It’s Spring … which means Summer won't be far behind… and Summer means the season for romance is definitely here. But what about singles who aren't seeing anyone these days how are they going to spend the coming hot and steamy summer months… who do they turn to? Well, if you're like most Americans some friend or family member has, at some time, suggested you try that all-American solution — the dreaded blind date. An-n-n-n-nd the results were probably DISASTROUS. When the evening was finally over you swore you'd never try that again. Yet, you've heard the success stories, those oh so romantic success stories… Didn't your Grandfather meet the love of his life on a blind date all those years ago. And wasn't it your Great Aunt Sally who swore by them, saying she had met her soul mate, her one true love, her destiny on just such a date. So here you go, off again on another blind date, hoping THIS one will finally be that special one. If the search for a soul mate has got you down, take heart, you're not alone. And, as with all of life's disappointments, it always helps to know others are going through much the same sort of things you are. Maybe that's the reason for the success of the reality style TV show ‘Blind Date’. For with each and every successful pairing, on this show, there seems to be 9 or 10 disasters. Roger Lodge, host of the show, feels that a lot of what makes the show so popular is seeing all those disaster dates. “People can watch our show and realize that maybe their dating life isn't all that bad after all. I could be like the couple I'm watching on ‘Blind Date’.” When the show first went into production the goal was to air one successful
date and one disaster date each episode. “We gave up on that after
the first week,” admits Lodge. “Because it was just too tough.
It's such a tough thing to find two people who will work out. If we film
twenty dates we're lucky if two or three of those dates work out, because
it's so hard to find two total strangers who… we may think they're
right for each other, but who knows how it's gonna end up.”
“I've set friends up on dates,”continues Lodge. “I've never been able to do it, and now I'm doing it on television. And, I'm having the worst luck. But it's not as easy as it looks, let me tell you." Viewers are finding out just how hard playing matchmaker really is whenever the show lets them take a stab at it via their internet site ( www.blinddatetv.com ) and their special ‘You Make The Match’ episodes. An-n-n-n-nd the viewers “failed miserably at it, too… which was a lot of fun,” admits Lodge. But host Roger Lodge doesn't worry about the somewhat low percentage rate for ‘Blind Date’s successful romantic pairings because that's what makes the show real for a lot of it's viewers. “The appeal of our show is that it's real… real dates… real video and… real funny. And you never know what's going to happen. That's why people continue to watch, whether it works out or it doesn't work out… I know a lot of people who really enjoy it when it doesn't work out. It's even more entertaining. There's so much more you can do with it when they hate each other.” “We truly want people to meet someone who they're going to have a relationship with,” assures Lodge. “In order to do that we need to know a lot about them. So they come in for what we call the confessional …because… well, they pretty much come in and confess to whatever we want to know… just lay it all out for us so we know what we're dealing with. I'd say it's a ten to fifteen minute process of asking them a lot of different questions to find out as much as we can about them in order for us to do our job.” Roger Lodge admits some of the questions can get a little embarrassing. And all of this while a camera is starring you in the face… talk about uncomfortable!
“I gotta hand it to the people who come on the show,” confides host Roger Lodge, who himself has never had the guts to try going on a blind date in real life. “A blind date is so uncomfortable in the first place. Let's see, how can we ease the tension?… I know, how about a camera crew. I mean, it's ridiculous… it's such an absurd idea. But I'm glad they thought of it. 'Cause it's keeping me employed, so it's great.” If viewers felt host Roger Lodge looked familiar, the first time they watched the show, that's probably because he's done everything from small acting roles for TV and movies, to his own weekly show ‘Sci-Fi Vortex’ for the Sci-Fi network …including… work for ESPN and Fox Sports Net, and hosting his own ‘Hard Copy’ segment ‘The Hollywood Buzz’. But viewers probably remember him best from his popular guest hosting spots for ‘Talk Soup’. In fact his work on ‘Talk Soup’ is the main reason he's hosting ‘Blind Date’ today. “The timing couldn't have been better,” says Roger Lodge of
the auditions for the host spot on ‘Blind Date’. “I was
right smack in the middle of a two week run on ‘Talk Soup’.
I remember going to the (Blind Date) audition and seeing a sign in the
waiting room that read… ‘We are looking for someone with the
‘Talk Soup’ mentality in our host.’ And I was like, ‘Hello…’
So, I left the audition, called my agent, and said, ‘look why don't
you just send them my ‘Talk Soup’ tape, or tell them to watch
‘Talk Soup’ tonight…’” The people behind the
scenes at ‘Blind Date’ called him a couple of days later, and
it was pretty much a done deal from then on. Has he learned anything after one season hosting ‘Blind Date’? Roger Lodge doesn't consider himself a dating expert, by any means, …but… one season and 420 dates later, he does admit you really do learn a lot from watching so many dates. “It's kind of like analyzing a ball game,” says Lodge. “You see that many dates and all of a sudden you start to see these recurring patterns.” As far as his advice for the guys… “They just really need to be themselves and not try so hard to impress. I see a lot of men who try too hard. They're too desperate, and there's nothing more unattractive then DESPERATION. On the other end of the spectrum…” continues Lodge. “When you're on a date with a woman be on a date with her! Don't be looking around the room at other girls. Nothing can end a date quicker than checking out other girls in front of your date. There's no bigger turn off.” If the most unattractive thing is trying too hard and desperation, confides Lodge, then the most attractive thing has got to be SELF CONTROL. “There's nothing more attractive than self control. Take your time, explore each other, get to know each other. I think so many guys, and girls for that matter, go in for the physical stuff way too soon. And it's just that old theory of… gosh, if he's doing it with me on a first date he must do it with everybody on a first date.” When the matches fail it can often feel like the blind leading the blind, for the staff of the popular TV show ‘Blind Date’, but “when it works, when it really works… its a GREAT feeling,” admits Lodge, with a bit of both warmth and pride in his voice. As far as real success stories… There are probably ten couples, host Roger Lodge knows of, that are either engaged or living together or still dating months down the line. “We did a kind of 'Where Are They Now' check back in with one couple (Justin and Tracy). The couple is (now) engaged, and they just wanted to thank us and tell us how they've been inseparable since they're first date. It sounds corny but it's kind of neat to know that we are responsible. 'Cause that's really the heart and soul of the entire show. That's what it's all about… finding two people who hit it off.” If love can bloom, under the hot glare of TV camera lights… then
maybe it can bloom, on a blind date, for you as well… It gives one
hope.
To be considered for a Blind Date episode, find a love match online,
view videos and photos or just chat with other singles visit www.blinddatetv.com
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