Take Me Out (British game show)

For other uses, see Take Me Out.

Take Me Out is a dating game show that was presented by comedian Paddy McGuinness. Based on the Australian show Taken Out, it first aired on ITV in the United Kingdom and simulcast on TV3 in the Republic of Ireland on 2 January 2010. An unscreened pilot episode was made for Channel 4 in 2009, but it was ITV who picked it up for a series. The show was produced by Thames (formerly Talkback Thames). On 10 February 2020, ITV announced that the show was axed after eleven series.

Take Me Out
Genre	Dating game show
Based on	Taken Out
Presented by	Paddy McGuinness
Country of origin	United Kingdom
Original language	English
No. of series	11
No. of episodes	110
Production
Production locations	Granada Studios (2010) The Maidstone Studios (2010–2019)
Running time	60–90 minutes (inc. adverts)
Production companies	Talkback Thames (2010–2012) Thames (2012–19)
Release
Original network	ITV
Original release	2 January 2010 (2010-01-02) – 28 December 2019 (2019-12-28)
Related
Take Me Out: The Gossip

The first series was recorded at Granada Studios in Manchester, but all series thereafter were recorded at The Maidstone Studios in Maidstone, Kent, as it offered increased space and capacity for audience members.^[1]

In 2012, the show introduced a spin-off show entitled Take Me Out: The Gossip, which aired on ITV2 and was co-hosted by Zoe Hardman and Mark Wright in 2012 and 2013. It did not air in 2014, but returned in 2015 with Wright joined by new co-host Laura Jackson.^[2]

On 10 February 2020, ITV announced that the show was axed after eleven series. Eight couples who met on the show subsequently got married and six babies were born to contestants who met on the show.^[3]

Format

The objective of the show was for a single man to obtain a date with one of thirty single women. The women stood on a stage underneath thirty white lights, each with a button in front of them. A single man was then brought down on stage via the 'Love Lift' and tried to persuade the women to agree to be his date in a series of rounds, playing a prerecorded video discussing his background, displaying a skill (such as dancing or playing a musical instrument), or playing another video in which the man's friends or family reveal more about his virtues and philosophy.

At any point during the rounds, the women could press the button in front of them to turn off their light if they did not want a date with the man. If this occurs, their area of the stage turned red. If, at the end of three rounds, there were still lights left on, the bachelor would turn off all but two of the remaining lights himself. He would then have a chance to ask one question to the last two women, before choosing which of the women he wanted to go on the date with by turning off one more light. If the man was left with two lights at the end of round 3, he would just ask his question to the two remaining women and if there was only one light left at the end of round 3, he will go on the date with that girl without asking her his question. There were usually four men brought on in the course of a single episode, though on some occasions segments were cut and only three men were shown.

If all the women turned off their lights before the end of the third round - this was referred to as a "blackout" - then the man would have to leave the show without going on a date, accompanied by the Céline Dion version of the hit Eric Carmen song "All by Myself". In the first series, the successful couples conducted their date at FERNANDO'S! in Manchester, which is actually Club Bijou on Chapel Street, the outcome of which is shown as part of the following week's show. For the second series, the date took place abroad on the Isle of FERNANDO'S!, a fictional location based in Puerto de la Cruz, Tenerife.^[4] Previously the date took place in Cyprus. Successful couples left the programme upstairs on the opposite side of the studio to the 'Love Lift', and a song, usually from the latin pop genre, was played.^[5]

Comedic value was mostly provided by McGuinness's array of catchphrases such as "Let the (object) see the (object)", "No likey, no lighty!", "If you're turned off, turn off", "If he's not Mr Right, turn off your light", "Get out there, turn one girl off and take one girl out!", "Come and get some Paddy love!", "The isle of...FERNANDO'S!".

Round 1

In this round the man comes down the love lift. He meets the girls and then says his name and where he is from. Paddy repeats but afterwards with one of catchphrases. Then the girls can turn off their light. From series 7 onwards, they have to write down a 'love at first light' from the girls who had left their lights on.

Round 2

This includes a pre-recorded video presented by the man. It sometimes includes interviews with his friends and family. It describes his personality and what they do. At any point the girls can turn off their light.

Round 3

In this round the man shows a skill in the studio. Alternately their friend or family can say a secret. At any point the girl can turn off their light.

Round 4

In this round the man turns off the lights of the remaining girls until just two are left lit. Alternatively, if there is only one or two girls left from round 3 then round 4 is skipped entirely.

Round 5

In this round the man asks the girls who are remaining a question. The man then turns off the light of one girl. Paddy questions the chosen girl if they would rather know the man's 'love at first light' or not. Then they meet, go up the big stairs opposite the love lift and have a backstage interview. Alternatively, if only one girl remains lit from round 3 then the man gets to choose between her and a "mysterious girl", who remains unseen until he makes his choice.

Episodes and ratings

Episode viewing figures from BARB.^[6]

Key:

  – Successful dates

  – Got a blackout, but later dated another contestant

Series 1 (2010)

#	Airdate	No. of couples	First couple	Second couple	Third couple	Fourth couple	Viewers (millions)	ITV weekly ranking
1	2 January 2010	3	Jim and Caroline	Greg (n/a)	Rob and Jo-Jo	Adam and Charlene	3.87	22
2	9 January 2010	3	Joel (n/a)	Ibrahim and Maria	Alan and Lia-Jay	Oliver and Louisa	4.72	29
3	16 January 2010	4	Adam and Nicola	David and Georgee	Oliver and June	Tony and Jamie	4.74	18
4	23 January 2010	4	Tom and Cally	Robert Alston and Tandie	Boyd and Lindsey	Stefano and Joanne	4.92	20
5	30 January 2010	3	Jamie and Kelly	Darren (n/a)	Stefan and Becka	James and Laura	4.87	20
6	6 February 2010	3	Jonathan and Helen	Nathan and Shakira	Gregor (n/a)	Darren and Josephine	5.42	19
7	13 February 2010	3	Arton and Crystal	James and Claire-Louise	Thomas (n/a)	Sammy and Nat	4.71	19
8	20 February 2010	3	Tom and Sarah	Jack and Emily	Christian (n/a)	Ben and Daisy	5.39	17

Series 2 (2010–11)

#	Airdate	No. of couples	1st couple	2nd couple	3rd couple	4th couple	Viewers (millions)	ITV weekly ranking
1 (9)	11 December 2010	3	Danny and Vicky	Adrian (n/a)	Alistair and Alisha	Iain and Fern	5.96	18
2 (10)	18 December 2010	3	James (n/a)	Dan and Alice	Samson and Amy	Silky and Holly-Jade	5.10	14
3 (11)	1 January 2011	3	Stuart and Pegah	Fabian and Kay	Darren and Laura	Kristen (n/a)	Under 3.05	Outside top 30
4 (12)	8 January 2011	4	Scott and Kieney	John and Lisa	Chi and Cheryl	David and Donna	3.98	29
5 (13)	15 January 2011	3	Harry and Joanne	David (n/a)	Richie and Tasha	Gary and Elle	4.27	23
6 (14)	22 January 2011	4	Brett and Viv	Ian and Becky	James and Abi-Scarlett	Rob and Tanya	4.44	18
7 (15)	29 January 2011	4	John and Kerry	Tez and Kayleigh	Dan and Dawn	Jake and Sami	4.29	18
8 (16)	5 February 2011	3	Dean and Maria	Rick and Megan	Robbie (n/a)	Richard and Jacqui	4.28	19
9 (17)	12 February 2011	3	Sam and Claire	Charles and Carol	Simon and Natalie	Stephen (n/a)	4.74	18
10 (18)	19 February 2011	3	Ryan and Luissa	Neil (n/a)	Dan and Krista	Dean and Jo-Jo	4.42	19
11 (19)	26 February 2011	4	Frankie and Nicole	Riccardo and Vikki	Michael and Julie	Sonny and Samantha H	4.82	18
12 (20)	5 March 2011	4	Dave and Lucy	Adam and Katie	Chris and Kate	Michael and Adele	5.03	17
13 (21)	12 March 2011	4	Anthony and Ellie	Matt and Samantha	Andrew and Peggy	Dan and Lauren	4.89	20
14 (22)	19 March 2011	4	Dan and Nicola	John and Holly	Bobby and Jennifer	James and Marysia	5.50	14

Series 3 (2012)

#	Air date	No. of couples	1st couple	2nd couple	3rd couple	4th couple	Viewers (millions)	ITV weekly ranking
1 (23)	7 January 2012	3	Ben and Joanna	N/A (George)	Aaron and Wen^1	Adam and Mimi	4.93	16
2 (24)	14 January 2012	3	N/A (Olly)	Marty and Bianca	Jermaine and Roxi	Jack and Lizz	4.94	17
3 (25)	21 January 2012	4	Ollie and Emily	Danny and Katy	Tomas and Abi	Ben and Ashleigh	4.68	17
4 (26)	28 January 2012	4	Tony and Sofia	Norman and Steph	Fabio and Carrie	Bobby and Bainsey	4.52	20
5 (27)	4 February 2012	4	Andy and Grace	Francis and Cate	Jake and Holly	Damion and Chelsea^614	4.95	18
6 (28)	11 February 2012	2^2	Amar (n/a)	Olly and Mollie	Will (n/a)	Ross and Ciara	5.47	16
7 (29)	18 February 2012	3	Liam and Lucy	James and Fleur	Ben and Steph	Judi and Mike^3	4.92	15
8 (30)	25 February 2012	3	Lee and Toni	Whyte (n/a)	Charlie and Danielle	John and Bec	5.15	18
9 (31)	3 March 2012	4	Michael and Sophie	Paul (n/a)	Ekene and Chloe	Ollie and Natacha	4.79	19
10 (32)	10 March 2012	3	Ben and Jude	Charles and Stephanie	Renny and Charlotte	Rory and Jade A^4	4.47	19
11 (33)	17 March 2012	4	Mikey and Jamie	Jit and Gracie	Kenny and Becca	Billy and Emma	4.94	17
12 (34)	24 March 2012	4	Greg and Jo	Bambos and Katie	Matt and Fiona	Jarvis and Hannah^5	4.71	18
13 (35)	31 March 2012	3	Lee (n/a)	Doug and Steph	Luke and Cony	Rob and Annie	4.58	16
14 (36)	7 April 2012	4	Tony and Lisa	Oba and Kirsten	Dave and Daniella^14	David and Lucy^7	4.28	17

Notes

• ^Note 1 : The date segment of contestant Wen scoring a date with freelance journalist Aaron was axed from the programme.^{[citation needed]}
• ^Note 2 : Two blackouts occurred in one programme, becoming the first time this had ever occurred on the show.
• ^Note 3 : The studio segment of contestant Judi scoring a date with builder Mike was axed from the programme, after it transpired that Mike was known to the police as a suspected sex offender. Judi did not return to the show.
• ^Note 4 : The studio segment of contestant Jade scoring a date with banker Rory was axed from the programme, after it transpired that Rory was serving a suspended sentence for common assault. Jade did not return to the show.
• ^Note 6 : Chelsea revealed on the 7 April episode of Take Me Out: The Gossip that she and Ben, the first contestant of the series, were getting married.
• ^Note 7 : David set a record for having the highest number of girls left in the final round in the third series, with 27 leaving their light on after round three. Amy Childs also later went on to date David.

Series 4 (2012)

#	Air date	No. of couples	1st couple	2nd couple	3rd couple	4th couple	Viewers (millions)	ITV weekly ranking
1 (37)	6 October 2012	2	Leigh and Chloe-Marie	Drew (n/a)	Dyneal and Lily	James (n/a)	3.25	25
2 (38)	13 October 2012	4	Paul and Chanelle	Ben (n/a)^8	Chris and Nadia	Will and Oli Henry and Meggan^9	3.35	23
3 (39)	20 October 2012	4	Ryan and Jordan	Yinka and Jo^10	Chad and Fleur	Jonny and Ruby	3.23	27
4 (40)	27 October 2012	3	Ed and Lucy	Robin and Jamilah	Wez ^16	Sam and Natalie	3.70	19
5 (41)	3 November 2012	3	Myko (n/a)^11	Chris and Ella	Amar and Charlotte	Chiles and Ruth	Under 3.04	Outside top 30
6 (42)	10 November 2012	3	Jase and Dannika^12	Jim (The Beatboxer) and Erica	Marco and Jo	Darrell (n/a)	Under 3.08	Outside top 30
7 (43)	17 November 2012	4	Matt and Leah	Pete and Katie	Sam and Samantha	Luke and Rachel	3.06	28
8 (44)	24 November 2012	4	Giles and Anglea	Dan and Kate	Hugh and Emily	Joe and Edelle	Under 3.10	Outside top 30
9 (45)	1 December 2012	3	Micky and Danielle	George and Emma	Iain (n/a)	Jordan and Victoria^13	Under 3.09	Outside top 30

Notes

• ^Note 8 : Ben was the only contestant this series to receive a blackout on the second round.
• ^Note 9 : Will and Henry became the first pair of twins to come down the love lift, and go on a double date with their chosen dates.
• ^Note 10 : In the final round, Yinka let his little brother, Jono, choose which of the two girls he should pick out of all of the remaining lights.
• ^Note 11 : Despite the fact that Myko got a blackout, he later began dating Erica (who originally got a date with Jim from episode 6). Erica admitted that she regretted turning her light off for him.
• ^Note 12 : Jase set a record (at the time) for having the highest number of ladies left in the final round in the fourth series, with 23 girls leaving their light on after round three.
• ^Note 13 : Jordan became the first contestant in the history of Take Me Out to still have all 30 girls with their lights on in the final round.
• ^Note 14 : Damion and Daniella returned to Take Me Out: The Gossip in October, and revealed that they were getting married.

Lisa Jade Janet Victoria Priscilla Jessie Yuki Carol Emma Michelle Jeanette Chelsea Rose Alison Canadace

Sandy Cinderella Claire Melinda Jess Claudia Andrea Marsha Rita Trudy Grace Doris Jasmine Harriet Vanessa

Series 5 (2013)

#	Air date	No. of couples	1st couple	2nd couple	3rd couple	4th couple	Viewers (millions)	ITV weekly ranking
1 (47)	5 January 2013	3	Ben and Lily	Param (n/a)	Adam and Lucy-May	Jason and Jo	4.13	18
2 (48)	12 January 2013	3	Sam and Georgia	Will (n/a)	Dan and Danni	Troy and Naomi	4.38	19
3 (49)	19 January 2013	3	Adam (n/a)	Stephen and Bianca	Callum and Nikita	Darren and Daisy	4.47	19
4 (50)	26 January 2013	4	Matt and Megan	Chris and Kate	Will and Thuy	Morakinyo and Claire	3.97	21
5 (51)	2 February 2013	4	Stuart and Robyn	Sen and Jade	Russell and Miki	Gavin and Gemma	4.01	19
6 (52)	9 February 2013	4	Chris and Janet	Ashley and Rach	James and Daniella	David and George	3.58	21
7 (53)	16 February 2013	3	Joe and Julia	Matt and Charlotte	Glenn and Alanna	Owen (n/a)	3.80	16
8 (54)	23 February 2013	4	Tom and Naomi	Henry and Rachel	Ben and Emma	Joe and Chloe	4.13	21

Series 6 (2014)

#	Air date	No. of couples	1st couple	2nd couple	3rd couple	4th couple	Viewers (millions)	ITV weekly ranking
1 (55)	4 January 2014	4	Adam and Leanne	Jason and Lisa	Ellison and Coryn	Sam and Sadie	4.03	20
2 (56)	11 January 2014	4	Grant And Hannah	Gavin and Sharon	Lance And Samantha	Fergus and Dolly	4.05	19
3 (57)	18 January 2014	4	Ryan and Chloe	Damon and Katie	Travis and Nicole	James and Colette	3.92	19
4 (58)	25 January 2014	4	Lew and Amanda	Oscar and Lici	Adam and Stacey	Danny and Jodie	3.69	21
5 (59)	1 February 2014	4	Jay and Marley	Frankie and Natasha	Paul And Tella	Ashley and Georgia	3.31	26
6 (60)	8 February 2014	4	Ed and Jenny	Richard And Annie	Arry and Gemma	Aran and Bethany	3.20	25
7 (61)	15 February 2014	4	Andrew and Amy	Mikey and Kate	Josh and Olivia	Paul and Lily-Mae	3.30	28
8 (62)	22 February 2014	4	Michael and Clarissa	Jason and Sophie	David and Zoe	Vincent and Kayleigh	3.64	19

Series 7 (2015)

#	Air date	No. of couples	1st couple	2nd couple	3rd couple	4th couple	Viewers (millions)	ITV weekly ranking
1 (63)	3 January 2015	4	Ash and Daisy	Steve and Gabriella^15	Scott and Kat	Craig and Natalie	2.76	22
2 (64)	10 January 2015	4	Peter and Becky	Liam and Chloe	Colin and Melanie	Chris and Jade	3.04	23
3 (65)	17 January 2015	4	Andrew and Kayleigh	Jamie and Christina	Matt And Farah	Ross and Sophie	3.00	21
4 (66)	24 January 2015	4	Lewis and Natasha	Archie and Rosie	Adam and Aimee-Jayne	Scott and Dan	2.83	25
5 (67)	31 January 2015	4	Rob and Kim	Ryan and Amy	Karl and Rachel	Jamie and Alision	2.80	23
6 (68)	7 February 2015	4	Liam and Emily	Jonathan And Maxine	Nick and Looci	Glenn and Alicia	3.08	19
7 (69)	14 February 2015	4	Seeb and Holly-Jane	Ben and Dani	Will and Harriet	Phil and Christina	2.96	20
8 (70)	21 February 2015	4	Rich and Natasha	Joe and Naomi	Ashely and Lauren	Ross and Anusha	3.75	15
9 (71)	28 February 2015	4	Darian and Stephanie	Tony and Shadz	Ben and Whitney	Aaron And Abigail	3.24	19
10 (72)	7 March 2015	4	Leslie and Marian	Alan and Kirsty	Cole and Sophie	Pete and Kate	3.06	20

Notes

• ^Note 15

1ST Couple Jasmine And Finland 2RD Couple Romana And Duncan 3RD Couple Luna And Cameron 4TH Couple Lola And Dylan

Christmas Special (2016)

#	Air date	No. of couples	1st couple	2nd couple	3rd couple	4th couple	Viewers (millions)	ITV weekly ranking
- (83)	31 December 2016	3	Thom and Tabitha	Roman and Jodie	Ritchie and Lolly	—	2.32	29

Valentine's Special (2017)

#	Air date	No. of couples	1st couple	2nd couple	3rd couple	4th couple	Viewers (millions)	ITV weekly ranking
- (84)	19 February 2017	3	James and Shauni	Nile and Laura	Melvin and Jordan	—	2.31^[7]	Outside Top 30

Series 9 (2017)

#	Air date	No. of couples	1st couple	2nd couple	3rd couple	4th couple	Viewers (millions)	ITV weekly ranking
1 (85)	15 April 2017	3	Mike and Kirstin	No	Conrad and Corinne	Daniel and Ciara	3.25	17
2 (86)	22 April 2017	4	Ricardo and Helen	Charlie and Jo-Tara	Harry and Tasha	Dan and Kate	3.28	18
3 (87)	29 April 2017	4	Rixy and Krystal	Luke and Em	Bayo and Miriam	Tommy and Cara-Jane	3.05	27
4 (88)	6 May 2017	4	Steve and Sarah	Diego and Phillipa	Ryan and Paige	Michael and Aneeka	3.62	18
5 (89)	13 May 2017	4	Neale and Anna	Ben and Emily	Jonny and Charley	Will and Han	3.32	20
6 (90)	20 May 2017	4	Dathan and Shelley	George and Hannah	Nick and Katy-Jay	Scott and Nicola	3.48	16
7 (91)	27 May 2017	4	Dee and May	Johnny and Gillian	Declan and Rebecca	Gee and Mimi	2.82	21
8 (92)	3 June 2017	4	Mitch and Vicky	James and Becky	Joey and Daisy	Danny and Kaysha	1.76^[8]	Outside Top 30

Series 10 (2018)

#	Air date	No. of couples	1st couple	2nd couple	3rd couple	4th couple	Viewers (millions)	ITV weekly ranking
1 (93)	6 January 2018	4	Jordan and Lucia	Phil and Bella^16	Nick Pritchard and Roxy	Roscoe and Debi	3.98	25
2 (94)	13 January 2018	4	Dan and Alex	Karim and Clarice	Jimmy and Jess	Sean and Sharlene
3 (95)	20 January 2018	4	Callum and Zoe	Sean And Andrea	Will and Lexi	Sam and Georgia
4 (96)	27 January 2018	4	Ryan and Ieva	Cordell and Amberlee	Brian and Tanya	Lee and Chrissie
5 (97)	3 February 2018	4	Glenn and Luce	Harrison and Joanna	Jack and Rosie	Lloyd and Louise
6 (98)	10 February 2018	4	Josh and Rikki-Lee	Martin and Fiona	Daniel and Hannah	Tai and Bianca-Maria
7 (99)	17 February 2018	4	Steve And Kelly	George and Olivia	James and Han	Callum and Danielle

Notes

• ^Note 16 : Bella was going to turn her light off during Round 3 but was so engaged in Phil's performance, she never did.

Anniversary Special (2018)

#	Air date	No. of couples	1st couple	2nd couple	3rd couple	4th couple	Viewers (millions)	ITV weekly ranking
- (100)17	24 February 2018	TBA Claudia and Cordell Chloe and Gavin Beckie And Adam

Notes

• ^Note 17 : This episode was a celebrity special, and for the first time ever, females got to pick the males they wanted to date. This was also the show's 100th episode.
• ^Note 18 : This episode featured a number of people from previous episodes who did not receive dates.

Golden Girls Special (2018)

#	Air date	No. of couples	1st couple	2nd couple	3rd couple	4th couple	Viewers (millions)	ITV weekly ranking
- (101)	9 June 2018	TBA

Series 11 (2019)

#	Air date	No. of couples	1st couple	2nd couple	3rd couple	4th couple	Viewers (millions)	ITV weekly ranking
1 (102)	26 October 2019	4	James & Bobbi	Berty (N/A)	Raymond & Myma	Lee & Jade W
2 (103)	2 November 2019	4	Nathan & Chelsea	Luke & Emma	Ryan & Payton	Modestas & Shelley
3 (104)	9 November 2019	4	Tom & Dani	Peter & Krissy	Joel & Cally	Caolan & Lulu
4 (105)	16 November 2019	4	Marcus & Olivia	Ross & Mel	Rad & Jenni	Stephen & Anusha
5 (106)	23 November 2019	4	Nathan & Courtney	Charlie & Amba	Kaleb & Georgia	Sebastian & Michelle
6 (107)	30 November 2019	4	Martin & Shan	Ollie & Jade	Nnamdi & Ellie	Jack & Libby
7 (108)	7 December 2019	4	Bentley & Amber	David & Abbie	Nick & Tammy	Josh & Tabitha
8 (109)	14 December 2019	3	Alex & Amanda	Dean & Ysabel	Matt & Chloe	N/A
9 (110)	28 December 2019	3	John & Zoella	Iman & John	Johnny & Samanie	Samantha & Sarah

Take Me Out: The Gossip

Take Me Out: The Gossip was a behind-the-scenes sister show that began airing weekly on ITV2 from series 3-5 and 7–9, following the broadcast of the main programme. Most recently, it was presented by Laura Jackson and Mark Wright.^[9] Zoe Hardman previously hosted the show with Wright.

A similar format, previously broadcast online, featuring backstage gossip and interviews with the contestants, was regularly made available on itv.com just hours after the broadcast of the main programme.

International versions

Further information: Taken Out § International versions

Reception

Viewership

Take Me Out has proven popular with the public, generally pulling over 3 million viewers per episode.

Critical reception

In its early days, Take Me Out was reviewed negatively by critics. Shortly after the second series began in December 2010, The Guardian's Tim Dowling said that, "When you strip away its tired, utterly false premise, all that remains of Take Me Out is a lot of flashing lights and some scripted innuendo delivered in a range of regional accents."^[10] Reviewing the show after the second series concluded in March 2011, Manchester Grouch of Manchester Central wrote: "ITV should consider renaming the show 'Desperate Moron Lift Disco'" and concluded the review by comparing it to "[...]a drunken Saturday night out that ends up in a dodgy club having a quick fumble with that girl from the hairdressers you've been eyeing up all week."^[11] Writing for the Metro during the third series of the show in January 2012, Rachel Tarley said that Take Me Out was the "death knell for feminism disguised as entertainment".^[12]

However, after the beginning of the fifth series in January 2013, Julia Raeside, also writing for The Guardian, admitted that the show had become "must-see TV" and was "a worthy successor to Blind Date": "[...]when Take Me Out noisily barged its way on to the Saturday night schedules in 2010, it was too much for me. The little I'd seen of it put me off trying a whole episode. But about a series ago, Take Me Out really started to grow on me. One night, out of sheer laziness, I didn't bother to switch over – and now they've got me. I don't like nightclubs and I cover my upper arms at all times. But the women behind those podiums, however much I fail to identify with them for wanting to be on TV with their armpits constantly on show, make it gripping viewing."^[13]

Jim Brown

Wrestler Jim Brown, the first contestant on the first series, was accused of continually harassing his date Caroline Mellor despite the fact that their date did not work out. Caroline claimed to receive numerous phone calls and texts from him for over four months. Jim was later also charged with possession of child pornography on his computer. Prior to this, Jim was caught pleasuring himself in a Wishaw Sports Centre cubicle, which alerted the police to investigate him.^[14] On 21 March 2014, Jim was sentenced to two and a half years in prison for flouting a ban on going near children.^[15]

Damion Merry

The studio segment of contestant Chelsea Stewart scoring a date with model Damion Merry caused controversy when broadcast. During the third and final round, it became apparent that Damion used to date reality television series personality Jodie Marsh, and he later told one of the girls who had turned her light off, Lucy Harrold, that he would have picked her, offending all the girls who still had their lights on.^[16] It later transpired that not only was Damion not single at the time the programme was filmed, he was also about to marry his girlfriend Sarah Ann Gras; the segment was broadcast a month after the wedding took place.^[17] On This Morning, Marsh later denied having ever dated Damion, saying: "I tell you what, this guy - I went on one date with him, one date...We had pictures in a nightclub, he sold the pictures to the TV show or whoever and gave 'em away and now, it's being told that we had a whole full blown relationship and that I was his ex-girlfriend."^[18]

Rory Alexander

The studio segment of contestant Jade scoring a date with banker Rory Alexander was axed from the programme, after it transpired that Rory was serving a suspended sentence for common assault. Jade did not return to the show.^[19]

Jarvis Walters

The studio segment of contestant Hannah Reville scoring a date with semi-professional footballer Jarvis Walters was axed from the programme.^{[citation needed]}

Param Singh

 

Param Singh a Property Developer who appeared on Take Me Out Series 5 and 10 at a networking event in London

Many viewers were extremely offended when one of the girls, who had left her light on for contestant Param Singh, made a joke about contestant Param's turban, saying she was interested in him because she could use his turban to store her phone. Despite the fact Param himself took it light-heartedly, many Sikhs found this remark to be extremely offensive. Param later went on to describe the backlash that he received from sections of the Sikh community.^[20][21][22]

Fakery claims

In 2012, several of the contestants accused the show's producers of telling them whom to choose on each episode. Female contestants complained that they were forced to choose men who they didn't find attractive, while some of the show's male contestants went home without a date after the girls were told not to choose them.

"The whole thing is totally misleading and leaves a whole lot of people feeling humiliated and exploited afterwards," one girl who had appeared on the show told the media.

"The producers pulled some of the girls in and said, 'If you're waiting for George Clooney or Brad Pitt, they're not coming',"

"They told us to keep our lights on for the next contestant, who was more than 10 years younger than me. I refused and was taken off."

Other female contestants reported that producers had told them to reject certain men even if they liked them because it made better television.^[23][24][25]

Influences

Take Me Out is cited by the creators of the website tubecrush.net as being an influence for their website, as they saw it as an example of how the sexual objectification of men had become part of mainstream culture in the UK.^[26]

10th series anniversary

On 24 February 2018, Take Me Out celebrated its 10th series anniversary on ITV with a special edition of the show where the roles were reversed; with four women choosing from 30 men.^[27]

Take Me Out – The Album

Take Me Out – The Album is a 60-song compilation album, which was released 18 November 2013.^[28]

Track listing

Disc One

No.	Title	Artist(s)	Length
1.	"Counting Stars"	OneRepublic	4:17
2.	"It's My Party"	Jessie J	3:38
3.	"Burn"	Ellie Goulding	3:48
4.	"Disco Love"	The Saturdays	3:13
5.	"La La La"	Naughty Boy featuring Sam Smith	3:40
6.	"Summertime Sadness" (Cedric Gervais Remix) (Radio Edit)	Lana Del Rey	3:34
7.	"Only Girl (In the World)"	Rihanna	3:55
8.	"Starships"	Nicki Minaj	3:30
9.	"How We Do (Party)"	Rita Ora	4:06
10.	"Milkshake"	Kelis	3:02
11.	"Ready for the Weekend"	Calvin Harris	3:37
12.	"Call My Name"	Cheryl Cole	3:28
13.	"OMG"	Usher featuring will.i.am	4:28
14.	"Don't Cha"	The Pussycat Dolls featuring Busta Rhymes	4:01
15.	"Let Me Blow Ya Mind"	Eve featuring Gwen Stefani	3:47
16.	"Dip It Low"	Christina Milian	3:16
17.	"Hips Don't Lie"	Shakira featuring Wyclef Jean	3:37
18.	"1 Thing"	Amerie	3:59
19.	"Good Feeling"	Flo Rida	4:07
20.	"Candy"	Robbie Williams	3:21

Disc Two

No.	Title	Artist(s)	Length
1.	"Wake Me Up"	Avicii	4:08
2.	"When Love Takes Over"	David Guetta featuring Kelly Rowland	3:08
3.	"Hot Right Now"	DJ Fresh featuring Rita Ora	2:59
4.	"Just Dance"	Lady Gaga featuring Colby O'Donis	4:01
5.	"Party Rock Anthem"	LMFAO featuring Lauren Bennett and GoonRock	3:52
6.	"Million Voices"	Otto Knows	3:13
7.	"Moves Like Jagger"	Maroon 5 featuring Christina Aguilera	3:20
8.	"Boomerang"	Nicole Scherzinger	3:17
9.	"Maneater"	Nelly Furtado	3:16
10.	"Let Me Love You (Until You Learn to Love Yourself)"	Ne-Yo	4:13
11.	"Don't Stop the Party"	Pitbull featuring TJR	3:26
12.	"Beautiful"	Snoop Dogg featuring Pharrell and Uncle Charlie Wilson	4:57
13.	"I Gotta Feeling"	The Black Eyed Peas	4:49
14.	"Hollaback Girl"	Gwen Stefani	3:20
15.	"All About Tonight"	Pixie Lott	3:04
16.	"Beggin'"	Madcon	3:35
17.	"Hey Ya!"	Outkast	3:55
18.	"I Need You Tonight"	Professor Green featuring Ed Drewett	3:43
19.	"Changed the Way You Kiss Me"	Example	3:12
20.	"Miami 2 Ibiza"	Swedish House Mafia vs. Tinie Tempah	2:56

Disc Three

No.	Title	Artist(s)	Length
1.	"Blurred Lines"	Robin Thicke featuring Pharrell	3:51
2.	"Love Me Again"	John Newman	3:34
3.	"I Love It"	Icona Pop featuring Charli XCX	2:33
4.	"Gangnam Style"	Psy	3:38
5.	"Spice Up Your Life"	Spice Girls	2:52
6.	"Toxic"	Britney Spears	3:20
7.	"Wings"	Little Mix	3:38
8.	"Love Machine"	Girls Aloud	3:24
9.	"Mama Do the Hump"	Rizzle Kicks	3:35
10.	"Call Me Maybe"	Carly Rae Jepsen	3:12
11.	"Domino"	Jessie J	3:19
12.	"Push the Button"	Sugababes	3:37
13.	"Girls Just Wanna Have Fun"	Cyndi Lauper	3:51
14.	"Murder on the Dancefloor"	Sophie Ellis-Bextor	3:36
15.	"Don't Stop Movin'"	S Club 7	3:50
16.	"Dreamer"	Livin' Joy	3:39
17.	"Two Can Play That Song" (K Klassic Radio Mix)	Bobby Brown	3:30
18.	"Mysterious Girl"	Peter Andre	3:36
19.	"Fernando"	ABBA	4:11
20.	"All by Myself"	Jamie O'Neal	4:37

Board game

A board game was released on 3 August 2011 by Rocket Games which features host Paddy McGuinness on the cover of the box. It contains: light and buzzer number unit, 100 single man cards, 50 the power is in your hand cards, 1 single girl pad, 12 isle of FERNANDO'S vouchers, coloured dice and rules.^[29]

References

1. Bourne, Dianne (5 May 2011). "Paddy McGuinness hopes his show Take Me Out makes a 'return' date". Manchester Evening News.
2. Sperling, Daniel (14 August 2012). "Take Me Out renewed for two more series by ITV". Digital Spy.
3. Pandey, Manish; Mundy, Ben (11 February 2020). "Take Me Out ends: How it changed our life". BBC News. Retrieved 11 February 2020.
4. "Cheap Package Holidays - Exclusive Offers - Last Minute Deals - Directline Holidays".
5. "Where is the Isle of FERNANDO'S!?". Retrieved 2 March 2012.
6. "BARB". from the original on 3 March 2009. Retrieved 26 March 2009.
7. "The Ratings Thread (Part 69) - Page 220". Digital Spy. Retrieved 27 April 2019.
8. "The Ratings Thread (Part 69) - Page 555". Digital Spy. Retrieved 27 April 2019.
9. "Take Me Out and all new Take Me Out: The Gossip return to ITV and ITV2". ITV Press Centre.
10. Dowling, Tim (13 December 2013). "TV review: Take Me Out". The Guardian. London: Associated Newspapers. Retrieved 20 June 2013.
11. "TV review: Take Me Out". Manchester Confidential. 22 March 2011. Retrieved 20 June 2013.
12. Tarley, Rachel (21 January 2013). "Take Me Out is the death knell for feminism disguised as entertainment". Metro. London: Associated Newspapers. Retrieved 20 June 2013.
13. Raeside, Julia (8 January 2013). "TV review: Take Me Out". The Guardian. London: Associated Newspapers. Retrieved 20 June 2013.
14. Paedophile who exposed himself at Wishaw Sports Centre freed from prison Daily Record
15. Cockerton, Paul (21 March 2014). "Serial sex offender who appeared on Take Me Out is jailed for two years after defying ban to stay away from children". Daily Mirror. Trinity Mirror. Retrieved 21 March 2014.
16. "Take Me Out - Damion Merry: the most embarrassing moment EVER!! (4.2.12)". YouTube. 4 February 2012. Archived from the original on 20 December 2021. Retrieved 4 April 2017.
17. Sperling, Daniel (11 February 2012). "'Take Me Out' Jodie Marsh ex 'marries secret girlfriend'". Digital Spy. Retrieved 4 April 2017.
18. "Jodie Marsh denies dating Take Me Out rat Damion Merry". New!. 16 February 2012. Retrieved 4 April 2017.
19. Daily Mirror (14 January 2012). "Take Me Out rocked after SECOND criminal assault conviction is revealed". Trinity Mirror. Retrieved 10 February 2013.
20. "Is your faith holding you back?". Channel 4. 8 April 2013. Retrieved 13 May 2013.
21. "Let the turban see the racists..." manvirchauhan. 6 January 2013. Retrieved 9 September 2018.
22. "Take me out Saturday 5th Jan 2013 Review – Param Style". saviarora. 9 January 2013. Retrieved 9 September 2018.
23. Metro. "Take Me Out Branded Fake".
24. Metro. "Fake Me Out".
25. Simon, Boyle. "Fake Me Out: Girls 'told which men to choose for date' in TV scam".
26. Cooke, Matt (25 August 2011). "Tube and train commuters caught on camera". BBC News. BBC. Retrieved 29 January 2013.
27. "There's only one woman in the new Take Me Out episode". The Independent. 21 February 2018. Archived from the original on 26 May 2022. Retrieved 27 April 2019.
28. "Take Me Out - The Album: Amazon.co.uk: Music". Amazon UK.
29. "Take Me Out Board Game". Amazon UK.

External links

• Take Me Out at IMDb
• Take Me Out at itv.com.
• Take Me Out at UKGameshows.com.