On Monday, Feb. 15, the Andrews University Student Association (AUSA) and the Black Student Christian Forum (BSCF) hosted The Dating Game, a spin on ABC network’s show The Bachelor. It’s moderately riveting to see individuals vie for the affections of one person while the producers influence drastic content to occur. There are fan favorites who unfortunately get sent packing, the villain who disguises her malicious intentions from the bachelor, and one clueless bachelor who has no idea of the drama that is ensuing behind the scenes. However, instead of the usual compelling catfights, betrayals, and gossip on The Bachelor, The Dating Game featured awkward pick-up lines, pauses, and overall cringe. A divider separated the individuals, and the contestants were revealed at the end.
For each round, there was one bachelor or a bachelorette who sat on one side of a makeshift divider and three eligible contestants on the other side. The bachelors and bachelorettes got to know the contestants by asking thought-provoking questions such as “If you could be a piece of furniture, what would you be?” and “If we were cooking macaroni and cheese, what spice would you season it with?” The other standard dating show game questions such as “what is your idea of the perfect date” were also asked. It was evident that many of the participants were not searching for long-lasting relationships, but for entertainment purposes.
Alyssa Sussdorf (senior, psychology) was a winning contestant. She said, “even though it was nerve-wracking, you could give your genuine, on-the-spot answer. I disliked how I could tell some of the voices, but unfortunately, a voice changer machine was not in the budget.”
Many contestants buffered while thinking of intriguing answers and asking for the question to be repeated multiple times. The audience and the viewers online got to witness somewhat amusing yet nervous individuals. The interactions between the bachelors or bachelorettes and the contestants were refreshingly genuine and awkward, compared to the staged conversations that are engineered on televised dating shows today. On screen behind them was a slideshow featuring miscellaneous facts about the individual bachelors and bachelorettes.
Christian Sanchez (senior, computer science) was another winning contestant on his round. He expressed, “since everyone’s so nervous, being funny lightens the mood. You have to say something clever and relevant at the moment. Take every chance you get to compliment a woman because she deserves it. Other than that, it’s all about being yourself.”
Rachelle Evano (sophomore, sociology) viewed the game online. She noted, “it was hilarious how awkward it made me feel. I enjoyed hearing some of their responses to the questions, and I am glad that some of the contestants I was rooting for won.”
At the end of each round, the contestants revealed their identities to the bachelor or bachelorette. The winners each received a rose and the ending pairs linked arms and escorted themselves out. Who knows what will happen concerning the longevity of these pairings.
The Student Movement is the official student newspaper of Andrews University. Opinions expressed in the Student Movement are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the editors, Andrews University or the Seventh-day Adventist church.