The Dating Game

Typically, a bachelorette would question three bachelors, who were hidden from her view; at the end of the questioning period, she would choose one to accompany her on a date, with expenses paid by the show. Occasionally, the roles would be reversed with a gentleman questioning three ladies; other times, celebrities would question three players for dates for themselves, co-workers or relatives. Before becoming famous, Farrah Fawcett, Suzanne Somers, Yvonne Craig, Lindsay Wagner, Leif Garrett, Tom Selleck and Lee Majors appeared as contestants on the show in the 1960s and early 1970s. Other contestants who appeared before becoming famous included the Carpenters, Jackson Bostwick, Michael Richards, Joanna Cameron, Andy Kaufman in his Foreign Man persona (under the pseudonym Baji Kimran), Steve Martin, Burt Reynolds, John Ritter, Phil Hartman, Jennifer Granholm, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and Alex Kozinski. Serial killer Rodney Alcala's episodes were shown during his murder spree and after he had been convicted of assault in California. Some contestants appeared even after they were fairly well known, including Michael Jackson, Burton Cummings, Dusty Springfield, Ron Howard, Maureen McCormick, Barry Williams, Sally Field, Richard Dawson, Jay North Ted Bessell, Angela Cartwright, and Paul Lynde. A trademark of the show was that at the end of each episode, the host and winning contestants would blow a kiss to the viewers. ==Gameplay==

Original version makes a guest appearance in 1968. Generally, the bachelorette would ask questions, written in advance on cards, to each of the three hidden bachelors. The same question could be asked to multiple bachelors. This continued until time ran out. The bachelorette would make her choice based solely on the answers to her questions. Occasionally, the contestant was a bachelor who would ask questions to three bachelorettes. Certain kinds of questions were "off limits", such as name, age, occupation and income. 1996 revival For the first season of the 1996 revival, a different format was used. A notable change was that the prospective bachelor/bachelorette knew the first names of the three contestants. Instead of asking questions of the contestants, the bachelor/bachelorette was presented with two pun-laden statements, each pertaining to one of the contestants. When chosen, a new statement replaced the old one and the potential date explained the reason why that fact pertained to him or her. Play continued until time expired, and then the bachelor/bachelorette would announce his or her choice. In several weeks of episodes that aired at various times throughout the season, another format was used. This format had the players choose a potential date based on appearance and another based on personality. To decide the "looks" portion, the bachelor/bachelorette would observe each contestant (another change not seen on any Dating Game series beforehand) for several seconds, with the contestants wearing noise-canceling headphones to prevent them from hearing the bachelor/bachelorette talking about them. The statement round was used to determine the "personality" portion. After the game ended, the bachelor/bachelorette would select one contestant based on appearance and one based on personality, then would be prompted to choose between the two. If the bachelor/bachelorette was to select the same contestant for both looks and personality, the contestant would win a $500 cash prize. The remaining two seasons reverted to the original format, but there was more of a variety between bachelors and bachelorettes. ==Episode status==

Various episodes from the ABC daytime run have aired on Game Show Network. The remaining ABC versions of the show, which were made for primetime and for syndication, are assumed to exist in their entirety. After the syndicated finale in 1980, repeats of the 1978–1980 version were seen on KHJ-TV (now KCAL-TV) in Los Angeles from September 26, 1983, to September 12, 1986 (when The All-New Dating Game with Elaine Joyce premiered on September 15, 1986), as well as in some other cities. In another variation of the final year in reruns, some episodes from ABC daytime, ABC primetime and weekly syndication were shown. ==Guests==

Notable people who appeared on The Dating Game include: • Rodney Alcala, subsequently dubbed "The Dating Game Killer" (1978) • Jo Anne Worley (1967) • Steve Martin (1968) • John Ritter • Farrah Fawcett • Michael Jackson • Suzanne Somers • Tom Selleck • Pee-Wee Herman • Phil Hartman • Robin and Maurice Gibb from the Bee Gees ==Theme music and cues==

The show used many contemporary songs, ranging from those of Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass from the 1960s to pop music used for celebrity guest and band appearances. For the first few episodes at the beginning of the ABC run, live music was provided by the Regents (unrelated to the doo-wop band of the same name who were famous for their song "Barbara Ann"), a house band from Jack Martin's A.M-P.M. on La Cienega Boulevard Starting in 1966, the show used recorded music, with the main theme provided by the Mariachi Brass, featuring trumpeter Chet Baker. The show used cover songs made by Skip Battin & the Group (1967, Aurora 159) and the Challengers (196?, Triumph 64). The series used several songs by Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass as cues for the show, including: • "Spanish Flea" (when introducing the bachelor) • "Whipped Cream" (when introducing the bachelorette) • "Lollipops and Roses" (when the dates meet) produced by Chuck Barris. The show continued to use the 1966 opening theme until 1974; during the 1978-80 version, the show used a rearranged version of it. The 1978 opening theme is found on the Barris album's first track and is credited to Barris and David Mook. The 1980s reboot of the show used music composed by Milton DeLugg, while later editions featured a re-recording of the original theme by Steve Kaplan. The music for The Celebrity Dating Game was composed by Cheche Alara. ==International versions==

These versions are no longer airing. ==Legacy==

In his first autobiography, Confessions of a Dangerous Mind (1988), Chuck Barris claimed that The Dating Game was a cover for his CIA activities, and was promoted by the CIA. However, his second memoir, The Game Show King: A Confession (1993), mentions neither the CIA nor his previous book. A CIA spokesman has categorically denied that Barris ever worked for the agency in any capacity. The show's popularity in the 1960s inspired a Baskin-Robbins ice cream flavor called Dating Game. It was pink ice cream with diced dates and butter-toasted pecans. In a 1980 Laverne and Shirley episode, Lenny and Squiggy appear as bachelors on The Dating Game. The Dating Game was parodied by Steve Jobs during a 1983 Macintosh pre-launch event. The three "contestants" were Mitch Kapor of Lotus Development, Fred Gibbons of Software Publishing Corporation and Bill Gates of Microsoft. A recurring parody featured in the current version of ''Let's Make a Deal called The Dealing Game'' features Wayne Brady and Jonathan Mangum (both as different characters in each appearance), but instead of a date, each represents a curtain and tries to convince the contestant to pick his curtain. Model Tiffany Coyne plays the role of the "hostess". The Dating Game has been cited as a predecessor to future "reality TV juggernaut" Love is Blind in which contestants similarly choose among suitors sight unseen. ==Licensed merchandise==

Hasbro released three home games based on the original 1965 version of The Dating Game from 1967 to 1968, while Pressman Toy Corporation released a home game based on the late 1980s version in 1987. In 1968, a 33⅓ rpm party record called The Dating Game Party Pak, narrated by Jim Lange, was released; it included postcard invitations, name tags and scorecards for six people to play. In the late 1990s, Sony's website released an online version of The Dating Game. A video slot machine based on the original 1965 version with an animated Jim Lange was released by IGT in 2004 in both nickel and quarter versions. In March 2011, a new virtual version of The Dating Game was launched on Facebook, Twitter and other social media network sites. The game was developed by 3G Studios, under license from Sony Pictures Entertainment. ==See also==