Review: Dinner Date

This isn't a show that really deserves a lot of analyis- it's a simple show with a simple premise which plays heavily on people's personalities.

So let's have a quick look at the format- a woman (or man) has to date three guys (or women) at their places- and here's the wacky twist: the guys have to cook for the woman.

And the premise itself is quite good- not revolutionary by any stretch, but it does add another interesting dimension to the average dating format.

But in essence, it's basically a cross between Perfect Match and My Kitchen Rules... And given Seven's recent success with the later, surely they'd be able to pull this one off?

And they largely do, because they stick to the basics of good TV.

The personalities of the suitors is highlighted, but not played for excess drama.

Yes, there's obvious music played over the top- when Marc (the "Italian Stallion") is introduced we get "Smooth Operator" in the background... Because he's apparently a... Smooth operator.

They have installed a likeable host in Manu Feildel, who is really the man of the moment after winning Dancing With The Stars. And though he may draw criticism for his garbled Frenglish delivery, he still is more of a character than some other cookie-cutter hosts out there- not mentioning anyone in particular here, but I'd rather Manu than someone called Drant Genyer bouncing off the walls.

Yes it's crappy TV, but at least Seven to good crappy TV. For example, Beauty and the Geek- not fantastic TV by any stretch, but it's car-crash TV at its best (or worst), and I know you know what I mean by that.

And it's great to just point and sometimes laugh at people for an hour, rather than get involved in a heavy plot of a crime show or watch people bawl their eyes out as they state their passion for cooking and passion for being on a journey of self-discovery and realising dreams...

Anyway, on tonight's show at least there were some great watercooler moments; when Simone said "Oh my God", Marc said "Please (call me) Marc", Nick drinking glass after glass of champagne after finding out Simone had a kid, Nick's apparent likeness to Hugh Grant/Prince William, Marc's overly touchy nature, etc.

Most of these also show what sets Dinner Date apart from your average dating show- the fact that it's set in someone's house allows people to let their guard down for a bit (or as much as you can when there are cameras in your house, at least).

There were even some surprisingly interesting points for discussion that were brought up- Marc wanted to name his kid (if he eventually ha one) after his father, to which Simone said he needs a wife who doesn't have an "opinion".

We were not only witnessing a clash of gender roles, but also a clash of cultures- one of them being the traditional Italian culture.

And there was actual suspense leading up to the end of the show- and weirdly I cared who Simone would pick...

She didn't choose Nick, presumably because he ran the proverbial mile away mentally when she brought up her kid, but who would have thought she would choose Marc? Especially after she caught a glimpse of his overly intense and controlling side.

But who cares? It's her life and it made for a weirdly compelling hour of TV.

Yes, it is schlocky, crappy, paint-by-numbers TV, but again, who cares? None of that means you can't enjoy it, which I did, incidentally.