Dating Around (TV Series 2019–2020) Poster

(2019–2020)

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6/10
Good for binge watching
solveigao14 February 2019
Looks like all dates are scripted,didn't liked Sarah lol. But beautifully filmed,thats a big plus,doesn't look like others reality shows.
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7/10
The Bachelor/ette
jasminhegmann14 February 2019
This is like one season of The Bachelor in every epsiode. Nicely done, includes characters for everyone I think. Very down to earth and if your are into that you might like this mini series.
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7/10
Reality dating show with a semblance of reality
joncheskin7 February 2022
Dating Around is a reality show that tries to do something truly novel--imitate and capture reality. In the show, a random person goes on five blind dates in the same locations, and gets to choose one at the end to go on a second date. The dates are spliced together for the audience into a montage, so we literally get to see all five dates happen more or less simultaneously, and suspense builds as we wonder who the person will choose. The final scene is the person meeting up with their choice for the second date.

The premise is pretty simple, and seems even a bit old-fashioned, harkening back to shows like the Dating Game, where contestants get to spend a little time with multiple potential matches and then select their favorite. I like it better than "reality" shows that seem to exist in completely unreal situations--like Too Hot to Handle or Love is Blind--it actually feels like we are watching a real date. Contestants have claimed that the show is not scripted, that beyond choosing the potential matches the producers did not really know what they would end up with. I have often wondered what an artful reality show would be like, and this strikes me as a good possibility--a show that actually tries to capture real situations for the purpose of entertainment or general interest. This show does exactly that, and it is indeed very satisfying when the contestants do sometimes find real connections.
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7/10
Great Value Bachelor
reneereives28 February 2019
Warning: Spoilers
Not bad. Definitely sucked me. Definitely going to finish the series. Quick side note, Justin who dated Gurki, he can kick bricks. Hopefully more people stop and watch this so he neve dates again.
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Left me wanting more!
l-6547018 March 2019
Loved this show. Uniquely different. I'm not going to overthink it or micro analyze it. Bottom line: I found it refreshing and it entertained me. Period. End of story! "Netflix, if you're listening, DO MORE EPISODES!".
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6/10
So simple, it's good
al_b_2822 February 2022
Trashy reality TV that doesn't pretend to be something it's not. Extremely well edited, with a few warm and fuzzy moments mixed in (as long as you're not currently heartbroken or desperately dating). If you're confidently single, there are some decent one-liners coming your way. But good to pair some wine, junk food and absent-mindedly playing on your iPad.
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1/10
It's all FAKE
brettleeclark16 February 2019
No one else notice the background/extras never change? This guy would be, not only extremely full from all the food but DRUNK. All these dates and the people sitting behind them NEVER change??? Yet it shows him leave with every date. The show isn't set up like a round robin, he meets them at the bar, has dinner, then walks them home... YET the next date has the same diners in the background.
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8/10
Honestly
mlindstromnh16 February 2019
I usually can't stomach this sort of program but I was really pleasantly surprised. While some of it definitely feels scripted I got a much more genuine feeling and actually enjoyed the dialogue between dates. I especially enjoyed the two LGBTQ episodes and the episode with the older folks. All actually left me smiling. Wound up watching the whole season in one sitting. Netflix keeps on pleasantly surprising.
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3/10
Interesting. Avoid Sarah episode at all costs.
eop19724 March 2019
Warning: Spoilers
A positive about the show is the backdrop of New York. Also watching people who can't hold their liquor act like idiots - priceless. And that's about it. However, I generally can't stand people and this show fuels the fire. Most of the daters are just so irritating and vapid, it's hard to stomach. Especially the millennials or whatever the latest vernacular is for those unfortunate people born from the mid-eighties on. That guy Justin from the Gurki episode had to have been planted. What a jerk! The first episode, I actually liked the blonde girl he ended up dating in the end. Very genuine. The most annoying girl on the show - Sarah. Constantly complaining, indescribably annoying and I don't know how these men just didn't run like fire from her. The one guy left her at the bar she was so rude; good for him!! Her personality is fake, fake, fake. Thinks she's cute and "edgy". Sarah... you're not.
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8/10
Beautifully Shot
miguelmigs_26 February 2019
On the surface, this is another ridiculous dating show.. but it's shot beautifully like a movie - and really, this is a case study of the different types of people in New York, from the really annoying rats to charming nice folks.

Reality shows are never "real" and I think this show recognizes that and just presents the multiple dates in a cohesive way for storytelling.
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1/10
Painfully awkward
seattlebruin16 February 2019
Thanks Netflix. Just when my faith in humanity was slowly being restored you drop this on me and completely shatter it. A collection of vain, vapid idiots can be ok in a movie when it has a point, but like all reality TV they aren't in on the joke and therefore become unbearable. A good litmus test on whether to go running in the other direction from a new acquaintance is if they would do a show like this. Truly dreadful
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4/10
Boring
ehurst-310 March 2019
I don't like the format of this show, where they just focus on one person dating lots of others. It makes it seem fake and hard to root for anyone in particular. I feel sorry for the dates who have to try so hard to compete with each other. It feels like a meat market. But what makes it really boring is that we never get any feedback on what the characters are thinking. In First Date we get regular checkins to know their thoughts, which is the really interesting part.

You are left puzzled at the end as to why the protagonist chose the one they did. Admittedly I only watched two episodes. That was enough for me as it was too much of a yawnfest.
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10/10
Season 2: LA !!
caligirlm17 February 2019
Whether this is real or not ( and some of it feels scripted, but could be coached like the bachelor is) it is edited and pieced together nicely. To me it serves as a quick how to of dating for the inexperienced or unseasoned. I would like to be first in line to audition for season 2, ( I did audition for the Bachelor) and it should obviously be set in Los Angeles. There's lots of real estate agents and entrepreneurs here too 😂.
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2/10
The fakest of fakes
pwinding12 June 2020
The fun part is how fake it all is. But like small movies, it's well produced and filmed. But man it's fake.
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9/10
Really refreshing to see this sort of dating show
divinejay23 February 2019
Warning: Spoilers
The way this is filmed gives me Terrace House vibes. It's very well directed. The show drew me in within minutes, and I found myself smiling and laughing throughout, feeling like I was getting to know the people in this show at the same time. I like how there's no loose ends with this sort of show. At the end, you know who they really want to see, which is something you don't always get with other dating shows.
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1/10
Unwatchable Nonsense
f-8890917 February 2019
I wanted to like this show, I really did, as there are far too few dating and relationships "reality TV" shows on tv any more. They're cheap to produce, and the Bachelor makes a mint for ABC, but for some reason no other network can make a decent dating TV show.

I sat down to watch this TV program on Netflix with my wonderful wife and within seconds we knew it was a dog. The show just consists of these wild disconnected scenes lasting 2-3 seconds just jumping back and forth between scenes that aren't related to anything. Now I get that we live in an ADD society and thinking coherently is not a good thing, but OMFG this show takes it too far. It just presents gibberish of all these cut scenes and all the women are going crazy over one guy whom we know nothing about and doesn't seem very likable to begin with. He just stands around smirking at women as if he's God's Gift to All Women, and of course they all fall all over him, yet we just see once super-short cut scene after another, and nothing makes any sense.

It would be a thousand times better if they just let this super-lucky guy whom Netflix adores for some reason just date each woman so we can see what he's like or not like and what the people actually do or say.

Horrible waste of time and production. For the cost put into this, we could have had ten better dating shows with real people you might care something about.
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1/10
HOLY CRINGE!!!
danirobinso5 March 2019
Oh my god, I normally don't write reviews but this is the cringiest show I've ever seen in my life. If you're a fan of dying inside from sheer cringe then you might enjoy it but otherwise just be ready to feel incredibly awkward for other people!!! Holy crow!
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10/10
It felt like eavesdropping
abfabjb24 February 2020
Warning: Spoilers
First of all, all the complainers out there just don't like reality tv and are always poking holes in it. It's supposed to be entertainment and yes, it's edited for flow and to make the content interesting. I found the 6 episodes unique and they could be watched in an evening. I also feel the complainers have probably never been on a blind date and some can go very well and some can be awful. I found a lot of people complaining about how annoying some people are, or how attractive or unattractive people are and that's not the point. What I revelled in was I was thought someone would pick one person but they picked another or in one case, no one at all. And it was interesting that some dates ended sooner while others took a turn depending on alcohol consumption or just saying the wrong thing. In the end, this is what dating is like and maybe shows people what to do and what not to do when you're on a first date.

I loved that not everyone was attractive or young or straight and it was really great people watching. Give it a shot and try not to be so judgmental.

I think some of the reviewers here must be married or old fashioned or religious or haven't dated. It's a jungle out there and it's important to learn what works and what doesn't. And not everyone wants to hook up with a dating app. Some people are truly looking for connection.
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1/10
Not reality-tv
honeygirlgbg20 February 2019
I could have liked it if it wasn't fake. The extras in the background are always the same no matter the date. I was disappointed.
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10/10
Fun show, I was surprised
thinkpinkandpink18 March 2019
Warning: Spoilers
I really like the speed of this show. They assume the viewing audience is intelligent enough to figure things out, without a "host" narrating. i loved Gurkey and the way she did not take sh*t from anyone about her life choices. A guy came at her about it, (a guy she met that night for the first time) and he proceeded to tell her what all she had done wrong in her marriage. I felt that this was their first date and dude should STFU. He was a jerk or edited that way. I have liked every episode so far, some moreso than others.
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5/10
Not a terrible show for a reality based show.
deedashortie16 February 2019
Warning: Spoilers
I liked some of the episodes better than some. The last episode by far was my favorite. There seemed like there were some actual real connections being made.

The episode with Sarah was painful to watch, my advice is to just skip that one in total. She was just god awful and you hate that she ends up getting a second date at all.

The first episode was a bit rough as well and almost did not watch the whole season. But, I figured what was the harm.

Mind you I'm not usually a reality show watcher at all. But it was not too bad overall as a whole.

Overall if you have a bit of spare time watch it, would I say it is a go to type of thing, no. If there was a second season I'd probably watch if i had nothing better to watch.
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4/10
Another Cooked 'Reality' Show
genious-3541324 April 2019
It won't matter to people that are into this genre because they don't want anything that's real. They do a good job of making it seem like it's real but it doesn't take long to see that it's very contrived and manufactured. What WOULD make this show good is having a dog shock collar on some of the girls - so that everytime they say 'like'.... SHOCK! It's almost impossible to listen to some of them. Funny enough, the only girl that doesn't sound like this is the Columbian. You can count on people NOT from America to sound like they have a better grasp of speaking the language. And the monotone. The dude in the first episode sounds like he has been drained of all energy. I'm sure this show will do fine because there is an endless audience for fake reality shows.
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10/10
Exceptionally edited
chanceknovak28 June 2022
This show isn't fake. People are just not aware that editing exists. The leads are wearing the same outfit as they go on one date each night to give the illusion they are dating back-to-back. I wish people didn't give this show a 1/10 just because they are not knowledgeable enough about cinema.

As much as I am a big movie critic in my circle of friends, I rarely review anything online. I had to drop a review after seeing it was underrated. This is the best dating reality series I've seen, and I've been on a kick of watching mostly dating shows so I think I have some insight here.

They chose to never break the fourth wall in this show, ei, the cast doesn't look direct at the camera, or speak to the camera about their experience. I love this. It gives more time to watch the people interact, and I never felt spoon fed information. The editing overall is exceptional.

Very diverse cast. Straight, bisexual, and gay/lesbian people. No race, gender, or sexuality appears favoured, which is extremely refreshing.

They overlap the editing of the conversations in a way that feels cinematic and natural, which is not easy to do. GREAT SHOW.
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4/10
Needs more reality
letxia17 February 2019
I usually like reality tv that's a little nuanced, and if you're like me, don't watch this show. What this show lacked in originality, however, it made up for in quality of the filming, soundtrack and good storytelling. Unfortunately, the content is incredibly flat, cliché and yawn inducing. I stopped watching only after Episode 3 because everyone in the show is really the same person. Not enough personality for it to be interesting. If they'd chosen more interesting, real people, and not just based it off looks, they'd definitely have a show. But I get the feeling this show is focused on the superficial.
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1/10
A Crying Shame
Moon-Beam_Star-Beam1 July 2020
The first season was great and filled with interesting daters. The dates were so genuine that I often felt like a fly in the wall. It is truly unfortunate how this show totally lost my interest with the introduction of Season 2. I'm a lover of reality T.V., but not when it's contrived, scripted, and totally fake. I hope they will bring back the format of the first season; otherwise, I will no longer be watching.
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