Sunday, January 29, 2012

If you're feelin nothin, hit that button!

Having confessed my secret acceptance of Ryan Tubridy to you, I feel there's no shame in coming out with yet another questionable interest of mine.

The Irish version of Take Me Out is back on TV3 and while two of my Irish friends find it too cringeworthy to watch, I way prefer it to it's big English brother. 

Here it is: Show host Ray Foley wants to find the perfect match for thirty single ladies who stand behind a lit podium. Then, a poor fellow walks on to a tune he had picked himself accompanied by silly dance moves. Following that, a lot of the girls would press a buzzer to turn off their lights, indicating that they have no interest in a country pumpkin with dyed blond hair wearing tracksuit bottoms on national television.
The humiliation doesn't end here though! After that, poor Malachy from Athlone has two more chances to impress the ladies. Then usually, a video clip comes on showing his family, telling the audience what a cute baby he was and some of the lads going on about what a boozer he is. If Malachy didn't get a total blackout already, he can show off an embarrassing talent (like playing backpipes or impressing them with a card trick).
If he's very lucky, some of the girls will have kept their lights on and he has to whittle it down to only two of them. Before he can make his final decision, he has to ask them a token question, like what sort of a sandwich they would like to be and why.
Finally, he picks a girl, they walk off together and one week later it turns out, that unfortunately his Mullingar date Karen can't see him again because of the great distance between them.

My friends would say that the English version is way more professional and upbeat and I guess they're right. However, I prefer to watch real people on television. And if that means to pick unimpressed Irish girls over English chicks on speed and chubby country fellows over steroid-addicted hulks, I can well live with that :-).

So, don't forget to switch on Irish Take Me Out and if you think he's a clown, shut him down (even Foleys catch phrases are better than the English ones)!

6 comments:

  1. Oh, I think I would like that :) je je

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  2. Hi, not a member of the site/bloggoshere but I'll keep an eye here since I am too a stay at home mum in south dublin (so it's really in my area of interest!). Though my little lady is only a babbie so too small for the toddler groups as of yet.

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  3. Hi Nicola and Anonymous! It's great you found you're way here and I hope you find it informative as well as entertaining :). Where about in South Dublin do you live, Nicola? And how old is your little one? (Is it too late to congratulate you on her yet ;)?

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  4. Foley is AWFUL!!! And the English ones has at least some lad and ladies you might consider - the Irish one gives everyone the impression that we're all a bunch of mingin looking culchies, with no taste, talent, or even witty retorts. Why anyone would put themselves through the humiliation of going in front of that gang of 30 witches is beyond me - but then again, the lads are clearly deluded with themselves - or are doing it for a dare!

    Good to see it through anothers eyes though! And well written my friend!

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  5. Great to see you Debbi, I'm glad you're enjoying the blog :-). As you may have noticed, I even mentioned you in this article by referring to you as "one of my Irish friends" ;-). It's great to see this programme to cause such controversy and it would be great to have plenty more subjects to debate about. You were great on television by the way! Sad thing about the stranded whales :-(.

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  6. Don't you hate how you some videos you can't watch just because you're not in that specific country?! Oh, you probably wouldn't know... Anyway, moving to Scotland soon! Hope all of youse are well.

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