• The Dating Game-
This classic dating game show is about a bachelorette or bachelor who would ask questions to three hidden bachelors or bachelorettes in order to figure out who they wanted to date. The questions would be written in advance on cards to ask the contestants. The contestants are not allowed to see each while they ask questions. The same questions could be asked to multiple contestants. The bachelor/bachelorette would make her choice based solely on the answers to her questions. Sometimes they would answer comically, seriously, or romantically. This show began the craze of dating shows similar to it. It is a way to find a date for someone based on personality rather than looks. This type of show has now been recreated in many different ways.



• Blind Date-
My analysis of this dating show about people a set on a date with someone they do not know or never met aka a “blind date”. Most of the shows are people who are matched up but really shouldn’t be. They go out and do random activities to see if they like the person and then at the end of the blind date the person decides if they want to go on a second date. This show is more entertainment than it is of the reality of dating. They often find very outrageous and unique people to keep the show’s ratings up. It is interesting to see how this show has a variety of people with different interests and the outcomes are usually different. Some things to note about dating seen through this show is how if the people connect well on the date then they can sometimes lead to “hooking up” on the first date while others sometimes will not even make it thru the full date. Through the shows’ series there was two couple who eventually lead to marriage from meeting on a blind date.



• Dating In The Dark-
This is a reality show where people looking to date meet in a completely dark house and has to decide whether or not they want to date someone based on the dates they have in complete darkness. I found this show to be the most interesting with the question of “What’s more important, looks or personality?” Based on my analysis of this show most of the people who did this did not end up staying with the person they picked. They would choose to both go on another date less than 40% of the time. This means that either the people really do base a lot on the looks of the other people or they just didn’t like their personality enough to continue a relationship.




• Parental Control-
This is a show where parents interview prospective partners that they want their kid to date instead of their current partner. Then, the son or daughter goes on a date with the two people the parents chose and the kid has to decide whether to keep their current relationship or chose one of the new ones.
Even though this show seem pretty staged by the producers it does give sort of an idea of what the current generation of teens and young people think of dating and relationships. Since this is an MTV show it is targeted for a younger audience. When I watched this show all I could think is how I would not want my parent’s to be picking a partner for me and I would never participate in a show like that. Another issue I had with it was that almost every episode was the same plot. There was a son or daughter and their boyfriend or girlfriend was a jerk who would sit on the couch and be rude to the parents while making comments on the dates they were watching. The personalities of the people were always the same.



• Date My Mom-
In this dating show the contestant has to date 3 separate moms in order to find out which one of their daughters they want to date. They do not see the person they will be dating until they actually pick the mom they liked the most. This is also an MTV show and it is produced similar their other dating shows. Many of the mom act as if they are trying to sell their daughters to the guy. I want to point out that this is one of the only shows that have guys only picking the girls. Most other shows are equally split between guys and girls yet however there are a couple of episodes where it is a lesbian girl trying to find another girl.




• A Shot at Love With Tila Tequila-
A reality show where an internet model Tila Tequila is a hot girl looking for “love” from 12 guys and 12 girls because she is a bisexual. The girl-on-girl action is probably what gave the show its ratings because otherwise it is just another person looking for romance reality show. From the episodes I watched she was usually just making out with the contestants and would dress in very revealing outfits. The show had contestants that were also just as scandalous as Tila. There was a lot of unnecessary drama on the show and it was probably created because there was nothing else for these contestants to do.

In conclusion, I think that the dating shows on television are relatively far from reality and they are created for entertainment purposes only, not to find real love. Based on my analysis I think the way the media has portrayed dating over the years has changed the way the younger generation today thinks of dating as well. They are less likely to form strong healthy relationships and are more likely just to “hook up” on the first date with the main objective being sex. Also the shows on MTV are more likely to be dating shows based on the looks rather than personality and they are more likely to be objectifying towards women.

(Tony Chavez)