Shipmates

This dating show sets up two people on a blind date on a cruise ship for three days. The editing is humorous but not overdone with jokes. For the most part the lame daters provide more than enough entertainment. The three days are condensed into a half hour psychological experiment. The couples almost always get along well the first day, but later there is often the friction that comes from spending too much time with someone. Chris Hardwick's dead-pan humor is perfect for the show. The show is obviously for entertainment sake, and he doesn't try to take himself or the show too seriously. His humor is witty and not overdone, and he also has the perfect minimal on screen time as the show is not about him but about the lame daters. Thank you Spike TV for running it in syndicate.

This dating show has got to be one of the worst on TV. It is highly predictable. The premise of the show is that they hook up a couple on a blind date & send them on a cruise. Whatever happened to just going for coffee? From there, the date usually starts off with a bang, and the potential couple seem to be in dating bliss. Usually by the 2nd day, the couple are at each other's throats. Where do they get these people from? Every show is the same, the faces may change, but the show doesn't. It would be nice to see a happy couple once in a while. I know the producers of this & other shows think that the viewing public prefer to see dating couples in turmoil, which in turn creates a more entertaining show. Though, fighting couples can be funny, it gets tired when that is all the show is. At least with shows like "Love Connection" in the '80s & new shows like "The 5th Wheel", they mix it up a little & are not so predictable. I thought "Studs" in the '90s was bad, but "Shipmates" takes the award for being one of the worst shows in syndication to date.

I'm a guy, and I'm totally hetero, but I LOVE Chris Hardwick. His witty, insightful commentary MAKES this show. Its the first thing I've ever seen him in, but I want to check out more of his work. I'm sure somebody else could write funny things for a different host, but no delivery could ever reach his level. Often the daters are mismatched, and I suspect that the powers that be do this intentionally, so that when sparks fly, we're there to see the action. What might be neat is if Chris Hardwick ever visited Rendez-View, which is another great show, a lot like this, except the date is critiqued step by step, which is neat. I would love to see an Uber Dating show, where they got everybody together, Greg Proops, Ellen Ladowsky, Chris Hardwick, and Aisha Tyler on ONE SHOW! It would be so sweet. Maybe Adam and Dr Drew could visit once in awhile. Often the daters are shallow and cheap, classless, charicatures of humanity. It's a total blast. If you haven't ever seen this show, or Rendez-View, do yourself a kindness, and check it out, you won't regret it.

The producers of "Shipmates" are absolute geniuses. Or maybe they aren't. Either way, Shipmates is an awesome example of how to produce a dating show. On other similar shows, the "contestants" are set up and filmed over a matter of hours. The difference is that Shipmates takes place over 3 days. It is my contention that NO 2 complete strangers can spend every minute of 3 days together and come out the other side with anything but disdain for each other. This is the brilliance of Shipmates. The couples almost never get along, which leads to endless hilarity. Add to that the wit of Chris Hardwick, and you get a show that, intentionally or not, has my friends and I in hysterics every night. I would argue that the type of person that doesn't enjoy Shipmates is missing out on one of life's great pleasures; laughing at other people's misery.

I like watching this show, as I am getting ready for school at 7:30 in the morning. Yes, it's stupid how whenever a couple doesn't get along, one or both of them is sent to that cheesy club, and is grinding on the dance floor with the first person they meet, someone they describe as "Great!!!!!11!!!" though they are actually just some loser, disgusting beast of a person who wants five seconds of fame. Oh, and also that many pent house models show up on this show, and are often paired up with funny looking men. And that the women always dress slutty (well, duh). And they are all the sort of (boring, yucky) people who would be between the 8-10 average's at hotornot.com. But it is entertaining fluff on half awake senses. And some of the little commentary is quite tactful, and I LIKE Chris Hardwick. Hahahaha. Byeeee!