Your desire to spy on other people’s dates without looking creepy is nothing to be ashamed about. Blame natural human curiosity and loneliness.
Lifetime is rewarding your voyeurism with a reality show that depicts people dating in real time. Yes, live blind dates. According to Deadline, Date Night Live “gives viewers a fly-on-the-wall point of view in real time, across multiple time zones. Using mobile-live technology, cameras capture the promise of romance, awkward conversations, cringe-worthy moments and everything else from as many as nine dates per episode.”
The show premieres on July 27 and it’s hosted by former View co-host Michelle Collins. Relationship expert Paul Brunson and Z100's Bethany Watson will also be on hand to provide viewer commentary. Here’s Lifetime programming exec Liz Gateley explaining the logistics, via The New York Post:
“We’ll be going from darkness in New York City [at 10 p.m.] to dusk in San Diego,” says Gateley. “The people will know they’re going on dates — we’re not just going to walk up and randomly ask people.” Gateley says the couples — who will be meeting each other for the first time in the opening episode — were paired by a relationship expert, who interviewed each person via Skype (likes, dislikes, etc.) before making the matches.
“From there it’s hands-off,” she says. “There’s no producing, no checking in with the hosts or crossing any lines. The producers will need to break the 4th Wall — there are going to be cameras walking through — but it’s going to be live.
It’s like Rear Window but on TV and no murdering. Format wise, Gateley says the show will be “ping-ponging back and forth between dates.” Date locations have yet to be determined.
To get a rough idea of what the show might look like, take a look at a scene from A&E’s Live PD, which is kinda like Cops. The same production company, Big Fish, is behind Date Night Live.