Colleen Grablick
As coronavirus shutdowns continue, gone (for now) are the days of uncomfortable Tinder, Hinge, or Bumble first dates at D.C. coffee shops and bars. Without the possibility of connecting IRL in the foreseeable future, swipes right and witty pick-up lines may be lost into the the quarantine void. But a recent spate of new D.C. virtual dating shows are trying to make finding love amid a pandemic as attainable—and entertaining—as possible.
Using platforms like Zoom, YouTube, and Facebook, the web shows LoveCast, The Game (Show) of Love, and Chocolate City Is Blind are drawing out lonely D.C. singles seeking human connection, entertaining the socially-distanced masses that have already binged Netflix’s Love Is Blind, and can’t buy into the newest Bachelor spin off.
LoveCast, which hosted its first episode through YouTube Live on April 5, is an interactive web series where viewers watch as strangers meet for the first time over video chat. The show was created in a collaboration between DC IRL, a digital marketing company, and CarpeDM, a video-based dating app (think Tinder, but with video chats in lieu of messaging). To appear on the show, locals apply on the series’ website with a short video introducing themselves. Once the cast is selected and introduced in a short trailer, audience members decide who they want to see paired up. When the episodes air on YouTube, viewers can live chat with the cast, ask questions, and root for their favorites.
“This is really an interactive experience for our audience,” says Sali Hama, chief marketing officer for CarpeDM and one of the brains behind the new show. “It’s a lot of fun to see people talking to each other about essentially strangers. I’m sure a lot of people are really feeling lonely at home, so we really want to give people the space to connect with each other.”
In the first episode, which has around 2,200 views so far, the “dates” ranged from between 10 and fifteen minutes each. Couples talked about everything from one cast member’s undying loyalty to Olive Garden, to Tiger King star Joe Exotic’s eyebrow ring, to more serious questions, like “are you ready for love?” (Netflix’s hit series was a recurring theme among all the virtual daters.)
Despite the inevitable cringe factor of meeting someone via video chat in front of a live audience, Hama says that four of the five couples wanted a second date, and two of the couples continued communicating post-filming. For the creators, face-to-face connection is a key aspect of online dating.
“We believe video first means chemistry first, so there’s no catfish, no dead-end texting, no awkward first dates,” says Hama. “Seeing them face to face, reading their body language, those are all really important things.”
While CarpeDM drew inspiration from already-existing dating apps, The Game (Show) of Love put a quarantine-twist on classic game show entertainment. The show’s first episode aired via a massive Zoom call on April 15, with six contestants getting to know each other through a series of question-and-answer games, (you know, like “would you rather” and “never have I ever” and “did Carole Baskin kill her husband”) as audience members on the call watched and voted for matches. The show’s creator Emma Hidem says the Zoom called reached its max capacity at 100 viewers within the first few minutes.
“During the first few weeks of social distancing, what I’ve been hearing from people is that they’re bored, and they were lonely. They wanted human interaction,” says Hidem. “It’s fun, and everybody likes to maybe be a little gossipy secretly, so something dating-related felt very appealing.”
Mayi Sandoval, a 30-year-old ballet instructor based in Alexandria, applied for the game show more out of boredom than the possibility of finding her soulmate. Sandoval ended up matching with an Arlington attorney named Kirk, but says she isn’t taking anything too seriously, especially during a pandemic.
“Maybe we’re going to start talking and when this quarantine is over we’ll go on a formal date, but there’s no expectations,” Sandoval says. “Maybe that’s why it’s so fun, because there’s no commitment now.”
With LoveCast and The Game (Show) of Love prepping for their second episodes, Chocolate City Is Blind, D.C.’s second Love Is Blind spin-off, is in the works. Alesia Smith, a paralegal based in Northeast, created the show after she felt a lack of representation in D.C.’s burgeoning virtual dating show world.
“I was disappointed with the lack of diversity, especially with these D.C.-specific versions, and D.C. being a community that was really based on black culture,” Smith says. “I [felt] like I should come up with something for the black community, as a way to build connections and be able to keep that sense of community as we’re all quarantined away from each other.”
While the show is still recruiting cast members, the concept mirrors that of the recent DC Is Blind. 10 men and 10 women will go on a series of phone dates, ranking their top choices after each round, and couples that show mutual interest will be paired up again. Those who make it to the final date will then be revealed to each other via a video call.
Instead of casting singles who may be seeking some flirtatious amusement to pass their time, Smith hopes that the show can foster meaningful connections that might lead to a real romance in the post-COVID world.
“There are still people out there honestly looking for those romantic connections, so that’s what we’re here for,” Smith says. “We’re here to facilitate those, and hopefully build the foundation so it’s more realistic for them once the quarantine is over, if they want to get together somehow, it can be a better gateway to a romance.”
Audience members who want to follow along with the cast of Chocolate City Is Blind can pay a $5 fee to join a Facebook group, where recorded dates will be posted, along with eventual reveals, once the dating kicks off. Both LoveCast and The Game (Show) of Love are free to watch, but LoveCast is partnering with different organizations to raise funds for COVID-19 relief efforts. Viewers of episode one were encourage to give what they could to Hook Hall Helps to support area hospitality workers and their families. Eventually, the show also hopes to host an all-medical worker episode, giving those on currently working around the clock a break—and a chance at love.
