A typical blind date involves Person A coordinating a get-together for Persons B and C. Often this is a "fire and forget" process, except of course afterward Person A wants to hear both sides of how the date went. In this particular scenario, Person A needs to be present when Persons B and C show up for the date, and it is important that they do not encounter each other before they encounter Person A.

That's because Person A blindfolds them thoroughly before letting them get close to each other.

Now imagine a restaurant that caters to double-blind dates (yes, I know I'm abusing the standard definition of "double-blind" here). The wait staff would carefully escort the couple to a table; the menu would have to be presented verbally, and so on. Some initial guidance in eating might be necessary (although with practice, as proved by many actually-blind people, this would only be temporary).

During a double-blind date, you would only be able to form an impression about the other person based on what is said and how it is said. Yes, this might be a trap by Person A, to get you interested in someone you might otherwise not consider dating. So? Are we taught to not judge a book by its cover? Here's your chance to try it!

Hmmm...I wonder if this would work as a TV reality show?
-- Vernon, Jan 20 2009

You'd want this then My_20Voiceover_20Guy_2fGirl
[FlyingToaster, Jan 20 2009]

Real blind dates (2001) Real_20blind_20dates
futurebird's original version of this idea. [jutta, Jan 22 2009]

Probably it would, but I'm not a good judge of such things, being deliberately off the television grid.
-- normzone, Jan 20 2009


I've been away for a while and come back to find this - an idea by Vernon which takes less than 30 seconds to read!

Who are you, and what have you done with the real Vernon?

Suggestion: Instead of blindfolds, have the table set up with a thin barrier (rice paper or similar) between the participants, possibly lit such that they can each see the other's profile, but nothing else.

BTW...I'd love to see this made into a reality show.
-- Freefall, Jan 21 2009


+ I like it and think it would be a great tv show.
-- xandram, Jan 21 2009


A 'blind' trial is one in which the experimental subjects don't know whether they're getting the medicine or the placebo. A 'double-blind' trial is one where the experimenter also does not know who is getting the medicine or the placebo. So, in this case, a truly 'double-blind' dating experiment would require A to send all their single friends on blind dates but with the invitations mixed up by an independent third party so that A does not know who got set up with who. Then, later, A should hear back from friends B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, K, etc. about how their dates went, make a judgement about how succesful each date was and then reveal the pairings which would show whether A's a priori assessment of each person's compatibility with each other was correct.

Anyway, nice idea.
-- hippo, Jan 22 2009


[hippo], yes, I did say in the main text that I knew I was abusing the standard meaning of the phrase here.
-- Vernon, Jan 22 2009


[jutta], thanks for the link. If only the word "blindfold" had been mentioned in that Idea, I would have found it in my searching and not have posted this.
-- Vernon, Jan 22 2009



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