Confessions of a Serial Dating Show Contestant

The dating show circuit can be rough, but one recent Duke grad (who will remain anonymous) is a small-screen survivor. Move over, Kelly Goldsmith--this is the new reality television....

For the past few months, I've been passed around on what I call the "dating show circuit." The Fifth Wheel episode aired this fall, Elimidate will air soon, and a pilot called Dumped will never air.

The shows seek out good-looking, charismatic, interesting people who have a lot of free time on weekdays. Out in L.A., this means actors, but all the shows have policies against professionals, so we all come up with different jobs.

Although there is an element of reality in each show, the producers create characters based on one aspect of the contestant's personality. For The Fifth Wheel, the producers made me the "intellectual Southern gentleman." They may nix a scene if it doesn't fit with your "character."

They get an idea of your personality from the volumes of questions you answer during the casting process--noting everything from what kind of women you like to how you handle yourself in awkward situations. Then the producers try and pair up people who they think will get it on when put together.

But when you're just getting $100, there is no reason to be mad or catty with the other contestants unless the producer is in your ear whispering, "Did you hear him? He's so full of himself. Why don't you call him out on it?" Sometimes they'll even get right to it and say, "Don't be so nice to each other. Why don't you crack on each other more."

Basically, the producers want confrontation and sex. For Elimidate, they filmed two scenes of us playing darts--the first was normal and the second was strip darts so every time you didn't hit black you had to take off an article of clothing.

But the acting can be the best part of the show. In The Fifth Wheel, I allowed them to manipulate me too much, and I came across boring. During Elimidate I brought them a character--I went back to my Kappa Sig roots and was the "fun guy." I didn't care what the girl thought of me or about my competition, and I didn't get bogged down with the emotional side. I was just there to have a good time, and the producers loved it.