Keys to the VIP | |
---|---|
Starring | Chris Greidanus |
Country of origin | Canada |
No. of episodes | 39 |
Production | |
Running time | 30 min (13 Episodes) |
Original release | |
Network | Comedy Network |
Release | October 31, 2006 – 2008 |
Keys to the VIP (A Professional League for Players) is a Canadian reality television comedy game show that aired on the Comedy Network and Fuse TV. The game involved two self-proclaimed players competing against each other to pick up women in a real bar. The two contestants went against each other in rounds to complete different objectives all related to seducing women. Hidden cameras recorded all the action that occurred, with four "expert" pickup artists judging to decide which of the two contestants did better picking up women during a round. The winner was the contestant that wins at least two out of the three rounds, and went on to win a party in a private VIP room with a select group of friends.
The four hosts who oversaw the progress of the contestants across the town in Kai Lounge. Their personalities descend from the four corners of the male psyche.
The roles are based on the real-life personalities of the hosts, but are exaggerated to help them come up with specific judging criteria. [1]
Alen, Peachez, Sheldon, Chris, and director Justin Harding are the creators of the show. [1] The concept was based on the real-life challenges that Alen, Peachez, and Sheldon would come up with and try out in clubs in Guelph, Canada. [1] Most of the challenges from the show are challenges that the guys had attempted in real life; in fact, the three men came up with many more challenges that the network did not integrate into the show. [1] The pilot was developed and directed by filmmaker Justin Harding a few years before the show aired. Justin Harding remained as the director for all episodes of the three-season run. [1]
Chris was originally in an editing role, and expected to continue this role for the network show. [1] However, the executive producer steered him towards the role of the 'nice guy' on the judging panel. [1] Chris describes being the only "genuine guy" to audition, and he won the role. [1]
Episodes of Keys to the VIP were primarily filmed at well-known nightclubs and bars in the Greater Toronto Area. Some of the clubs included Mink (Toronto), Zu Bar (Burlington), and Wetbar (Toronto).
The show was generally positively received among the PUA community around the world. Users pointed out the fact that real-life situations were being shown and contestants were real, sometimes without enough social skills to pick up women. In-depth analyses of the episodes had been conducted, [2] gathering insights and judging the reactions of women. People pointed out the fact that contestants used mostly their own techniques and charisma instead of canned material taught by the PUA teachers. Also, pieces of information from behind the scenes of the show [3] indicated that the show was real, without paid actors or scenarios. Contestants, identified at the end of each episode, were easy to find on social media, which also added credibility to their performance. The comparisons between this show (KTTV) and another one – The Pickup Artist (TPUA, starring Mystery) – were being made. Both shows were aired roughly the same time. While TPUA was more focused on learning process, the KTTV presented much more real-life interactions with women and was more humorous. The number of episodes (39) and contestants (76) were in favour of KTTV, when comparing to TPUA (respectively: 16 and 17). After the show aired, the judges became a local celebrities in Toronto Area. [4]
Episode Number | Contestant 1 | Contestant 2 | Games Played | Winner |
---|---|---|---|---|
1x01 | Marc "The Baron" | Kyle "The Terminator" | The Laugh Factor Recovery Starving Artist | Kyle "The Terminator" |
1x02 | "Hurricane" Patrick | Brandon "The Wizard" | Three Approaches The Digits Sexy Talent | Brandon "The Wizard" |
1x03 | Eyal "The Egyptian Prince" | Vida aka "Drego" | The Narcissist Reverse Golddigger Angry Girlfriend | Eyal "The Egyptian Prince" |
1x04 | "Cocoa Butter" Chris | Yakov "The Trapper" | Freestyle The Dancer The Hyena | That Guy* |
1x05 | Mark Sparks | Kyle "The Diesel" | Speed Dial Call Your Shot Seduction School | Kyle "The Diesel" |
1x06 | Dennis aka Hodge | "So Hot Right Now" Josh | Line Off Questions Divide and Conquer | "So Hot Right Now" Josh |
1x07 | "Pretty Boy" Ford | Eryk "The Great" | The Laugh Factor Recovery Freestyle | "Pretty Boy" Ford |
1x08 | "Dainty" Danny | Simon aka Screech | The Dancer Foot Fetish The Breakup | "Dainty" Danny |
1x09 | Mark "The Karaoke Kid" | Dennis "The Lion" | The Palm Reader Why You Suck The Dance Off | Mark "The Karaoke Kid" |
1x10 | John aka Wilk | "Cobra Commander" Phil | Love At First Sight Seduction School Quiet On The Set | "Cobra Commander" Phil |
1x11 | Donny "Danger" | Leo "The Carpenter" | Nip/Tuck Talented Mr. Ripley Freestyle | Donny "Danger" |
1x12 | Captain Karim | Ryan aka Weezer | Fake accent The Box Out Friend Destroyer | Ryan aka Weezer |
1x13 | Duane "The Damager" | "Cocky" Kevin | Speed Dial She's So Silly Freestyle | "Cocky" Kevin |
2x01 | Josh "The Matador" Maltin | "Maximum Max" Boateng | Line off Recovery Divide and conquer | Josh "The Matador" Maltin |
2x02 | Eyal "The Closer" | Illya "The Ill Kid" Konstantin | Seduction School Talented Mr. Ripley Call your Shot | Illya "The Ill Kid" Konstantin |
2x03 | Justin "Rated R" Rego | Rob "Fromeo" Cavaliere | The Introduction Sabotage Angry Girlfriend | Rob "Fromeo" |
2x04 | Frank "The Tank" Marques | Kyle "Smiles" Gentle | The Opener Freestyle The Dancer | Frank "The Tank" Marques |
2x05 | "Hot Body" Jason | Mike "The Magician" | Reverse Gold Digger Freestyle Kiss Close | Mike "The Magician" |
2x06 | "Party Boy" Jay | Dustin aka "Xerxes" | The Palm Reader Momma's Boy Body Shots | Tie - Both Players won |
2x07 | Kevin "the Hammer" | Alex "Da Vinci" | Love at First Sight Freestyle Shaken not Stirred | Alex "Da Vinci" |
2x08 | "Down" Pat | Steven "New York" | The Opener Recovery Divide and Conquer | "Down" Pat |
2x09 | Keegan "The Playboy" | Jonathan "The Stylist" | Plastic Surgery Recovery Mighty Wingman | Keegan "The Playboy" |
2x10 | Jordan "The Joker" | Christian "The Keeper" | Speed Dial Freestyle Recovery | Jordan "The Joker" |
2x11 | Mitch "The Protege" | Derek "Cajun" | Freestyle Speed Dial Recovery | Derek "Cajun" |
2x12 | Anthony "The Boy Wonder" | Nick "Dundee" | The Introduction Stink Mouth Shaken Not Stirred | Nick "Dundee" |
2x13 | Matt "Meatus" | Todd "The Natural" | Sabotage The Narcissist Talented Mr. Ripley/Angry Girlfriend | Todd "The Natural" |
3x01 | Bruno "Casanova" | Andrew "The Dungeon Master" | Reverse Gold digger Speed Dial Freestyle Kiss | Tie - Both Players won |
3x02 | Ajay "The Arabian Knight" | Julian "The Bait" | Mr. Icebreaker Freestyle Divide and Conquer | Ajay "The Arabian Knight" |
3x03 | "CraZy" Joe Luca | Malcolm "the Ex" | The Laugh Factor The Photographer The Ex-Lover | Malcolm "the Ex" |
3x04 | Steve "Sphinx" | Pierre "Biscuit" | The Opinion Opener The Routine Freestyle | Steve "Sphinx" |
3x05 | "Will French" | "Soft Top" Thomas | Mr. Photographer Recovery Freestyle | "Soft Top" Thomas |
3x06 | Mike "The Bailiff" | Isaac "The Mama's Boy" | Speed Dial The Date The Introduction | That Guy* |
3x07 | Matt "Punch Line" | Mike "The Spanish Fly" | Ice Breaker Freestyle The Crutch | Matt "Punch Line" |
3x08 | Evan "The Broski" | "Little" Jon | The Opener Recovery Divide and Conquer | "Big" Jon |
3x09 | "Claymax" | Alexander "The Great" | The Jealous Angle Mr. Icebreaker Freestyle | "Claymax" |
3x10 | "Poolboy" Peter | Blake "The Chef" | Mr. Icebreaker Freestyle Recovery | Blake "The Chef" |
3x11 | Marko "The Slavic Thunder" | Thomas "The Heff" | Line Off Talented Mr. Ripley Freestyle | Marko "The Slavic Thunder" |
3x12 | "Rodeo" Ryan | "B-Boy Caution" Jones | Talented Mr. Ripley Freestyle Line Off | "B-Boy Caution" Jones |
3x13 | Eyal Anthony | Sparks Justin | Seduction School & The Introduction Sabotage The MacGyver | Anthony "The Boy Wonder" |
Name | Objective |
---|---|
Angry Ex-Girlfriend | Pick-up a woman while a surprise actress pretends to be an angry ex-girlfriend. |
The Breakup | Initiate conversation with a woman and get her number, but only after borrowing her cell phone to break up with the "girlfriend". |
Body Shots | Initiate body shots at the bar |
Call your Shot | Seduce the women your competitor has selected for you to approach |
The Comedian | Pretend to be a working comedian and get a woman's opinion on "new material" |
Come With Me | Separate a woman from her friends |
The Dancer | Get a woman's number while dancing |
The Dance Off | Initiate a pick-up by challenging a woman to a dance off |
Divide and Conquer | Isolate a woman from her group of friends before attempting a pick-up |
Fake Accent | Obtain a girl's number while using a fake accent |
Foot Fetish | Initiate a pick-up by confessing to have an intense foot fetish |
Freestyle | 3 minutes to demonstrate your most impressive seduction technique |
The Hyena | Each contestant must retrieve a woman's phone number while his opponent is sent in, determined to steal her away |
The Introduction | Get one random woman to introduce you to another random woman |
The Laugh Factor | Make a woman laugh |
Line Off | Initiate a pick-up using the provided one-liner |
Love at First Sight | Initiate a pick-up by admitting that he's fallen in love at first sight |
Momma's Boy | Convince a woman she reminds you of your mother |
The Narcissist | Get a woman's phone number while only talking about himself and never letting the woman speak |
Plastic Surgery | Initiate a pick-up by fishing for a compliment about recent plastic surgery |
Palm Reader | Pick-up a woman by performing a detailed palm reading and predicting a romantic outcome |
Questions | Obtain a woman's phone number while only speaking in questions |
Quiet on the Set | During the pick-up, each contestant must ask the woman to be quiet while he listens intensely to the music playing for 30 seconds because it reminds him of his grandmother |
Recovery | Get a woman's phone number after insulting her hair and makeup |
Redemption | Complete the challenge that caused your original loss. This game was given to contestants who had previously appeared on the show and lost. |
Reverse Gold Digger | Convince a woman to buy you a drink |
Seduction School | 5 minutes to demonstrate your most impressive seduction techniques |
Sexy Talent | Each player must get a woman to reveal and demonstrate a sexy secret talent |
Shaken Not Stirred | Turn a drinking game into a kiss |
Speed Dial | Obtain a woman's phone number in less than a minute |
Starving Artist | Convince a girl that you're an unemployed artist living at home with your parents |
Talented Mr. Ripley | Convince a woman that you have the same occupation as her. |
Three Approaches | Each player has 5 min to approach three different women |
Why You Suck | Initiate conversation with a woman by telling her why she sucks. |
The Joe Schmo Show is an American reality television hoax show created by Paul Wernick and Rhett Reese. The series was broadcast in the United States on the cable network Spike. On December 10, 2012, Spike announced it was bringing The Joe Schmo Show back for a third season, which premiered on January 8, 2013.
Last Comic Standing is an American reality television talent competition show on NBC that aired from June 1, 2003, to August 9, 2010, and again in 2014 and 2015. Each season a comedian from an initially large group of hopefuls was picked as a winner. For the first seven seasons, the winner received a cash prize and a television special; for season eight in 2014, the winner won a cash prize, a talent deal with NBC, and a half-hour scripted project developed by Universal Television.
Most Extreme Elimination Challenge (MXC) is an American comedy television program that aired on TNN/Spike TV from April 19, 2003 to February 9, 2007. It is a re-purpose of footage from the Japanese game show Takeshi's Castle, which originally aired in Japan from 1986 to 1990. The re-purposed MXC created a completely new premise, storyline, and characters, with two teams competing against each other à la a typical team sports broadcast and players trying to win points for their teams by surviving through different challenges. In the original program the Count and his underlings would follow the progress of the players as they moved through the course. In the re-purpose Count Takeshi became veteran network announcer Vic Romano and the Count's flunky became young upstart Kenny Blankenship.
Howard Michael Mandel is a Canadian comedian, television personality, actor, and producer. Mandel is known for voicing Gizmo in the 1984 film Gremlins and the 1990 sequel Gremlins 2: The New Batch, playing rowdy ER resident Dr. Wayne Fiscus on the NBC medical drama St. Elsewhere, and creating and starring in the Fox children's cartoon Bobby's World. He has also been a judge on NBC's America's Got Talent since 2010, and Citytv's Canada's Got Talent since 2022. He hosted the American NBC and later CNBC game show Deal or No Deal, as well as the show's daytime and Canadian-English counterparts.
Dream Job is an American reality televisionseries made by ESPN, which premieredon February 22, 2004. It was the network's second reality show, with two editions of Beg, Borrow & Deal having previously aired. However, this was the first reality show from a network to offer its winner an on-air place on one of its shows. The show was hosted by Stuart Scott.
Sheldon Leonard Bershad was an American film and television actor, producer, director, and screenwriter.
Food Network Star is a reality television series that aired from June 5, 2005 to August 5, 2018. It was produced by CBS EYEtoo Productions for seasons 1–8 and by Triage Entertainment for seasons 9-14. It aired on the Food Network in the United States. Prior to season seven, the series was known as The Next Food Network Star.
Pickup artists (PUA) are people whose goals are seduction and sexual success. Predominantly heterosexual men, they often self-identify as the seduction community or the pickup community. This community exists through various channels, including internet newsletters, blogs, seminars and one-on-one coaching, forums, groups, and local clubs known as "lairs".
Thank God You're Here is an Australian television improvised comedy program created by Working Dog Productions, which premiered on 5 April 2006 on Network 10, where it aired for the first three and from the fifth season onwards; the fourth season aired on the Seven Network.
On May 30, 2006, competitive reality show Last Comic Standing began airing its fourth season on NBC with a two-hour special and a new host, Anthony Clark.
Colin Lewis McAllister and Justin Patrick Ryan are Scottish interior decorators and television presenters, often billed as Colin and Justin.
The Pickup Artist is an American reality television dating themed game show that aired on VH1. The show was hosted by pickup artist Mystery and his wings J-Dog and James Matador, with Tara Ferguson replacing J-Dog in season 2. The first season featured eight male contestants that had previously been unsuccessful in love and relationships. Throughout the show the contestants are tutored in the art of the "pickup" as taught by Mystery and his wings. In each episode the men were given challenges that involved picking women up in different situations, such as on a bridge during the day or in a nightclub. As the show progressed the men were instructed to pick up women of varying levels of difficulty, such as in the second to last challenge of the first season where the men had to pick up a stripper, described by Mystery as "the ultimate challenge." The winner of the first season was Alvaro "Kosmo" Orlando.
Total Drama Action is a Canadian animated television series. It is the second season of Total Drama, airing after Total Drama Island. It premiered on Teletoon on January 11, 2009. This season was also created by the makers of 6teen, another Teletoon program. Unlike in previous seasons, Teletoon did not air new episodes every week.
Kamal Givens, also known as Chance, is an American rapper and television personality. Givens is perhaps best known for his work in reality television, beginning with his role on season one of VH1's I Love New York (2007), wherein he was one of 20 contenders for the affections of Tiffany "New York" Pollard. On I Love New York, Givens appears with his brother Ahmad Givens,. Givens is also a former Capitol Records artist.
The seventh season of the renamed American reality television series Food Network Star premiered Sunday, June 5, 2011. Food Network executives, Bob Tuschman and Susie Fogelson, are joined again by Bobby Flay and Giada De Laurentiis as the judges for this season. The series was filmed in Los Angeles, California and New York, New York.
@midnight with Chris Hardwick is an American late night Internet-themed panel game show, hosted by Chris Hardwick, that aired Monday through Thursday nights between October 21, 2013, and August 4, 2017, on Comedy Central. It was syndicated internationally in Australia on SBS2 and The Comedy Channel, in the United Kingdom on Comedy Central Extra, and in Canada formerly on MuchMusic and later on The Comedy Network.
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 content for their dating reality show Everlasting. The show was created by Marti Noxon and Sarah Gertrude Shapiro, and was inspired by Shapiro's award-winning independent short film Sequin Raze.
Damiano Carrara is an Italian chef, restaurateur and cookbook author who resides in Italy.
The nineteenth season of American Idol premiered on February 14, 2021, on the ABC television network. Ryan Seacrest returned as host, while Luke Bryan, Katy Perry, and Lionel Richie returned as judges, and Bobby Bones returned as in-house mentor.
FBoy Island is an American dating reality television series which focuses on three women trying to identify 24 men as either womanizers ("fboys") or seeking a serious relationship. The series is hosted by Nikki Glaser and premiered on July 29, 2021, on HBO Max. In August 2021, the series was renewed for a second season, which premiered on July 14, 2022. In December 2022, the series was canceled, with STXalternative planning to shop the series elsewhere. It was also removed from the streaming service. In March 2023, The CW picked up the show for a third season, along with a spinoff, Lovers and Liars.