From Flavor Flav and Bridgett Neilsen to Flavor Flav and New York and then New York and Chance…and Real, the "find love" format is a bit overdone. We have faithfully tuned in to season after season of celebrities claiming to be searching for love while the eligible contestants battle for their “affections” and, of course and more importantly, for camera time. This is not a new concept, by any means, and certainly one that has been done repeatedly. Probably because it continues to garner high ratings weekly.
Sadly, the contestant who behaves the most irrationally; or exhibits the least amount of self-control ends up anything but eliminated. In fact, most of the time that contestant winds up with his or her own show! Viewers will recall New York's antics in season one. Shortly thereafter, they would get a reminder as she appeared again on season two. If that wasn't enough, the following season offered viewers a chance to see New York in her own search for love, complete with her mother.
The Formula of Celebrity Dating Shows
The formula is simple: Poor, lonely celebrity is looking at “regular people” for so-called love. During the competition for his or her heart, gratuitous sex is not out of the question as well as anything that would appall your parents if they saw you doing it on television.
The celebrity typically already has one or more significant other(s), yet is not above taking advantage of his or her 'celebrity' to entice or otherwise use and misuse each of the contestants. A way-too-intimate kiss which leads to even more is a given by episode two (or maybe even episode one on some shows).
By episode four, we've figured out which contestant will bring the most drama and which one (or more) that we don't understand how or why they even auditioned. Of course, there is always the gratuitous fight complete with four letter words and perhaps a full moon.
Arguably, the best part of these shows is the elimination method, which varies from show to show but in general is the same. All the contestants line up with a distressed look of anticipation while the celebrity dater decides why you can or cannot continue to vie for his or her affection.
Interestingly, there is typically no monetary prize involved with winning and the celebrity dater is genuinely offended if you are seeking any sort of personal fame or gain from the show. Go figure.
Unfortunately, we continue to watch and the formula continues. We’ve gone from Flavor of Love to Flavor of Love II, to I love New York, to Flavor of Love III to I love New York II, to For the Love of Ray Jay, Rock of Love and the list goes on. At the end of the day, there is no need to complain about the formula as long as you continue to watch. Yes, it is a fact that these shows are like train wrecks in that you don’t want to, but you just have to watch, however, continued support of such mindless entertainment (no pun intended) will certainly allow the producers to do it over and over again.
Renewed for Another Season
Before you go and write a letter demanding better choices in programming, keep in mind that the networks are not to blame; at least not 100%. After all, if it is not broken, why fix it? If you’re tired of the cycle, break it. Don’t watch anymore looking for love shows and more than likely they will stop creating them. If the ratings are any indication, these shows will likely be around for seasons to come.
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