Blind Date

Episode 5

Swappers

Wed, Sep 10, 2003

During each episode, people who did not know each other were paired up and sent off on a blind date. The cameras followed their every move, while commentary in the form of subtitles, animations, and "thought bubbles" was added by the show's producers. The show was hosted by Roger Lodge. The dates were often unsuccessful, with said failures alternating between pleasant/boring times when there was no shared romantic spark and horrendous conflicts that included verbal and physical altercations, but a fair number of dates did end up going well and had the daters saying they would go out again in the future (the show would sometimes follow up and see if that actually happened; the most common result was that subsequent dates did happen but did not produce long-term relationships). The series developed a reputation for distorting reality, as contestants stated that daters who were nice people were made to look like monsters and dates where the couple got along being presented as "Dates from Hell". Certain especially disastrous pairings were described as "Dates From Hell," and the show frequently concluded with excerpts from the show's "Hall of Shame" (embarrassing moments), "Cutting Room Floor" (footage that was comic but not deemed integral to a date's narrative), and "Hot Zone" (extremely sexy footage from successful dates).