Ah, First Dates; it’s one of our ultimate guilty pleasures when it comes to our TV schedule - but how much of the Channel 4 show is scripted? How do people apply to be on the show? And where oh where can we stage a casual run-in with French maitre d' Fred Sirieix?
Here’s everything you’ve ever wanted to know about First Dates - but been too afraid to ask!
1) They genuinely are blind dates
Well, back in the first two series, contestants got a photograph of their date. But, nowadays, they literally go in with absolutely no details - they learn everything about their date (including their name) on the day.
2) It’s filmed in a REAL restaurant
… and yes, you can go there for dinner. All the magic takes place at Paternoster Chop House in London near St Paul's Cathedral, where you can get a two-course dinner for a cool £20. Yum.
3) They close the restaurant to the public during filming hours
That means Paternoster Chop House will be closed for filming between Sunday 3rd – Monday 11th April and Friday 15th – Monday 18th April. Just in case you were wondering.
4) Every single person eating in the restaurant IS on a blind date
Yes, even the people in the background; you can apply to have a first date WITHOUT all the pressure of being filmed for the show.
It’s worth it for a chance of bumping into French Maître d' Fred, we say!
5) … and First Dates producers take their role as matchmaker very seriously
They will take a lot of time to ensure you are matched up with someone who has similar interests to you, as well as (if possible) someone who lives near you, too. They want your date to be a success story!
6) Nothing is scripted
Just like the dates, all of the conversations are genuine. However producers can ask the daters to repeat their conversations if they aren’t speaking clearly enough for the microphones to pick up.
7) French Maître d' Fred DOESN’T work at the restaurant in real life
His day job is actually as the general manager at Galvin at Windows, a Michelin star restaurant at the London Hilton on Park Lane.
"I do the show in my free time, we film over a couple of weekends so it doesn't interfere too much with my normal work," he says.
8) And neither do CiCi, Laura, or Merlin
CiCi and Laura are both real waitresses as their main job, although CiCi has dabbled in acting and Laura was in the Royal Navy until last year. They both work at separate restaurants in the West End outside of First Dates.
Sam, the other waiter, manages a café in East London, while Merlin whips up cocktails (and pulls pints!) at his very own pub.
9) Contestants DO foot the bill themselves
Okay, they’re given a £25 contribution each towards their meal - but that doesn’t cover all the cocktails, bubbly and dessert courses. Which means those awkward conversations about splitting the bill are absolutely genuine.
10) Most daters are asked to film a segment in the loos
That’s why we usually see them calling their mum midway through the meal, to let them know how the big date is going!
11) There are a lot of cameras involved
42, to be precise. However they are all hidden away, to help people feel as relaxed as they possibly can be on their first date - which might explain why some of them are so happy to chat about their personal lives in so much detail.
12) … and a lot of crew members
There’s usually at least 70 crew members on set at any one given time.
13) Filming can take up to 15 hours a day
Oh yes, they pack a LOT of dates into their day. And some couples can be there for up to four hours if they really, really like each other (n’aww!).
14) Nobody just heads straight into the restaurant
Daters don’t just rock up to the restaurant; instead, they are told to arrive an hour before their date at a specified holding location (which is often a nearby youth hostel). They are given snacks and alcohol (which explains the tipsiness), make friends with their fellow daters, draw their perfect man or woman, and play lots of games / dish out lots of pre-date information to the show researcher.
15) Nobody goes home straight away, either
There’s a post-date interview that takes place after your date is finished, which can usually take up to an hour.
16) Producers are there to help if you’ve been left heartbroken
They usually stay in touch with participants after a bad date, to make sure that they’re doing okay. And, if you want to go through it again, you can ask them to try to match you up with somebody else.
17) Couples DO actually go home together if the date goes really well
…or, more accurately, back to the same hotel room. Louise Tweddell and Cameron Willcock, who met on the show, revealed afterwards that they went straight back to his hotel room to have sex.
She told Cosmopolitan: “On the date, he kept banging on about how he could do magic tricks so we went to Tesco afterwards to buy a pack of cards. They didn't have any, so we bought vodka instead and went back to his room.
“We slept together that night and made a deal to see each other the following evening so he could show me his magic tricks. I'm always saying to my friends that he's the guy I don't want to date at the moment but the one that I'll marry.”
18) There have been a lot of success stories
Scott White famously got down on one knee to his girlfriend, Victoria Wills, who he met on the show, during a landmark anniversary episode of First Dates.
N’aww!
19) You CAN apply to be on the show
All you have to do is fill in this extensive online application form; it’ll ask you for your body type, your marital status (hopefully single!), whether you have children, and all your favourite things in life.
If they like what they read, a producer will give you a call for a telephone interview. And if they STILL like what you’ve got to say, you’ll be asked to do a recorded interview, for an awkward chat about all your past loves and what you’re looking for in a relationship.
20) …and, if you do, you could find yourself on the show quicker than you think
The turnaround can be really quick, particularly as filming gets closer and closer. Some people will send in their application form on a Friday and step into the restaurant on the Sunday.
Would you ever go on Channel 4’s First Dates?
Let us know via Facebook or Twitter (@CloserOnline) now.