Meet The Photo Booth Dating Show Rewriting Romance
Written by Daphne Bryant
Image courtesy of The Dating Booth
Swiping is out, IRL meet-cutes are in. At least, that’s what our generation seems to think: whether it’s wrestling speed dating events or live-pitching our friends, people are beginning to crave more authentic and tangible connections (the stranger the event or location, the better)! Across mediums and communities, there’s this inevitable desire for analog, for“ old school romance” and a sort of spontaneity. Blind dates, or going into a date without being able to overanalyze that person, has become a novel concept. This is the problem that The Dating Booth solves.
When the social media show first appeared on my FYP, I was immediately intrigued. The setup is simple: two singles on a blind date in a photo booth, with guided questions to help them along. Prepare yourself for nervous giggles, heart-racing eye contact, a distinctive setting that tugs on strings of nostalgia; I just couldn’t look away, and I knew I had to learn more about it.
This past week, I had the great pleasure of sitting down with the talented Sheena Oglesby, who wields experience with legendary networks such as MTV and TLC, and currently serves as the VP of Digital Originals at NowThis. For those unfamiliar, Now This is a digital media company that sits at the cross-section of culture, human interest and social experimentation.“ I spend my time working with people to create stories and formats that [are] inherently online but still feel really human,” says Oglesby. As VP, she oversees development and production, collaborating with producers, editors, guests, hosts and more to craft engaging programs such as The Dating Booth.
Honestly, NowThis is no stranger to dating shows. They’ve produced Crosswalk Crush (“ love advice from the streets”) and another popular show, Are You Okay?, encompasses relationship stories—however, The Dating Booth is the first to really narrow down how younger people in the dating scene feel and elevate what it is that we want.“ It removes swiping, it removes bios, it removes voice prompts. I think The Dating Booth is a new take on this old-fashioned concept. It’s all about watching connections happen between two actual daters,” says Oglesby. I’m someone who loves spotting two people on a first date and listening in to see how it’s going; the Dating Booth provides the perfect platform for those of us that live for the micro moments and enjoy being a fly on the wall.
“It removes swiping, it removes bios, it removes voice prompts. I think The Dating Booth is a new take on this old-fashioned concept. It’s all about watching connections happen between two actual daters.”
As the conversation around dating changes, the landscape of reality TV shifts too. Most of us watch more videos on our phone than we do cable television. America’s Next Top Model, The Simple Life, Jersey Shore: these shows will always be iconic (and slightly if not overtly problematic), but it appears our generation is searching for something a little different. Recognizing this, The Dating Booth explores what Gen Z reality TV can look like, particularly on a vertical platform.“ It’s not quite the same, obviously, as TV shows from the early 2000s. It’s more observational. It’s a little more relatable. And it’s a little voyeuristic; [you’re] watching and looking at what other people are doing, but it’s in a softer,‘ living [vicariously through you] kind of way.’ It feels like you’re watching your friends on a date as opposed to watching characters,” says Oglesby.
If you’re anything like me, you’re probably wondering how NowThis settled upon the photo booth format, which feels, in a way, revolutionary.“ The Dating Booth, like a lot of our shows, is a good example of workshopping an idea in the room until it feels right. There is just this internal feeling when everybody kind of sits there and looks at each other and is like‘ I would watch that. I would be on that,’” says Oglesby. The Dating Booth went through a few iterations before becoming a dating show. While the core idea was“ something unexpected in a photo booth”, it originally was framed as a first-person confession series where people would answer a random question or tell a story. From there, it evolved into an interview format with two people in a booth asking each other questions.“ One day our dev team got together and was like‘ What if we were to put two people in a photo booth, on a date? How would that feel?’ I think [what] was [most] exciting for us is that it felt like something that people would want to watch, [and something] that people would want to do.”
“I think [what] was [most] exciting for us is that it felt like something that people would want to watch, [and something] that people would want to do.”
Dating is fun but it is also, without a doubt, vulnerable. It’s awkward enough navigating a first date at a restaurant or on a picnic: what Now This does is amplify that awkwardness by putting two strangers in a random setting—a teensy tiny photo booth. In essence, the show brings to life the classic Forced Proximity trope and creates space for play, in hopes of fostering real chemistry.
Photo booths are a blank canvas. Anything can happen in one. The Dating Booth’s formula allows daters to lean into that curtained experience and potentially find a match. Interested in being on the show yourself? Oglesby lets me in on a little behind-the-scenes secret:“ It’s usually [friends of friends or] creators that we either work with, follow or just kind of come across. Sometimes it’s interesting people that the team connects with in their daily lives or when they’re out.” For The Dating Booth, the casting process is about corralling unique individuals who seem open and curious and, most of all, will be a fun date. Oglesby emphasizes word of mouth referrals and reaching out via social media:“ We’re always keeping our eye out for daters. Slide into our DMs, feel free!”
Once daters have been selected for an episode, there’s a pre-pro call so that the crew can get a read on them, what they’re into, and how open they feel about the experience. Even still, a massive part of the magic is maintaining that organic unpredictability, so the vibe check is brief and leaves room for surprises. After all, The Dating Booth is supposed to feel like showing up to a date in real life.“ You could have this person on paper [look] amazing, and then you show up and it just falls flat, or [there could] be someone that you’re not very excited about, and then, you know, 10 days later, you’re like,‘ this is my boyfriend, and I love him.’ We like to keep that [unplanned] essence alive in the booth too,” says Oglesby. Every episode builds anticipation: will they, or won’t they? It’s not so much about pairing the ideal people for an ideal date, but about putting two fun personalities in one space and seeing what happens. “In the moment or after production, there have been some genuine connections in real time,” Oglesby says, referring to two standout episodes. In one, two daters FaceTime their moms at the same time to introduce each other, and in another, a classically trained clown ends up in the booth with someone who is just really into clowns!“ Like, she had a clown thing, and there was an immediate spark, and the rest of the date, you could just palpably feel that there was a vibe. And it wasn’t planned at all! It was so fun to watch happen.”
While entertaining audiences is definitely a major part of the show, inspiring viewers and getting them excited about dating is just as, if not more, important to the team behind it.“ Maybe The Dating Booth will encourage people to take a step outside of their comfort zone and approach somebody in real life. I hope it opens people up to finding connections in unexpected ways,” says Oglesby.
“Maybe The Dating Booth will encourage people to take a step outside of their comfort zone and approach somebody in real life. I hope it opens people up to finding connections in unexpected ways.”
What’s next for The Dating Booth? Loosely, the idea of taking the photo booth experience and turning it into some sort of larger activation, event or live experience has been discussed.“ We have a few exciting updates to the format and updates to the overall aesthetic and look of the show. We’re really excited about people responding to the show and wanting to be on the show and wanting to watch the show. So we have heard and we are listening and we are evolving, and we have some things coming up! Keep an eye out, I think you’ll like it!”
