special, explains, “It’s a girl’s worst nightmare. You’ve got to wave to loads of different cameras and walk down a flight of stairs in heels. The girls get so stressed about falling over that they practice beforehand, so they can try out their shoes.”
The show films ten episodes, one per day, with rehearsals, back to back. So the ladies take two weeks of annual leave off work, just in case they don’t get picked and end up there for the whole run.
The girls have to be sober, so they can’t even blame the booze when they make a clanger. Beckie says, “There’s strictly no alcohol on set, so anything silly that we say is us completely sober. I definitely panicked and came up with terribly embarrassing things.”
Adele Cobain appeared on the show in 2011, and says that the production team hint at the questions you might be asked. The 36 year old tells us, “They prepare you a bit, but they don’t tell you what to say. You know what you
want to say, but when Paddy comes over it comes out wrong.”
GETTING CHOSEN
Despite the fact that they’re up against 29 other girls, the contestants aren’t competitive when it comes to bagging a man. Beckie says, “Those girls are my sisters for life. W hen I got my date, he turned off the light of the girl next to me, and I was more worried that she got rejected than happy.”
And, of course, with a trip to the sunny Isle of Fernando’s (well, Tenerife) up for grabs, the girls admit that sometimes they do leave their lights on just to get the date. Adele reveals, “I knew we only had a couple of episodes left, so I thought if I just go away with somebody I can have a laugh with, then it will be half decent.” Then, once you manage to secure a love match, there’s the concern of getting back up the stairs. Shauni jokes, “If you get
‘If you do get a date, you’re pooing yourself!’ Shauni
a date, you’re pooing yourself in case you trip up with your man. I think a few girls did fall.”
THE DATE ON FERNANDO’S
There’s no time for Facebook stalking with your potential new man, because the new couple jet off straight away to Fernando’s. Beckie explains, “You leave from Gatwick Airport that night. Before you go onto the main show each morning, you have to check out of the hotel. If you don’t get a date, you go back to the hotel and check in again. You’re literally always packing and unpacking.”
And once they land in the sun, it’s non-stop filming for the show. “James [Arg] and I got on great, but when you’re not filming, you can’t really talk to each other, because you’re getting ready for the next date. Then you go on Take Me Out: The Gossip, which is definitely more alcoholinduced and fun,” says Shauni.
And, as contestants aren’t allowed their phones while on their dates, the rest of the girls have to wait until they come back to get all the gossip (the trips only last a few days). “All the girls are messaging you after the date,” explains Shauni. “We have a massive Whatsapp group for the 30 of us, and you give them the low-down. You have to tell them if you kissed, and send a selfie if you got one.”
Meanwhile, back on the show, the girls who don’t get dates return to their hotel, which is like a giant sleepover. Beckie tells us, “You are always sharing your room with one other girl. You spend up to two weeks together and you’re best friends by the end.”
Of course, not everyone comes back with the bloke they flew out with. While Adele ended up on Fernando’s at the same time as her now-husband, Dave (the couples often go out on the same week, to make filming Take Me
Out: The Gossip easier), the pair didn’t do anything until they got back. Adele explains, “It was really weird, because I respected the fact that Dave was with somebody, and I also thought, ‘He didn’t choose me.’” The pair eventually hit it off at a TMO reunion party, got married in 2014, and now have a three-year-old little boy.
Beckie is now married to a TMO contestant called Adam, telling us, “Adam didn’t actually pick me on the show. I got to the bottom two and he took someone else.” But it all turned out well for them – they got engaged six months later, got married last month, and are currently on their honeymoon. Awww.
Shauni may not have found love with Arg, but she’s made some mates for life, telling us happily, “We’re all best friends and we all meet up. We’re all really different, but we’ve all got so much in common. It’s like I’ve got a whole new pile of sisters.”
Arg, however, is still very much single.