First dates can be painfully awkward, so how about if you could date without realising that’s what you’re doing?
That is the premise for new ITVBe reality show Secret Dates, which sees an unwitting singleton meet four potential suitors – all carefully chosen by close friends – in a series of seemingly chance encounters that are captured on hidden cameras.
However the first episode of the TV experiment, which aired last night, almost ended in disaster when Emma, 28, from London, stormed out after it was revealed the meetings with the four men had in fact been carefully planned – and filmed for TV.
Emma, who has been single for three years, was left mortified when her four matches – Jonny, Chris, Sam and Adam – walked into the restaurant where she believed she was having a birthday lunch with her childhood friends.
Emma was stunned to learn she had been on a hidden camera show without her knowledge after being set up by her friends
She was confronted by four potential suitors that she had unknowingly met over the course of two weeks in what she believed were chance encounters
Overwhelmed with the revelation that had been set up by her friends Emma stormed out. She dashed to the toilets to calm herself down
‘I literally feel sick about this,’ she cried before storming away from the table.
Her friends panicked when Emma dashed to the toilets in shock, worried they had risked their 20-year friendship.
Fortunately Emma soon came round and agreed to go on a ‘real’ date with one of the matches, business development manager Jonny, 21.
Desperate to help Emma meet Mr Right, her friends Georgia, Lauren, Emma L and Gemma took control of her dating destiny and arranged four secret dates for her over two weeks.
Emma’s friends (L-R) Gemma, Georgia, Lauren and Emma L, were all in on finding a man for her to date, choosing four men
Jonny was first up, he was told to pretend he was helping his friend out on his art gallery opening – the pair giggled over the artwork and appeared to hit it off
They scoured the streets of London to find four potential suitors before they then played a live version of Tinder, discarding unsuitable men in favour of Jonny, Chris, Sam and Adam.
First up was Jonny, 21, who Emma met while attending an art gallery opening with friend Georgia.
Unaware she was being filmed, Emma immediately connected with Jonny, who pretended he was at the gallery to help out a friend.
Next Emma met Chris, 29, a recruitment officer, on a helicopter ride that friend Lauren claimed she had won in a work raffle.
Chris was up next joining Emma on a helicopter ride where they took selfies and pictures of the London skyline
Sam was third, but his poor jokes didn’t go down well with Emma, who found him quirky during their flower arranging date
Banker Adam wooed Emma during a trip to a cafe with Georgia where he gave her free cake and pretended he had invested in the cafe when he hadn’t
They took selfies as they flew over London with Emma later posting them to her social media with the hashtag ‘helicopter hottie’.
She met student Sam, 28, who her friends labelled a ‘wild card’, at a flower arranging masterclass all manufactured by her Lauren and Emma L.
And she still didn’t suspect anything enthusiastic banker Adam, 25, while she was having coffee at a cafe with friend Georgia.
Single Emma was mortified with embarrassment at finding out the chance encounters had all been a rouse for the ITV show
She overcame her shock to pick her first match Jonny and they went on a dinner date together afterwards
Despite the meltdown over the big reveal, Georgia eventually decided to go on a date with Jonny.
The pair hit it off over dinner and made plans to see each other again.
The big reveal sent Emma into meltdown but she recovered enough to make her decision to pick Jonny, and they went on a real dinner date where they hit it off and made plans to have another.
Secret Dates is available to watch on ITVplayer