Dating game shows are game shows that incorporates a variety of matchmaking systems and services in the form of a game with clear rules. Human matchmaking is involved only in selecting the game's contestants, who are usually selected more for the amusement value than any concern for their happiness or compatibility. The audience sees only the game; an important feature of all dating game shows is that the contestants have little or no previous knowledge of each other, and are exposed to each other only through the game, which may include viewing a photograph or at least knowing the basic criteria for participation.
There's Something About Miriam is a British reality television series broadcast by Sky1. The six-episode series premiered on 22 February 2004 and concluded on 24 March 2004. Set in Ibiza, Spain, the series depicted six men in competition for a £10,000 reward over who could make the best impression on 21-year-old Mexican model Miriam Rivera. The men were required to compete in various physical challenges in addition to going on individual and group dates with Rivera. In the final episode, Rivera selected the one contestant who left the best impression on her; upon selection, Rivera revealed to the contestants that she was a transgender woman who had not yet undergone gender-affirming surgery. The series was hosted by Welsh television presenter Tim Vincent.
Boy Meets Boy is an American reality television series broadcast by Bravo. The six-episode series premiered on July 29, 2003, and concluded on September 2, 2003. Filmed in Palm Springs, California, the series followed James Getzlaff, a 32-year-old human resources manager, in search of a partner among a group of fifteen men. Getzlaff participated in a series of one-on-one dates and group activities with the men, in which he would eliminate three men every episode. In the fourth episode, however, Getzlaff was informed that the group consisted of both gay and straight men. If Getzlaff's final choice among the group was a gay man, he would win a $25,000 reward and a vacation to New Zealand. Conversely, if Getzlaff chose a straight man, then the man alone would win the $25,000 reward. The series was hosted by English television presenter Dani Behr.
Carson Kressley is an American television personality, actor, and designer. Beginning in 2003, he appeared in the Bravo series Queer Eye for the Straight Guy. He was also the motivational host of the TV show How to Look Good Naked and OWN's Carson Nation and a contestant on season 13 of Dancing with the Stars.
Playing It Straight is an American reality television series broadcast by the Fox Broadcasting Company (Fox). The series premiered on March 12, 2004, although it was abruptly cancelled by the network following the broadcast of its third episode on March 26, 2004. Filmed in Elko, Nevada, at the Sizzling Saddle Ranch, the series followed Jackie Thomas, a 21-year-old college student, as she was pursued by a group of fourteen men. Upon arrival to the ranch, it was revealed to Thomas that the group consisted of both straight and gay men. Through a series of individual and group dates, Thomas was required to eliminate men from the competition who she believed identified as gay. If Thomas ultimately selected a straight man, then the two split a reward of $1,000,000. However, if Thomas selected a gay man, he alone won the reward. The series was hosted by American television presenter Daphne Brogdon.
Joseph Adam Swash is an English actor and television presenter, best known for his role of Mickey Miller in the BBC One soap opera EastEnders and various presenting roles with ITV2. He won the eighth series of I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here! in 2008 and the twelfth series of Dancing on Ice in 2020.
Jodie Louise Marsh is an English media personality, model and bodybuilder. She has appeared on numerous reality television shows, including Essex Wives (2002), Back to Reality (2004), Love on a Saturday Night (2004), Celebrity Big Brother, and Big Brother's Bit on the Side (2011–2013). She also featured in her own reality show titled Totally Jodie Marsh (2007).
Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? is a British television quiz show, created by David Briggs, Steven Knight & Mike Whitehill for ITV. The programme's format sees contestants taking on multiple-choice questions based upon general knowledge, winning a cash prize for each question they answer correctly, with the amount offered increasing as they take on more difficult questions. If an incorrect answer is given, the contestant will leave with whatever cash prize is guaranteed by the last safety net they have passed, unless they opt to walk away before answering the next question with the money the cash prize they had managed to reach. To assist in the quiz, contestants are given a series of "lifelines" to help answer questions.
I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out Of Here! is a British survival reality television show, that is broadcast on ITV. It was created by London Weekend Television (LWT) and is produced by Lifted Entertainment. The format sees a group of celebrities living together in extreme conditions with few creature comforts. Each member undertakes challenges to secure additional food and treats for the group, and to avoid being voted out by viewers during their stay, with the final episode's votes nominating who wins a series.
Transamerican Love Story is an American reality dating show in which suitors woo transgender woman Calpernia Addams. Addams chooses a suitor by process of elimination. When the show first aired, viewers could vote their preferences online, but it was Addams who chose whom to eliminate. Calpernia is accompanied by her friend Andrea James; each episode is hosted by comedian Alec Mapa.
Paris Hilton's My New BFF was an American competitive reality television series in which Paris Hilton searches for her new BFF. It was created by Michael Hirschorn, Stella Bulochnikov and Hilton, who also served as executive producers. The series was produced by Ish Entertainment, in association with MTV, on which it ran for two seasons, from September 30, 2008 to August 4, 2009. It spawned two international versions —Paris Hilton's British Best Friend and Paris Hilton's Dubai BFF— which followed between 2009 and 2011.
Take Me Out is a dating game show that was presented by comedian Paddy McGuinness. Based on the Australian show Taken Out, it first aired on ITV in the United Kingdom and simulcast on TV3 in the Republic of Ireland on 2 January 2010. An unscreened pilot episode was made for Channel 4 in 2009, but it was ITV who picked it up for a series. The show was produced by Thames. On 10 February 2020, ITV announced that the show was axed after eleven series.
Seriously, Dude, I'm Gay is an unaired American reality television special planned for broadcast by the Fox Broadcasting Company (Fox). A two-hour special was set to premiere on June 7, 2004, although the special was abruptly removed from the Fox schedule only eleven days before its planned broadcast. Filmed in West Hollywood, California, the special depicted two straight men in competition for a $50,000 reward over who could pass themselves off as a more convincing gay man. The contestants were required to move into separate lofts with gay roommates, come out to their best friends, and socialize at gay nightclubs, in addition to competing in a variety of daily challenges. Irish television presenter Amanda Byram was set to host the special.
Joey Donald Essex is an English television personality. From 2011 to 2013, he made appearances on the ITV reality series The Only Way Is Essex. In 2013 he participated in the first series of Splash! and the thirteenth series of I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!, where he finished in fourth place. In 2015 he won the Channel 4 series The Jump. In 2020, he appeared on the first series of Celebrity Ex on the Beach. In 2022, he participated in the eighth series of the Australian version of I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!, finishing in sixth place and in 2023, he was the runner-up of the fifteenth series of Dancing on Ice.
Unreal is an American drama television series that premiered on Lifetime on June 1, 2015. It stars Shiri Appleby as a young reality television producer pushed by her unscrupulous boss to swallow her integrity and do anything it takes to drum up salacious show content. The show was created by Marti Noxon and Sarah Gertrude Shapiro, and was inspired by Shapiro's award-winning independent short film Sequin Raze.
Love Island is a British dating game show. It is a revival of the earlier celebrity series of the same name, which aired for two series in 2005 and 2006. The series is the originator of the international Love Island franchise, with twenty-two versions of it having been produced so far worldwide. The show is presented by Maya Jama and narrated by Iain Stirling. The show was previously hosted by both Caroline Flack and Laura Whitmore.
The seventh series of Love Island began broadcasting on 28 June 2021 and was hosted by Laura Whitmore on ITV2. Iain Stirling returned to narrate the series. The series was originally planned to air in the summer of 2020, but was postponed due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
Jordan Redford Gossamer Gray is an English comedian and singer from Essex. She is best known for her second tour, Is It a Bird?, in 2022.
Conveyor Belt of Love is an American reality television special broadcast by the American Broadcasting Company (ABC). Initially intended to serve as a backdoor pilot, the one-hour special premiered on January 4, 2010. The special depicted a panel of five women selecting a suitor among a group of thirty men. The women were seated in front of a conveyor belt, in which the men were individually rotated out for a period of one minute. During this minute, the men were required to display a talent or skill in order to make a positive impression on the women. At the end of each minute, the women raised a paddle indicating whether or not they were interested. American voice actor Dale Inghram served as the special's narrator.
