Is Love Blind?

So, I was talking with Melinda the other day and about shows we were watching. The new show, Dating in the Dark, came up and she wondered who was watching it . . . I totally am! And it's fascinating! I'm a reality show nut (although I do have my standards. . . nothing with the Kardashians, please) especially when they deal with relationship interaction (ala Survivor or Amazing Race). The premise is when you get to know someone first by just their personality - when you actually get to see what they look like - will you still like them. Is love blind? This is totally what we single gals have often thought - if guys would just get to know us - how can they not like us?!? Well, this show is proving that the girls are often way more shallow than the guys when it comes to looks . . . what's up with that, ladies?

First, three guys and three girls are living in this house on opposite ends. They get to meet each other in the dark room and see who would they would like to date. We get to watch their interactions on TV through the beauty of infared cameras. It's interesting to see how many of the people connect and get to know each other. Then, after a few dates, they finally get to see each other face-to-face in the dark room. First, the light will shine on one person - so the other person can see them without the other knowing their reaction. Then, it switches and the light is on the opposite person to be seen - again with no interaction. At the end of the show, if you decide that you want to continue in the relationship - after you have seen them in person - you come to the balcony and you continue dating. If one person doesn't want to continue in the relationship, then the person who is waiting on the balcony for their date to arrive, sees them leave the house with their luggage and doesn't even look back at them.

I totally thought that more guys would have left when they saw the girls. Not so. The guys are more often than not willing to continue in the relationship based on the personality connection. Too many girls are leaving through the front door for totally superficial reasons . . . not tall enough, don't like the scarf he's wearing, etc. Sometimes there is a surprise happy ending where the people decide that even though they wouldn't have normally been attracted to this person they were paired with - now that they have gotten to know them - they want to keep dating. It's a fascinating study.