Glen’sdebutonUK showTakeMeOut
GLEN McGowan (31), from Scholar’s Townhouse managed to impress the notoriously fussy contestants on gameshow Take Me Out when he made his first appearance on the show last weekend.
Friends and famly gathered in Scholar’s, the family business run by Glen, his parents Martin and Patricia and brother Mark, to watch his British TV debut - but almost missed it thanks to Johnny Sexton’s drop goal!
‘We nearly missed me on the show because we had to wait for Sexton to take that shot, imagine me turning over the TV in the bar to my dating programme from the rugby - they’d be throwing tomatoes at me!,’ laughed Glen.
He was chosen for the show after producers put out a request on social media for an Irish contestant to take part in the popular ITV dating programme presented by Paddy McGuinness.
‘My friend Paul O’Lima was on it a few years ago and he tagged me in the Facebook thing and so did a few other people. My friends are always saying you should go on because I’m a bit of a messer and I’d be good for a bit of banter.’
After meeting with the prodction team, Glen was chosen to take part and spent two days filming in Drogheda and Dublin for his sixty second video clip for the show.
‘I flew over to London at the end of November to film the show. I was in the studio with three other lads who were appearing on the show and we all got on like a house on fire.
‘ They were tough competition, one was a model, one was a personal trainer and one was an international DJ. It was intimidating but in my head I was just going on for a bit of craic and a bit of a laugh for my mates and exposure for the hotel. I was thinking I’ll either get a blackout or a few lights left on.’
Despite his reservations, Glen proved to be very popular with the ladies on the show and had 25 lights left which he eventually had to whittle down to two before finally deciding on his date, Lucy.
After filming in the studio ends, the lovebirds are taken off in separate directions before flying out to Tenerife the following morning for their official date.
‘My Mam and Dad were over in London for the filming with some friends so we went out that night and had the craic and then the next day myself and the three other lads were flown out to Fernandos in Tenerife. You stay in the hotel on Saturday night and then on Sunday morning at 10am you go on your date.
While he enjoyed his date, romance didn’t blossom for Glen but he said he enjoyed the experience and has had a number of TV offers as a result of his appearance on the show.