The genre waned for a while but it was later revived by The New Dating Game and the UK version Blind Date, and the original shows were popular in reruns, unusual for any game show. Gimmicks were the lifeblood of all such shows, which drew criticisms for instigating disaffection that could not have been effected. Once, someone divorced after appearing on The Newlywed Game got a "second chance" on The Dating Game. The couple who knew each other the best would win the game sometimes others got divorced. The Newlywed Game, by contrast, another Barris show, had recently married couples competing to answer questions about each other's preferences. Questions were often obviously rigged to get ridiculous responses, or be obvious allusions to features of the participants' private areas. The various suitors were able to describe their rivals in uncomplimentary ways, which made the show work well as a general devolution of dignity. The person behind the screen could hear their answers and voices but not see them during the gameplay, although the audience could see the contestants. The format of Barris's first dating show, The Dating Game, which commenced in 1965, put an unmarried man behind a screen to ask questions of three women who are potential mates, or one woman who asked questions of three men. The original dating game shows were introduced by television producer Chuck Barris. The dating game show subgenre has its origins in the United States.
All are gym-toned, most are white, and all look far too scrubbed and cleaned. Never mind the fact that the bank of suitors is sorely lacking in any kind of diversity. It implies that gays have no variance or chance for individuality, that they can't behave like real people, only like stereotypes. The producers of this show believe that all you have to do is put enough hair gel in a man's hair, dress up in Abercrombie & Fitch with a pair of designer sandals, strip him of all body hair and fat and voila! It's the gay equivalent to putting a white performer in blackface, and just as offensive to those of us - like myself - who are genuinely gay and don't dress/act like that. What makes it even worse, though, is the fact that straight men are playing UP these stereotypes for cash. The gay man gets nothing, or at least nothing more than a few parting gifts, a pat on the back, and a hearty round of "Aren't you embarrassed? Well, thanks for playing!" Just the like the equally painful "Queer Eye For The Straight Guy" (another Bravo program), this show is another example of stereotypes run amok. This is not much of a big deal, but the inherent viciousness of the scenario kicks in after hearing the pay-off: if, at the end of the show, the gay man picks a straight man in disguise, the straight man wins a cash prize. The premise is simple and is designed to be light-hearted: an eligible gay man is courted by a number of suitors, eliminated show by show until one is left, but there's a twist. television screens has reached a fevered pitch since the first episode of "The Bachelor." Unsuspecting audiences have since been subjected to countless clones and variations, including "The Bachelorette", "Joe Millionaire", "For Love Or Money", and the execrable "Married By America." Hoping to cash in on this trend, and simultaneously tap and exploit a new demographic, Bravo has unleashed the disastrous "Boy Meets Boy" upon the world.