Take Me Out (lost unaired segments of ITV dating game show; 2012)
Logo for Take Me Out.
Status: Lost
Take Me Out is an ITV dating game show. Presented by Paddy McGuinness, the show ran for eleven series between 2010 and 2019, it challenged a male contestant to woo the hearts of thirty women in front of them, with the aim of receiving a date with one. The show was affected by several controversies primarily surrounding the conduct of its contestants. Particularly, three contestants were discovered to have had violent criminal pasts, resulting in their segments being left unaired.
Background
Take Me Out was first announced in August 2009, serving as a replacement for fellow ITV dating game show Blind Date.[1][2] It was an adaptation of the Australian game show known as Taken Out, which ran from 2008 to 2009.[3] Produced by Talkback Thames, it featured future Top Gear host Paddy McGuinness, who had previously written and starred in Channel 4 programmes like Phoenix Nights and Max and Paddy's Road to Nowhere alongside Peter Kay.[4][1][2] Every episode, 30 date-seeking women (the "flirty thirty"), consisting of those who passed an audition,[5] await a male contestant situated on the mainstage.[6][7][2] In several rounds, the man is tasked to impress at least one lady enough to land a possible trip to an exotic destination (referred to as "The Isle of Fernando's") between the pair.[7][6][2] Round 1 reveals the man and a few basic facts about him.[8][2] After this, the women can decide to switch their light off, eliminating themselves from contention.[2] The pressure is somewhat off for the ladies, as they have multiple episodes to land an ideal partner.[1] In contrast, the male hopeful has just one opportunity to secure a date.[6]
Following this, the man must then show off his abilities and personality.[2] In the next two rounds, a contestant showcases a talent and,[9] typically alongside close family members and friends, reveals more about themselves in a pre-recorded interview.[10][2] Following these revelations, a few outcomes can emerge; firstly, the man may ultimately go home unsuccessful, after failing to impress any of the women and suffering a "blackout".[6][2] But for those that did impress at least three women, they must manually opt out certain hopefuls until only two remain.[2] In the final round, the man asks a key question, the answers ultimately deciding which woman he shall go out on a date with.[2] The couple shall then travel to an exotic location such as Cyprus or Tenerife, to determine if they are truly right for one another.[7][2] To its credit, the show contributed towards eight marriages, with some also bearing children.[11]
While Take Me Out proved popular enough to warrant eleven series prior to cancellation,[12] some critics believed the show reinforced sexist stereotypes and was low-brow entertainment.[13][14] Others defended the show as family-friendly Saturday night entertainment.[15][6]
Unaired Segments
As per Take Me Out's now-archived application forms, contestants needed to have declared any criminal records before they could appear on the show.[16] In addition, Talkback Thames would contact Disclosure Scotland to conduct disclosure checks, to verify the contestants' backgrounds.[17] These checks were very much justified as they protected contestants from others with violent pasts.[18] Notably, serial killer Rodney Alcala was able to appear on The Dating Game back in 1978 because no background checks were carried out.[19] Though his murder spree was not known at the time, Alcala had prior convictions for other serious crimes that should have disqualified him from the show.[19] It should be noted that no Take Me Out contestant is known to have committed any murders.
However, during its third series in 2012, the show came under intense scrutiny when it was revealed three male contestants had violent criminal pasts.[20][18][17] In January 2012, semi-professional surfer Aaron Withers appeared on Take Me Out.[21][18] In a promotional piece for The Daily Mirror, Withers bragged about his ability to attract women, having confessed to sleeping with over one hundred.[22] On the show, he selected Wen-Jing Mo to go out on a date with, although Mo later confessed that the date only occurred because she forgot to turn her light off.[21] However, tabloid The Daily Mirror soon discovered Withers had only recently been convicted for an assault.[21] In June 2011,[18] Withers was involved in a pub brawl in Somerset, where he was arrested after attacking a woman and her partner with a pool cue.[23][21] After pleading no contest, he received a fine and was ordered to pay restitution costs to his victims.[23] He reportedly failed to declare his conviction before appearing on the show.[18][21][23] Worse still, Mo revealed to The Daily Mirror that she had been a long-term victim of domestic violence; she insisted no date would have transpired had the truth been revealed earlier.[21] Following this, the show opted not to broadcast the date's aftermath.[21]
Days following this, The Daily Mirror identified another problematic contestant.[17] In November 2011, student Rory Alexander recorded a segment for Take Me Out where he succeeded in landing a date. But in February of that year, Alexander was arrested on suspicion of causing actual bodily harm (ABH) following a brawl in Gunwharf Quay, Portsmouth. A month after his Take Me Out appearance, Alexander pleaded guilty to ABH and was given a nine-month suspended sentence. Like Withers, Alexander did not declare his court case to Talkback Thames.[24] After The Daily Mirror informed Take Me Out about Alexander's subsequent conviction, the show decided to completely drop his segments for its upcoming schedule.[17]
In March 2012, a third contestant's past was unveiled.[25][20] Jarvis Walters, a semi-professional footballer, had appeared on Take Me Out and obtained a Cyprus date with Hannah Reville.[20][25] Backstage, he had also taken a photo with McGuinness.[20] But three years beforehand, Walters was sentenced to a 12-month community order after he assaulted a man at a nightclub.[20][25] The conviction only came to light following post-show background checks.[20] Consequently, Walters and Reville's segments were immediately pulled from air.[20][25] The news greatly displeased Reville, as she wanted to see her segments broadcast after weeks of show appearances.[20][25] Meanwhile, Walters downplayed his conviction on Twitter, insisting he merely "slapped" someone a few years ago.[20] He also claimed his segment would have "been the best ever" had it actually aired.[20]
Following the revelations, Talkback Thames was accused by ITV of lax contestant selection procedures and demanded an immediate review.[18] Aside from the three men failing to declare their convictions or court proceedings, their pasts were also not revealed in subsequent vettings.[18][17][20] Talkback Thames stated background checks were contracted out to Disclosure Scotland.[17] According to one of its spokeswomen, Withers' criminal record failed to materialise during the application stage.[18] Meanwhile, a Disclosure Scotland spokesman claimed his company only revealed candidates' convictions and not any current court proceedings, which explained how Alexander slipped through.[17] Regardless, the cracks within the selection procedures were concerning since Talkback Thames also produced Britain's Got Talent and The X-Factor.[18] ITV also suffered reputational damage as the Take Me Out controversies emerged months following the news a £1 million winner of Red or Black? was convicted for assaulting a woman.[26][18] This resulted in three other contestants being removed from the show following tightened background checks.[26] In contrast, a Metro opinion piece questioned the backlash on contestants who had otherwise served their time for prior law violations.[27] Talkback Thames promised a review of its current procedures;[18] no further incidents were reported during the show's lifespan.
Availability
Because Withers' criminal past was only made public knowledge post-show, his first appearance on Take Me Out remains publicly available.[18][21][23] However, his follow-up segment, which revealed Mo's confession that she did not plan to date him, was scrapped before it aired.[21] In contrast, Alexander and Walters' convictions were revealed before their segments were televised, resulting in neither ultimately airing.[17][20][25] Because of the reputational damage the show and ITV faced,[18] as well as the fact Take Me Out has since ceased production,[12] it is extremely unlikely any of the segments will be publicly released.
External Links
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 The Telegraph reporting on ITV greenlighting Take Me Out. Retrieved 25th Apr '24
- ↑ 2.00 2.01 2.02 2.03 2.04 2.05 2.06 2.07 2.08 2.09 2.10 2.11 UK Game Shows page on Take Me Out. Retrieved 25th Apr '24
- ↑ News.com.au noting that Take Me Out was actually inspired by the short-lived Australian game show Taken Out. Retrieved 25th Apr '24
- ↑ Birmingham Mail detailing the life and career of McGuinness. Retrieved 25th Apr '24
- ↑ Manchester Evening News interview with a former female contestant who summarised the behind-the-scenes of the show. Retrieved 25th Apr '24
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 The I summarising Take Me Out and its success as a Saturday night show. Retrieved 25th Apr '24
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Radio Times summarising how Take Me Out works. Retrieved 25th Apr '24
- ↑ London Evening Standard summarising an infamous Round 1 for one contestant. Retrieved 25th Apr '24
- ↑ Manchester Evening News summarising an interesting talent being displayed on Take Me Out. Retrieved 25th Apr '24
- ↑ An example of how pre-recorded interviews can backfire on Take Me Out. Retrieved 25th Apr '24
- ↑ BBC News reporting on Take Me Out contributing towards eight weddings and six children by the time of its cancellation. Retrieved 25th Apr '24
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 Independent reporting on the cancellation of Take Me Out after eleven series. Retrieved 25th Apr '24
- ↑ UK Game Show's "Weaver's Week" review of Take Me Out. Retrieved 25th Apr '24
- ↑ The Guardian review of Take Me Out. Retrieved 25th Apr '24
- ↑ Independent defending Take Me Out. Retrieved 25th Apr '24
- ↑ Archived ITV providing the application forms for Take Me Out (clicking on the links downloads the forms). Retrieved 25th Apr '24
- ↑ 17.0 17.1 17.2 17.3 17.4 17.5 17.6 17.7 The Daily Mirror reporting on Alexander's criminal past that led to his segment's removal plus noting Disclosure Scotland carried out basic disclosure checks beforehand. Retrieved 25th Apr '24
- ↑ 18.00 18.01 18.02 18.03 18.04 18.05 18.06 18.07 18.08 18.09 18.10 18.11 18.12 The Guardian reporting on ITV seeking to review its contestant selection procedures following the discovery of Withers' past. Retrieved 25th Apr '24
- ↑ 19.0 19.1 All That's Interesting summarising Alcala's crimes and how he should never have appeared on The Dating Game. Retrieved 25th Apr '24
- ↑ 20.00 20.01 20.02 20.03 20.04 20.05 20.06 20.07 20.08 20.09 20.10 20.11 Daily Mail reporting on scenes involving Walters and Reville being cut following the former's criminal past coming to light. Retrieved 25th Apr '24
- ↑ 21.0 21.1 21.2 21.3 21.4 21.5 21.6 21.7 21.8 The Daily Mirror reporting on Withers' conviction and how his and Mo's follow-up segment would be left unaired. Retrieved 25th Apr '24
- ↑ The Daily Mirror interview with Withers where he claimed to have slept with over one hundred women. Retrieved 25th Apr '24
- ↑ 23.0 23.1 23.2 23.3 Daily Mail reporting on Withers' crime and his sentence. Retrieved 25th Apr '24
- ↑ Daily Mail reporting on Alexander's segment being dropped from the schedule following The Daily Mirror's discovery of his past. Retrieved 25th Apr '24
- ↑ 25.0 25.1 25.2 25.3 25.4 25.5 The Daily Mirror reporting on Walters and Reville's segments being cut following the former's conviction coming to light. Retrieved 25th Apr '24
- ↑ 26.0 26.1 BBC News reporting on three Red or Black? contestants being removed from the show following tightened background checks. Retrieved 25th Apr '24
- ↑ Archived Metro questioning the practice of removing contestants if they had violent pasts. Retrieved 25th Apr '24