Shy is to plan a romantic meal, and Morgan is going to decorate a cell with 1200 pink roses. The caterer and florist ask each patsy how they plan to pay for this, and in a genius cost-cutting move by the net, they're both going to have to work it off. Shy by cleaning hundreds of dirty dishes and Morgan by trimming flowers.
The final moments arrive and they both genuinely seem sad to be leaving each other. Morgan prattles on romantically about all the things he likes about Shy. She, on the other hand, can't seem to stop watching the clock that will ring at midnight, parting them forever.
When the time comes, Morgan lets her ride away on the midnight ferry. No big romantic gestures, no name yelling and jumping in the harbor in tux or ballgown.
It's kind of a letdown, but as narrator Hector Elizondo (the "original" odd couple matchmaker from such films as "Runaway Bride," "Pretty Woman" and yes, that's him in "American Gigolo") tells us viewers, this is not the final chapter.
The exhausting next day, the two are finally given a chance to decide their destiny. Will Morgan want to meet Shy one last time on Alcatraz island? Will Shy show up? Come on, it's American reality TV. After all that Hollywood nonsense — throwing every possibly crowbar at them — do you think they'd let them get away without a happily ever after?
So, yes, it's formulaic. It's completely contrived and unrealistic, but it's exactly the fact that they've placed two supposedly real people in a typical Romantic Comedy situation that makes it so watchable.
Next week, two guys have to battle it out over one girl. Maybe they'll end up realizing their latent homosexual lust for each other. It is Pride Week after all.
One last caveat: I thought the first episode of "The Anna Nicole Show" was hillarious. It got old real fast. I've got a sneaking suspicion about this one...
Article comments
1 - Prentiss Riddle
I don't watch mutch prime time, saving my limited TV viewing for the vegging hour late on. I do enjoy one cheesy and sadistic dating show, Blind Date. How odd that Blind Date revels in trying to heat things up (lots of obligatory hot tubs, massages, etc.) while the Dating Experiment tries to cool them off. Is this a network vs. cable thing?
2 - Ben
Does anyone know who sings the song that was played at the end of the first episode, or what the name of it is? It said something about leeting loves shine on the two of us. Help!!!
Ben