Dating in the Dark (US TV series)
Encyclopedia
Dating in the Dark premièred on the ABC
television network on July 20, 2009. The show's format is based on a Dutch dating show called (meaning "Dating In the Dark").
Throughout the show, the host provides the men and women with additional insights by providing personality profiles showing which contestants are their best matches and also allowing them to view items the others have brought to the house, such as items of clothing or luggage. Other episodes include sketch artists drawing contestants' impressions of each other.
After the one-on-one dates, each contestant can choose to invite another that they wish to see. The contestants enter the dark room for the final time and are revealed to each other one at a time. During the reveal process the couple must remain silent.
between them. A color camera films from the dark side of the mirror while the other is illuminated on the other side. A separate infrared camera films the person on the dark side's reaction; the two images are combined in post-production
. This is done, in part, by using video editing software
to fade the infrared image of the person being revealed to black before they are illuminated, then seamlessly showing the color image of the person being revealed as it is faded in and out. During the reveal process the couple must remain silent.
Episode 2 (Aired 27 July 2009)
Episode 3 (Aired 3 August 2009)
Episode 4 (Aired 10 August 2009)
Episode 5 (Aired 17 August 2009)
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
television network on July 20, 2009. The show's format is based on a Dutch dating show called (meaning "Dating In the Dark").
Dating
Three men and three women are sequestered in separate wings of the house, unable to have any conversation or contact with the opposite sex unless in the dark room. Initially, all six contestants have a group date in which they all sit at a table in the dark room exchanging names and getting to know one another's voices and personality types. After this date, each contestant can invite another contestant for a one-on-one date; these dates are also held in the dark room.Throughout the show, the host provides the men and women with additional insights by providing personality profiles showing which contestants are their best matches and also allowing them to view items the others have brought to the house, such as items of clothing or luggage. Other episodes include sketch artists drawing contestants' impressions of each other.
After the one-on-one dates, each contestant can choose to invite another that they wish to see. The contestants enter the dark room for the final time and are revealed to each other one at a time. During the reveal process the couple must remain silent.
The Reveal Process
While being shown in the light, a contestant cannot see the other contestant's reaction. Each contestant is standing at opposite ends of the dark room with a very large two-way mirrorTwo-way mirror
A one-way mirror, also known as a two-way mirror, one-way glass, or two-way glass is a mirror which is partially reflective and partially transparent...
between them. A color camera films from the dark side of the mirror while the other is illuminated on the other side. A separate infrared camera films the person on the dark side's reaction; the two images are combined in post-production
Post-production
Post-production is part of filmmaking and the video production process. It occurs in the making of motion pictures, television programs, radio programs, advertising, audio recordings, photography, and digital art...
. This is done, in part, by using video editing software
Video editing software
Video editing software, is application software which handles the post-production video editing of digital video sequences on a computer non-linear editing systems...
to fade the infrared image of the person being revealed to black before they are illuminated, then seamlessly showing the color image of the person being revealed as it is faded in and out. During the reveal process the couple must remain silent.
The Balcony
The show culminates with each contestant choosing whether to meet another on the balcony of the house. The contestant will go to the balcony and wait for his or her prospective partner to join him or her. Joining the other on the balcony signifies that the contestants both want to pursue a relationship; exiting the house through the front door signifies that they do not want to pursue a relationship. Cameras are set up to show both the meeting balcony and the front door.Episodes
Episode 1 (Aired 20 July 2009)| Female's | Age | Male's Name | Age | Chooses to Date/Meet on Balcony? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Melanie | 31 | Allister | 29 | Him-Yes Her-Yes |
| Christina | 28 | Seth | 31 | Him-Yes Her-No |
| Leni | 27 | Stephen | 31 | Him-Yes Her-Yes |
Episode 2 (Aired 27 July 2009)
| Female's Name | Age | Male's Name | Age | Chooses to Date/Meet on Balcony? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chrystee | 32 | Jason | 29 | Him-No Her-Yes |
| Megan | 31 | Matt | 28 | Him-Yes Her-Yes |
| Lindsey | 27 | Doug | 31 | Him-Yes Her-Yes |
Episode 3 (Aired 3 August 2009)
| Female's Name | Age | Male's Name | Age | Chooses to Date/Meet on Balcony? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sasha | 30 | Chris | 26 | Him-No Her-No |
| Megan | 23 | Chris | 26 | Him-No Her-No |
| Jennifer | 30 | Chris | 26 | Him-Yes Her-No |
- Chris was chosen by all three girls to meet on the balcony, however, none of them did meet him.
Episode 4 (Aired 10 August 2009)
| Female's Name | Age | Male's Name | Age | Chooses to Date/Meet on Balcony? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lisa | 39 | Dion | 37 | Him-Yes Her-Yes |
| Tawny | 37 | Leo | 26 | Him-Yes Her-No |
| Tanya | 24 | Malek | 29 | Him-Yes Her-No |
Episode 5 (Aired 17 August 2009)
| Female's Name | Age | Male's Name | Age | Chooses to Date/Meet on Balcony? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Deanne | 27 | Jeff | 30 | Him-yes Her-yes |
| Renee | 28 | Jose | 30 | Him-yes Her-no |
| Gine | 24 | Matt | 32 | Him-yes Her-no |
Season 1: 2009
| Order | Rating | Share | Rating/Share Nielsen Ratings Nielsen ratings are the audience measurement systems developed by Nielsen Media Research, in an effort to determine the audience size and composition of television programming in the United States... (18–49) |
Viewers (millions) |
Rank (Night) |
Rank (Timeslot) |
Rank (Week) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4.1 | 7 | 2.5/7 | 6.34 | 6 | 1 | 7 |
| 2 | 4.2 | 7 | 2.5/7 | 6.36 | 6 | 1 | 8 |
| 3 | 2.4 | 4 | 1.6/5 | 3.64 | 6 | 3 | 17 |
| 4 | 3.0 | 5 | 1.7/5 | 4.50 | 8 | 3 | 14 |
| 5 | 2.9 | 5 | 1.8/5 | 4.60 | 9 | 4 | 15 |
| 6 | 2.8 | 4 | 1.7/5 | 4.18 | 10 | 5 | 18 |
Season 2: 2010
| Order | Rating | Share | Rating/Share Nielsen Ratings Nielsen ratings are the audience measurement systems developed by Nielsen Media Research, in an effort to determine the audience size and composition of television programming in the United States... (18–49) |
Viewers (millions) |
Rank (Night) |
Rank (Timeslot) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 | 2.9 | 5 | 1.8/5 | 4.44 | 4 | 1 |
| 8 | 2.5 | 4 | 1.6/4 | 3.76 | 8 | 1 |
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