Dating Around: The hidden gem Netflix dating show worthy of a binge ASAP

Dates: they're a difficult feat.

They can be awkward, they can be irritating, they can be stressful and sometimes even a little boring. There are dates that go well, sure, but a lot of the time they can be inelegant, cringey, and proof that when people get desperate, they'll be whatever you want them to be. The past few years has seen an abundance of reality TV dating shows appear on our television screens. Love Island, First Dates, Too Hot To Handle, Naked Attraction - you name it and chances are there's been a popular (and sometimes questionable) dating show made about it. And while all of the above focus on matching people based on their interests, their looks, and whether they, eh, look good naked or not, Dating Around is a little bit different. Streaming on Netflix, the reality TV show has been floating around for a few years now, without ever really having its moment... probably because not anything that extravagant tends to happen. Dating Around isn't as dramatic as the other dating shows that have come before it. Not quite a reality series, not quite a hidden camera show, the programme could almost be mistaken for a generic scripted series about getting to know people over a few drinks. But it's not, it's real. Or, well, it's as real as we're led to believe. Each episode follows one person as they go on five blind dates in the same restaurant, the same bar, and the same cab home - if the date gets that far. The dinners are edited in such a way to appear as if it's the same date, beginning from the casts' first meeting in the bar to their eventually goodbyes later that night. At the end of the episode, whoever's doing the dating picks one person to go on a coveted second date with. The whole thing is essentially a competition for a few follow up drinks, a hike, or as some of the episodes seem to suggest, a bit of a stroll around the city. It's all quite wholesome, for the most part. If not incredibly cringey, intense, and a bit hard to watch. But mostly it's wholesome, kind of. Season two of Dating Around dropped earlier this year, and although the concept is very much the same, the daters are a lot more curious. Where the editing is still very much impressive, this time around the cast have a lot more to them. Their personalities change between dates, accurately depicting how each and every one of us is guilty of acting differently around those we want to impress - whether we're being filmed or not. A decent watch sure, if you've very little else to be doing. Dating Around is streaming on Netflix now.