First Dates Ireland has returned for its eighth season, with new episodes airing every Thursday night at 9:30pm on RTE2.
The popular dating show sees two people go on a blind date at the First Dates Restaurant in Dublin. At the end of the date, the couple sit down together for an interview and decide if they would like to see each other again.
But have you ever wondered what being on the show is actually like and what goes on behind the scenes? 21-year-old Joe Costigan from Crosshaven in Cork was tricked into applying for the show but is now "delighted" that he did it.
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Joe was matched with fellow Cork man Sean and the duo hit it off immediately. Writing for Cork Beo, Joe recounted his entire experience on the show, from the application to what it was like watching his episode back when it aired on Thursday.
Here's his story:
"If you watched First Dates Ireland on RTE2 on Thursday, you might have seen me walk into the restaurant to meet fellow Cork man Sean and watched our date unfold - hopefully you liked me enough to read about my experience behind the scenes on the hit show.
From day one, I was sceptical about taking part - I didn't actually apply myself, my college housemate Nicola secretly sent off an application without telling me, tricking me into answering questions for the form by pretending she was making a quiz about our friends - something she'd do if we were too broke to go out.
After I found out she applied for me, I made it clear that on the off-chance they actually picked me, there's absolutely no way I'd do it - that would be way too intimidating altogether.
A few months went by before I heard anything, but then I got a call to say the production team wanted me on the show - I was still adamant I wasn't going to do it, but with friends and family encouraging me, I thought that life's too short to pass up a fun, bizarre opportunity like this so I went with it.
From early phone calls with the team behind the show, I realised pretty quickly that these were very genuine people who had my interests at heart and were focused on making this a great experience for me, not just for people watching at home.
The first step for filming the show is the solo interview where you're asked questions about yourself and what you want in a partner, I filmed this back in June.
Even though very little of this interview makes it into the final cut, it actually takes an hour to film because you have to answer so many different questions - keep in mind at this stage I had no idea who my match was.
Nearly two months later, it was time to film the actual date - this is where I started to get really nervous.
Weirdly, the date itself wasn't what had me panicking, it was all the little things you have to do before and after - the walk into the restaurant, the post-date interview where you have to say yes or no, and the dreaded conundrum of deciding whether to hug your date or shake hands.
The stress over whether to hug or shake hands proved to be valid, as what me and Sean ended up doing led to one Twitter user saying: "The most awkward greeting I have ever seen in my entire life." Thanks for that vote of confidence!
Once we sat down, the date went pretty much as you saw on TV, except it actually lasts an hour and a half - or longer than that if you're like us and have to be asked to leave because they need the table back - don't match two guys from Cork if you don't want them to burn the ear off each other!
You might be surprised to learn that the date and restaurant are completely real, apart from the fact that it's eerily quiet - most of the other people having dinner are background daters who, even though they're still on blind dates, aren't actually being filmed for the show - there's also no music playing.
It isn't stage or over-produced, once you walk through the doors and meet Mateo nobody comes down and tells you what to talk about, you barely even notice the cameras unless you go looking for them.
If you've watched the show you'll have seen that me and Sean had a great time and both said yes to seeing each other again, but I'm sorry to break the news that we never went on a second date.
I was so nervous for the episode to come out, with so many months between filming the date and it airing, you have a lot of time to overthink little things you said, but the team are so considerate, and when I asked them to cut out some details I mentioned that I no longer felt comfortable sharing, they took them out without hesitation.
They also cut out awkward moments like when I struggled to undo the stunning rose that our napkins were folded into and at the end of the date when I got up and started walking away with said napkin draped over my shoe.
It's rare to hear about a reality show that's made so ethically, but after my experience I can hand-on-heart say that First Dates is. There's been loads of communication with production since the date, and they made sure to check in on me and keep me updated.
If you're considering applying for the show next year, go for it! You've nothing to lose, I'm delighted I did it and you should have a go as well."
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