Dating in the Dark - Season 3

Wow, what a shake up for the third season.

Not only do we have the consistently expressionless Sarah Harding (seriously, check out that botoxed fodd) to present the show, in place of Scott Mills's VoiceOver, but we also have two extra contestants AND the 'meeting' room has been shifted so that the others can see their rejects perform a walk of shame.

What better way to lure the viewers in than the art of humiliation?

Let's start with Miss Harding. In all fairness, she's not too bad. She's just quite unnecessary. The contestants tend to profess their opinions more so to the cameras rather than to her. They are either stunned by her beauty or trying to figure out if her eyebrows will furrow ever again.

Personally, I reckon it's the latter.

The two extra contestants add a little something extra to the show. To be frank, they add two extra contestants!?

However, it's interesting to see the other sexes' reactions when they watch, like rabid hawks, their chosen victim perform the walk of shame. It just proves that the whole point of the show (to see if a relationship can be formed on personality rather than looks) is irrelevant. The boys, for example, uttering "ahhh, gutted, she's a stunner" makes me think that they don't quite get the gist.

I'm not too sure about the whole walk of shame set-up though. It makes for very painful viewing to see the person who is walking away from their 'potential match' either avoid eye contact or start smiling/laughing. Cringe

Finally, I've noticed that not much effort is put into the dates this time round. In previous episodes they would create fun-filled escapades where they would have to feed each other with strawberries (seriously, in the dark that is very funny to watch - you're just praying that they accidentally stick it up the other person's nostril), sing on karaoke or be taught how to dance...badly. Now, they just seem to sit and talk. Very boring.

However, the light reveal has not changed and it's always fun to see how people respond to their 'potential match' once they are stood squinting into the spotlight. Their facial expressions tell all. Don't put Sarah Harding in there though, no one will have a clue what she is thinking with that crazy stiff forehead!

So, is this season proving that personality conquers looks?

Absolutely not. Even the couples that meet each other in the 'meeting room' at the end reveal, during the credits, that their 'match' was not who they thought they were in the dark. It is very funny to see them leave hand in hand at the end of the show, then sit at opposite ends of the sofa when you are invited to see how they are two weeks later. Brilliant.

Although it's not yet proving to be as good as the two previous seasons, this show is still comedy gold.


- Loulabella posting from her iPhone