By Nell Geraets
There’s a fair bit to love about The Dating Game – the pearly-white smile of host Jim Lange, the groovy beat of Spanish Flea, the “flower power” decals. It was also television’s first ever dating game show, debuting in 1965.
From there, however, it arguably goes astray. If the “lucky girl” isn’t asking the three anonymous bachelors what they would do if she “squeezed them real hard”, she’s wondering what their mothers would say if they discovered their son’s body was deemed “the eighth wonder of the world”.
Sexual and superficial, these were the trademarks of retro dating shows like The Dating Game, Blind Date and Australia’s Perfect Match. But perhaps even more concerning was the frequent objectification of contestants, particularly the women, as well as the serious lack of diversity and participant screening. After all, The Dating Game is where serial killer Rodney Alcala famously featured in 1978.
To resurrect a show like this would require some serious reworking. But that hasn’t deterred Conor Gallacher who, together with Melbourne-based friends Alex Reid and Xander Allan, created Human Love Quest, today’s answer to The Dating Game.
“The old shows seemed to just involve a lot of cheesy answers, like they ‘enjoy long walks on the beach’. Who actually says that?” Gallacher says.
Conor Gallacher (left) and Alex Reid’s dating game show may look like Perfect Match – it even features Dexter the Love Robot – but that’s where the comparison ends.Credit: Joe Armao
“The things our contestants say are based in either the mundane or the important, but it’s always based in some level of reality we can relate to … So, someone could ask what their last relationship taught them about themselves and then follow it up with the order they put on their socks and shoes.”
Human Love Quest’s aesthetic and premise are nearly identical to the old-school shows – three hopefuls vie for the attention of one solo contestant who sits behind a partition. It even features Perfect Match’s Dexter the Robot. However, that’s generally where the comparison ends.
It began as a monthly live show at the Brunswick Ballroom, and has now evolved into a three-show extravaganza at ACMI. Gallacher says it’s confessional in a non-exploitative way, and unlike the ’60s iterations, it represents modern-day diversity, thus allowing any adult (regardless of gender, background and sexual orientation) to apply.
“We were drawn to the nostalgic old-school charm of dating shows because they provided a format where people’s personalities could shine and harked back to a simpler era of TV before high-stakes, high-drama reality shows,” Reid says.
“But inclusion had to be one of our core tenets. Our show would be a hell of a lot more boring without the awesome support from the queer community. Also, we aren’t anywhere near as carefully curated, so the experience is much more organic and honest.”
This is only possible because of the audience, Gallacher notes. In retro shows, spectators were more of a voyeuristic or even judgemental element, whereas their audience is like an additional participant.
“These aren’t professional performers we’ve hired to be on stage,” he says. “So, before every show, we make a point of saying everyone who comes up on stage will be really vulnerable, they’re doing a brave thing, so they deserve nothing but respect.”
The audience takes part by writing love notes to others in the crowd that are then read on-stage, taking some heat off the participants. In fact, Gallacher says zero pressure is exerted throughout the event – participants can pull out whenever they like, no questions asked. This includes following the show, when the final two standing are offered a solo date at the venue.
“We don’t send them away for a weekend, which is what a lot of those shows did back in the day. If someone feels uncomfortable, we’ll pull the cord – no harm, no foul.”
The main difference, however, is that Human Love Quest wasn’t created merely as entertainment for the masses. Rather, it was developed for the people who take part – to get them off the dating apps and into face-to-face conversations.
“People clearly needed to get back into some level of human interaction that’s not staring at a screen,” Gallacher says. “We thought it was going to be a fun, bawdy night. But after just two shows, we realised it’s actually something that has the capacity to be super-wholesome.”
Human Love Quest: Love on the Small Screen takes place at ACMI on May 16 and July 18.
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