Singled Out
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- For the 2002 album by Johnny Diesel, see Singled Out (Diesel album).
Singled Out was a game show that ran on MTV from 1995-1998. Each episode featured a group of 50 men and a group of 50 women competing for a date with one main contestant of the opposite sex.
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[edit] Hosts
The original hosts were Chris Hardwick and Jenny McCarthy. Hardwick had previously hosted a short-lived MTV game show entitled Trashed. McCarthy landed her place on the show thanks to her appearance in Playboy Magazine, but it was Singled Out that made her a celebrity. When she left the show to star in her own sketch comedy show called The Jenny McCarthy Show, MTV hired another Playboy model, Carmen Electra to replace her. Electra co-hosted Singled Out for a season and a half.
[edit] Gameplay
Each game began with one main contestant, the "Picker", being escorted onto the set blindfolded in front of the 50 potential dates in the "Dating Pool" while the announcer described him/her. The Picker was then led to a seat facing away from the Dating Pool and further divided from the potential dates by a wall.
[edit] Categories round
The Picker was presented with a board showing six categories, which ranged from physical attributes to preferences in love-making to leisure activities. They generally were expressed in a humorous style, often with various pop-culture references. After choosing a category, two or three choices were listed (for example, a category on hair might be divided into blonde, brunette, and redhead), and the Picker was asked to eliminate one of the choices. After eliminating a choice, all the contestants who fit that choice left the Dating Pool, in view of the Picker. This process was repeated until 5 to 8 potentials were left, at which point they advanced to the next round.
After one or two seasons, a "Golden Ticket" was introduced, which allowed the Picker to save one eliminated player as he or she walked in front of him on the way out of the studio. This contestant automatically advanced to the semifinals. For episodes taped outside, the "Golden Ticket" was replaced with a "Golden Lifesaver", with the same rules.
[edit] "Keep 'em or Dump 'em" round
At that point, the Picker asked a series of questions which ranged from Dating Game-style questions (example, "if you had me alone in a limousine for 3 hours, what would you do to me?") to stunt-oriented questions (example, hitting a paddle ball a number of times, with the female host relaying the potential date's performance to the Picker). If the Picker was satisfied with the answer or performance, he or she would "keep" the contestant, advancing them to the final round; if the Picker was not satisfied, he or she would "dump" the contestant, eliminating him or her from further play. "Dumped" contestants were not shown to the Picker as in the first round, but were instead marked with some sort of prop, such as a toilet seat around the neck, a bag with a sad face on it on the male player's head, or a pageant sash labeled "Dumped". This round continued until three contestants were "kept", or enough players were "dumped" to leave three.
[edit] The Final Cut
The wall was removed from behind the Picker to reveal a walkway with several spaces behind him or her. The three finalists started on the back step, and were asked a series of two-choice questions. Each time a contestant's answer matched the Picker's, the player advanced one space on the walkway; the first player to make it to the circle on which the Picker was sitting won a date with the Picker. In case of a tie, a final question was asked to the tying contestants, such as "How many girls did (Picker's name) say he dated last year?"; the contestant who guessed the closest without going over (a la The Price Is Right) won the date.
[edit] The Reveal
After a couple had been made, the two contestants were placed back-to-back while Hardwick read a description of the winning player to the Picker; the contestants were then turned around to meet each other for the first time, and their trip and prizes were described to them by the announcer.
Two games were played per show, first with a woman picking from 50 single men, then with a man picking from 50 single women.
[edit] Special episodes
Several episodes were shown with out-of-the-ordinary rules, guest appearances, or other notable occurrences:
- Twins' Day - Twins appeared as pickers
- Loser's Show - Where losers from previous shows got a second chance. In addition, a contestant who was "dumped" on one or more previous episodes was featured as the Picker.
- Spring Break - Special Spring Break episodes were produced (in fact, this is where the show got its start).
- At least two episodes featured gay and lesbian contestants.
- Personalities from other television shows appeared as contestants. For example, Michael Bower (Donkey Lips from the Nickelodeon series Salute Your Shorts) appeared as a potential date on one show.
- The show fell victim to a prank from Buzzkill, another MTV series airing at the time. One of the three pranksters posed as a potential contestant with a female Picker; upon being eliminated, the prankster dropped his pants in front of the Picker to reveal a pair of boxer shorts with "YOUR LOSS BABE" emblazoned on the buttocks.
[edit] Books
The show served as the basis for a book: Singled Out Guide to Dating (MTV Books 1996) by Lynn Harris and J.D. Heiman. This tie-in advice book was actually two books in one, a "His" side (with Chris Hardwick on the cover) and, turned over, a "Hers" side (with Jenny McCarthy on the cover). In this book, winning couples were interviewed about their dates.
