We recently asked people of the BuzzFeed Community who have been on a reality TV dating show to tell us what it was like. They shared their own experiences on TV and the experiences of people they knew who gave it a shot. Here are the fascinating — and surprising — results:
Note: While we can’t 100% confirm the following stories, these people are supposedly speaking from their own experiences as alleged former dating show contestants.
1. "I was on The Undateables in 2018 just before graduating from university; while I didn't find love, I still had a good time with it. The people working on it genuinely care and want the dates and stories to be a success. There are character traits taken (with me, it was loving hugs and being honest to a fault) and edited, so it looks like that's all there is to you when it really isn't. I wasn't mad at how I was portrayed, but I'm definitely more pessimistic with a darker sense of humor."
"As for behind the scenes, there was a surprising amount of footage edited out, which I understand, but it's sh*t considering the number of takes I had to do walking into a hairdresser's and asking about an appointment. I also questioned the producer about the title of The Undateables, and he explained that it's already copyrighted, so to change it would be confusing."
2. "Not me, but my dad back in the '90s. He was in a show for blind dates, and he actually won — which meant he and his date could go on a vacation. Parts of it were broadcast. It was all paid for, but my dad says it was all staged and that they were directed to show affection and say things for show. My dad and the woman had absolutely no romantic click whatsoever, but the crew made them fake it."
"After the show, they lost touch, and he’s now happily married to the love of his life, my stepmom."
—21, Netherlands