Review: TV3’s Date Rush is a copied show, but still great

Week in week out, Season 3 of TV3’s Date Rush is also coming to an end. And it has been awesome to observe that the Show has continually up its ratings among the viewing public and has now become one of the most talked-about TV Shows in Ghana and one to look forward to every Sunday evening. Having kept that Rush on for all these episodes, your authoritative myghairwaves.com decided to undertake a Review of the Show to see what is going right and what ought to be looked at again by the Producers. In our candid opinion, Date Rush is doing extremely well, though there are few things they must give more attention to, otherwise, there is a likelihood of the purpose of the Show being defeated.

THE CONCEPT

Date Rush is a dating reality show meant to connect single ladies to single gentlemen in Ghana. Its concept looks like something that has been copied from UK’s Take Me Out. There is nothing untoward in copying programme concepts from one jurisdiction to the other though. Indeed, Take Me Out was itself a stolen concept from the Australian reality show, Taken Out! In Ghana, our TV Stations have been showing foreign telenovelas for some time now and modifying a foreign TV reality show won’t be a sacrilege.

Currently, in its third season, the Date Rush comes in two parts, with each part featuring a man presenting himself to ten ladies, who assess him through three stages and decide whether they like him or not.

In the first stage, the gentleman is shown in a video, telling the ladies and the viewers who he is and what he does. The ladies are then given an opportunity to either keep their rush on for the gentlemen or keep it off. Keeping a rush on means the ladies are interested in the man.

If there are ladies still interested in the guy, they proceed to the next stage where the gentleman is meant to share reasons why they are single and what he is looking for in his dream partner. The ladies are then presented with the chance again to either keep “their rush on or put them off”.

The show proceeds to the third stage if there are more rushes on. In this third stage, the gentleman is to share with the ladies and the viewing public his ambitions and possibly the role the lady will play if connected. The power is then given again to the ladies to either keep their rushes on or put it off.

If there are more than two ladies who are still interested in the gentleman after the third stage, the power to select is given to the gentleman. He will have to choose two from the interested ladies to proceed to a new and final stage. At this stage, the gentleman is required to ask the two standing ladies any question he the gentlemen deems fit. From the answers, the gentleman is then given the opportunity to choose one of the ladies for a date. If the gentleman is not convinced about any of the two ladies, he has the right to reject both by putting off their rushes. The whole process is then repeated with a new gentleman but mostly with the remaining nine ladies and another lady. (In some episodes, the positions for the sexes too change.. a lady facing ten guys etc)

The Show airs every Sunday from 8pm.

WHAT’S GOING GREAT SO FAR?

Among the things going great for the Show is the constant improvement that the Producers have been introducing. From its inception to date, there have been many positive changes and I view it as an added credit. The current setting is an improvement of what was there at the inception. Also, lighting at the studio has also improved immensely. In the past, for example, those of us watching at home find it difficult to see when a lady turns her light off. That has changed now. The extended duration of the Show also means things are not being rushed like some episodes in the past.

Again, I cannot help but pat the producers for the way the ladies enter and exit from the studio. The current choreographed dancing in groups of two ladies is better than when the ladies used to walk in one by one in from one end of the studio to shake the host at another end, then assume their stands. The current arrangement adds colour to the entire Show.

Then, the music. Not too sure who the DJ was in the past. But currently, DJ Faculty is great and doing marvelously. He selects the best songs and knows exactly when to start playing and when to end. One thing we are very sure of is that DJ Faculty watches the Show and follows every action keenly. He is an asset for Date Rush.

Then there is Kpakpo, Nii Kpakpo! O mine… To be frank, Date Rush’s success on TV3 so far has partly been because of how Nii Kpakpo Thompson, the Master Match Maker has handled himself and the Show. From his entry to his exit, everything Kpakpo does on the Show is on point. His jokes and facial expressions are always in tune and help in creating the best atmosphere needed for a dating reality show like Date Rush. Kpakpo knows when to talk and what exactly to say. He has been the spine of the show so far… we salute him. Indeed, viewers also love Kpakpo.

WHAT CAN BE LOOKED AT AGAIN

I still believe there are few things that can be done to make Date Rush even more enjoyable and fun for all.

I believe the fun will be greater for all patrons, those at the Studio and those of us watching at home if the Show is carried out live. The current episodes being showed were recorded months ago and some sections of the public involved in the recording sometimes share what will happen before it does. To me, the suspense that the live shows will bring will make Date Rush earn even more rave reviews.

Secondly, I think some of the gentlemen that have appeared on the Show so far did not do so to find love but to push whatever they are involved in. For it not to defeat the purpose of the Show, the gentlemen must not be allowed to say anything about their ventures or where they work. TV3 offers a big stage for advertisement. If I will get free minutes on TV3 via Date Rush to advertise this website, I will jump on it, even if it means covering it up as if I am looking for love. You bab? All I need to do is to wear pink, or?

Also, I believe just as the gentlemen have a single section to get hooked, the ladies too should be given just one chance to get themselves a date. The nine ladies who do not get a date in a section should all be changed for the next section and the subsequent weeks. That way, the seriousness attached to the processes would be valued even more by both sexes.

And we also think the ladies must be reminded again and again that the Show is meant to connect singles to go on a date. The operative word here is to DATE and not to MARRY necessarily. Most times, the comments they pass for keeping a rush on or not defy the idea of dating. You can relate, right?

OUR RATINGS?

With everything that I have said above, myghairwaves.com still believes TV3’s DATE RUSH is an awesome show and very entertaining. We give it 95%. The extra modifications here and there are all meant to take the show to even greater heights.

YOUR VERDICT:

Do you agree with us? Is there anything you would want to add or subtract? What percentage will you even give DATE RUSH? Please use the comments section on this website and let us know what you think…