“Four celebrities. Blind auditions. Spinning chairs. But it’s not what you think …”
That’s how Fox is describing its latest reality effort, The Choice, a new dating series hosted by So You Think You Can Dance’s Cat Deeley. Much like American Idol rival The Voice on NBC, the Fox series will feature a blind audition concept with some of the world’s most eligible -- but not yet named -- celebrities competing among of group of singles they can’t see. The series is set to debut at 9 p.m. Thursday, June 7.
The series, which relies on the "love is blind" concept, will be filmed in front of a live audience. Each episode will feature four bachelors -- and in one case, bachelorettes -- seated in rotating chairs, with their backs turned to the single hopeful. The Choice will include a "blind round," in which each celebrity can only use his suitors’ voice to make the decision. If and when the celebrity bachelor likes what he hears, he pulls his “love handle,” causing the seat to spin around to face his potential mate.
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"I've wanted to do a dating a show, and I think there’s a hole in the market. There hasn’t been a big one since The Bachelor, and there hasn’t been a studio-based success since, my God, The Dating Game 40 years ago," Fox's alternative entertainment president Mike Darnell tells The Hollywood Reporter, noting that the genre's relatability is its appeal.
Once the three potential mates have been chosen for each of the bachelors, the teams will enter the “speed choice” round, where each woman has mere seconds to convince her leading man that she’s the one. Ultimately, they will have to make "the choice,” as the show’s title suggests.
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When asked about the series' similarities to the NBC singing competition show format, Darnell suggested employing spinning chairs was the best way to approach the genre. "I had three choices," he says. "Choice one: do a wall like they used to do on Dating Game. Choice two: blindfold them, which would look ridiculous. Or choice three, go modern and do a chair that turns."
The series hails from A. Smith & Co. Productions (Hell’s Kitchen, Kitchen Nightmares), with Arthur Smith, Kent Weed and Scott St. John (Deal or No Deal) attached as executive producers.
Deeley is repped by WME, The Collective and Hansen Jacobson. Check out a preview below.
Email: Lacey.Rose@THR.com; Twitter: @LaceyVRose
