Featured Image Credit: TikTok/@Benexall
Topics: First Dates, Channel 4, TV and Film
Tom Fenton
A TikTok user has uploaded his experience of being a 'background dater' on the hit Channel 4 show First Dates, exposing one of the series' big secrets.
The now-viral video, uploaded by @Benexall, has been viewed more than 200,000 times since first being shared last month.
In it, we see Ben alongside his date partner for the evening, sitting in the famed restaurant for an episode of Teen First Dates.
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However, after briefly showing himself sipping from his drink, the camera pans to show another couple seated at the next table across.
The caption then reads 'not a real date', seemingly revealing what many have long suspected – that those who are appearing in the background during a recording of the show aren't actually on dates themselves.
It's a fascinating insight into the way the show is shot, which sets out to be an entirely realistic portrayal of authentic first dates between two strangers.
Over the years, we've seen plenty of other people who have appeared on the show revealing some of its secrets to the wider world.
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Just last month in fact, model Steffen-Pierre Tomlin, who appeared on the pilot series of the show, revealed why the bill is so often split.
In an interview with The Sun, he claimed that that the show gives just £25 each towards the cost of the bill, meaning the couples are left to cough up most of the cost.
And the swish restaurant isn’t cheap, either – at the Paternoster Chop House, a cheeseburger costs £17 and a portion of triple-cooked chips costs a fiver, while 21-day dry aged fillet steak will set you back £39.
The teen version of the show, which TikTok user Ben appeared on, was first introduced last year, and features dates between 16-19 year olds.
It returned for a second season back in February, building on the well-established success of the original series, which was first shown on Channel 4 almost a decade ago.
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Ben's original TikTok certainly caused some confusion on the popular social media app. Some users thought he was labelling all dates on the show as fake, rather than just the background dates as was intended.
"What so it's not really dates?", one person wrote, while another added, "Wait so the people in the back aren't actually on dates?"
This led to one user replying with: "Ppl in the background aren't on real dates but the main ppl in the show are."
LADbible has reached out to Channel 4 for comment on the 'background daters'.