Movies & TV

I have a confession to make. I watched the premiere of Dating in the Dark. Let's just blame it on boredom and the usual lack of decent TV during the summer. The premise is simple, three men and three women go on individual and group dates in a pitch black room that prevents them from seeing each other. This is supposedly a grand experiment to learn if people can fall in love based purely on personality and fully dilated pupils.

All in all it feels really hokey. At one point the contestants take off their shirts, which are delivered to the opposite sex so they can inspect the clothing and learn more about them. They also had them sit down with an artist to have them draw the face of the person they've been dating based on the contestants description. So it's really about whether or not people can fall in love based on personality, apparel and a police sketch artist rendering.

Near the end of the hour the contestants choose one of the three people they've been dating to be revealed to them. It is still done in the dark so they never look at each other at the same time and no one is allowed to speak. This way they can make excited or disappointed faces, but not to each other's face, leaving the final outcome a mystery for the balcony.

Ah, the balcony, by far the cruelest part of the show. They make you wait on a veranda to see if the person you liked in the dark thinks your attractive enough to see again. They will either join you on the balcony or walk out the front door and reject you. The front door is conveniently placed within view of the balcony. Uncool. They should at least have to say to this persons face that they're shallow.

In the end, I enjoyed the show because of how ridiculous it was - which surely will wear off quickly. I would much prefer speed dating in the dark. Or sitting in the dark.