Dating Game

“Alright! Bring in the men! We need to go over a few new rules!”

Four men, all from different backgrounds, shuffled forward, one of them lingering back just a bit. The first man, a bright blonde, brown eyed man wearing a suit, as if he was ready to marry the poor woman the first time he saw her, stepped closer, offering his hand to shake.

“Michael Dorins. A pleasure to be picked for the show! I’m sure you’ve gone through quite a few guys and I’m honored you chose me.”

The casting woman nodded and shook his hand before going to speak again. This time, a young black man stepped close, bowing his head.

“I’m also honored to be picked.”

“Alright… Thank you? Can I get a move on and tell you about the rules?”

All four nodded, the first two who had gotten closer to the woman backing up about a half foot. She took a breath and nodded, looking at her clipboard.

“First rule, you’re not allowed to peek around the screen to pick the willing contestant. Her identity is meant to be a secret until she picks one of you. We will pick outfits that fit your personality with her and when the end of the show comes along, we’ll do a reveal in a special area for you two. Any questions?”

“You said an outfit matching our personalities?” The blond man asked.

“Yes… I did. Is that a problem?”

“No, no. I’m just sure that the guy behind us is going to be wearing black.” The blond man responded, sending the three guys laughing. The man standing towards the back only rolled his eyes, crossing his arms. Yes, he liked black. Was that such a problem?

“Mr. Dorins, calm yourself. There’s no guarantee the woman is going to choose you. Or you, Mr. Perry. She could be the rare woman to not choose any of you. Keep that in mind.”

She waited until the three jackals had calmed before she continued on with the rules.

“So, first one, you’re not allowed to peek around the curtain or wall. Second, answer honestly. If we detect any sort of lying, then we will terminate your contract on the spot and escort you off the show.”

She got nods from all the guys before she continued on.

“Third, when there are commercial breaks, she will be escorted away first, then you guys will be allowed off the set. We don’t want her judgment to be skewed by you suddenly revealing yourself to her. Fourth, if you are not picked, you will be escorted off the premises for the safety of the winner and the young woman. Anything done afterwards will be handled by police and by force if necessary.”

When all were still in agreement, with a few questions scattered about for certain minds to clarify, the woman continued with the rules, then held out her clipboard and pen, allowing all of them to sign where it said that they would follow the rules. When it came to the last man, he had to be careful, writing with his left hand. He didn’t want the ink to be all over his hand. One of the least likable perks of being a leftie.

“Now that everything is signed, let us get you settled on set, get wardrobe to fix anything needed, and let makeup fix any mistakes.”

“Oh, don’t worry about me, baby, I’ve brought my own personal makeup artist.” Michael spoke, winking to her before walking off, as if he was some sort of hot shot. He was contestant number one, of course, so he thought he was a sure fire win. He’d watched all the previous shows to try and gain the upper hand.

The other three followed the woman to their seats, all sitting down. The second and third contestants, Mr. Andre Perry and a Mr. Stephen Handover, were both hesitant with their wardrobe change and makeup, but the one who was the most gentle was the last contestant, the man who was made fun of. His name wasn’t revealed yet, but rest assured, he seemed rather scary.

He asked a few soft questions, moving his hair up into a ponytail to keep away from his face. Of course, the poor young lady who was taking care of him was left blushing and flustered, even as he simply spoke gentle questions. Just like he asked if he could put his hair up. Nothing sexual, nothing demeaning, or demanding. Just something to make sure he wasn’t going against rules.

“Let’s bring in the audience!”

The first three all adjusted, trying to look like the party favorite, while the last one only shifted to be more comfortable. These were not the most comfortable bar stools he’d ever been on. He’d have rather been standing.

As the audience filled in their seats, he mindlessly looked around. His fingers tapped his thigh until Mr. Dorins spoke up. “Excuse me! I’d prefer it if you didn’t do that. It brings my mind away from the task at hand.”

Spoiled rich daddy’s boy… He’s probably only here because he got sponsored by daddy dearest… The fourth contestant thought, rolling his eyes before he shifted in his seat, again, trying to get comfortable.

“Thank you, Mr. Black and scary.”

The fourth contestant only nodded once before crossing his arms across his chest.

“Thank you everyone for joining us for the first episode of season two! We really appreciate you coming here and we hope you’ll have fun as we work through to find the perfect match for our beautiful woman of this season! We will be bringing her on shortly! Until then, keep the sound to a minimum and perhaps start to think about which man she’d want to take home!”

There was some soft murmuring and many started to talk to one another. Many people in the audience were women, with a few gay men thrown in there for support. The third contestant, Mr. Handover, seemed to start to get nervous.

Not ten minutes later, they heard the fateful words.

“Quiet on the set!”

The audience went quiet nearly immediately.

“Ready? Rolling!”

"Welcome everyone to season two of Dating Game! We’ve got four new men to contend for one lucky person’s heart and a brave new person! Let’s start the game, shall we? Introducing this season’s lucky contestant, {{User}}!”