Two former contestants on the ITV dating show Take Me Out have lifted the lid on the strict rules and chaotic behind-the-scenes antics that viewers never saw. The show, hosted by Paddy McGuinness, saw a single man descend onto a stage via a lift to woo a panel of 30 single women, who could turn off their lights if unimpressed.
Bonnie Stainer, who joined the Flirty 30 panel in 2017, described the audition process as requiring applicants to 'pretend we were on a TV show'. She revealed that filming involved early starts, with the women picked up at 7am, and that days off often descended into 'carnage', though they were under strict rules not to get drunk or cause trouble.
Stainer also disclosed that scenes often required multiple takes, with the women sometimes needing three or more attempts to deliver their answers perfectly. Despite this, she described the atmosphere as a 'party', with music and dancing between takes, and said she made lifelong friends.
Adam Ryan, who found love on the show, debunked rumours that contestants met the women beforehand, stating: 'You don't get to see the girls beforehand.' He described the experience of descending on the lift as 'the most daunting, exciting, scary thing' he had ever done.
Ryan also revealed that on the Isle of Fernandos (the show's date location), couples were not allowed to talk between takes, as producers wanted conversations to 'flow naturally on camera'. He noted that off-camera chats were 'much, much better' than those that aired. After filming, contestants stayed in a villa where drinking continued.
