Celebs Go Dating

Arghhhh. This show has gone from hero (light fun format with a serious edge ) to zero, (dark sinister and not good TV) for me all in one episode.

If you haven’t watched the principles, a group of about 8 celebrities join the agency headed up with real relationship councillors and psychology experts to help them navigate through a series of dates, via mixers and blind introductions with the goal being a long term committed relationship in the end.

However last night we saw Love Island reality contestant Chris Taylor dump pie and then deny having done such a thing, Jada, a stunning leggy red head he’d slept with the night before, with the indignant justification he owes it to himself whilst in the process to explore all his options. Cake and eat it whilst the lovely girls get undeservedly cast aside after stupidly dropping their knickers on national TV.

I am sure the women involved will have learned a massive lesson about men from seeing the cold way they were treated by both reality contestants Chris Taylor and Made in Chelsea “love rat” Tristan.

Alarm bells did go off for me as to the validity of the format when Helen Flanagan’s outside love interest showed up inside the agency as it became clear the agents were setting up a celebrity whose mind and eyes were elsewhere and she was stretching the truth about how single she was to participate in the show.

For me the credibility of the professional relationship councillors comes into question when they are encouraging “adult sleepovers” with strangers paid for by the production company to get explosive content only to see the beautiful women in question dumped days later, especially without discussing the impact on the other women/men in the frame. Almost as if the producers are sacrificing the non celebrity contributors in exchange for media grabbing headlines.

Come on Channel Four commissioners you can do better than this. It isn’t good TV when jumped up reality stars are allowed to behave so poorly at the expense of normal girls and boys and the professionals there to ensure a strong foundation for a relationship is built aren’t doing the job and guiding the correct behaviour.

No relationship expert on the planet encourages casual sex if a long term solid relationship is the goal.

Lost complete credibility for me last night. What could have been as inspiring and entertaining as First Dates has becomes just Another limited misogynistic format.