Best Friend's Date

Best Friend's Date is an American reality-drama television series. It aired on the Noggin channel as part of its nighttime programming block for teens, The N. In each episode, a teenager goes on a blind date with someone chosen by his or her best friend. The show was hosted by Tika Sumpter and Nick Slatkin. It was filmed from July to August 2004.

Best Friend's Date
GenreReality
Directed byBrian Crance
Presented by
Music byDerek McKeith
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes12[1]
Production
Producers
  • Rick de Oliveira
  • Adam Tobin
Editors
  • Scott Teti
  • Dave Wilson
Camera setupVideotape; Multi-camera
Running time22 minutes
Production companyDe Oliveira Entertainment Group
Release
Original networkThe N (Noggin)
Original releaseDecember 3, 2004 (2004-12-03)[2] –
February 11, 2005 (2005-02-11)[3]

The show ran for one season of 12 episodes. It premiered on December 3, 2004, and aired its last episode on February 11, 2005. The show is notable for launching Tika Sumpter's career[4] and for featuring an entire episode, "The Boys' Night Out Date," about a gay relationship. Most episodes featured groups of teenage friends from Los Angeles, while the final two episodes included guest appearances by Drake, Ali Mukaddam, and Stacey Farber.

Format

The show is based on the premise that people's best friends probably know them better than they know themselves. Each episode has a teenager's best friend screen and select their perfect blind date. Their compatibility is tested as cameras accompany each date to find out whether the result is "magic or tragic." Roger Catlin of the Hartford Courant likened the show's format to a "less perverse" version of Date My Mom.[5]

The episodes start with a best friend selecting a date for their friend from a pool of four candidates. After they put each prospective date through rounds of interviews and challenges, the choice is made. Next, the best friend introduces their choice to their friend and their friend's parents. The young provisional couple must then cope with first date jitters and a variety of surprise curveballs that the show throws at them, like singing karaoke on street corners or bowling while handcuffed together. Each date ends with a deciding moment where each dater must decide whether it is a budding romance, a mutual "no thanks," or a heartbreaking rejection.[6]

History

Noggin LLC first trademarked the show's name and format on June 15, 2004.[7] The show was officially announced to be greenlit by The Hollywood Reporter on July 13, 2004.[1] It was shot on location in Los Angeles from July 24, 2004, through the end of August. The first episode premiered on December 3, 2004, and new episodes aired until February 11, 2005. The soundtrack for the show was composed by Derek McKeith.[8]

The first ten episodes are self-contained stories, and the last two episodes make up an hour-long special. The special expands on the usual format by holding two dates (a double date) involving two celebrities: Drake (Aubrey Graham) and Ali Mukaddam. The finale aired on February 11, 2005, at 9:30 PM. An encore showing was played on February 13.[9] A week before the finale aired, Multichannel News listed Best Friend's Date as one of the shows that helped to increase Noggin's ratings during its The N block by 15% by the end of 2004.[10]

Cast

Episodes

Noggin aired the episodes slightly out of production order. It featured an episode guide on its The N website.

No.TitleOriginal air date [11]
1[11]"The Young Hollywood Date"December 10, 2004 (2004-12-10)[12]
Jessica makes a group of boys walk on a runway in order to earn a Hollywood date with her friend Jennie.
2[11]"The Santa Monica Pier Date"December 17, 2004 (2004-12-17)[13]
Julie has had a tough year romantically, so best friend Lindsay needs to pick a date carefully to help heal Julie's heart.
3[11]"The Player's Date"December 3, 2004 (2004-12-03)[14]
Sarah is tough on the girls who are interested in dating her friend, 18-year-old LeAndre. The four hopeful teens make mix CDs and show off their best dance moves to score a date with LeAndre, who, along with the winner, is treated to a fun-filled day at a nearby theme park.
4[11]"The Love Songs Date"January 21, 2005 (2005-01-21)[3]
Emily makes prospective dates shout out why they should date her cheerleader best friend, Nicole.
5[11]"The Surfer Boy's Date"January 7, 2005 (2005-01-07)[3]
While picking a girl for his best friend Shelby, obnoxious surfer-boy Zack grates on the contestants' nerves.
6[11]"The 'Sister Knows Best?' Date"December 28, 2004 (2004-12-28)[3]
Ashley's younger sister, Sierra, likes bad boys and typically chooses them for dates. When Ashley gets the chance to choose a date for Sierra, she tries her best to pick someone nice.
7[11]"The Boys' Night Out Date"January 14, 2005 (2005-01-14)[3]
Allison tries to pick the right guy for her gay best friend Alan.
8[11]"The Karma Date"January 28, 2005 (2005-01-28)[3]
Dejon chooses a date for her 19-year-old deejay friend, but it turns out that he and the girl already know each other. This leads to some awkward conversation during their date at a popular Los Angeles radio station.
9[11]"The OC Date"December 30, 2004 (2004-12-30)[3]
After breaking her best friend Daniel's heart, Lily tries to mend it by picking the right girl in Orange County to go out with Daniel.
10[11]"The Shoot for Love Date"February 4, 2005 (2005-02-04)[3]
Erin has a group of boys show off their basketball skills to win a date with her best friend Asia.
11[11]"The Celebrity Double Date" (Part 1)February 11, 2005 (2005-02-11)[3]
In the first installment of a two-part special, Aubrey Drake Graham gets help from his co-star Stacey Farber to find a date and visit Los Angeles hotspots.
12[11]"The Celebrity Double Date" (Part 2)February 11, 2005 (2005-02-11)[3]
In the follow-up to the previous part, Stacey Farber gives dating advice to Ali Mukaddam.

References
  1. "Kids unscripted series has 'Date' with N channel". The Hollywood Reporter. July 13, 2004. Twelve episodes of the half-hour dating series Best Friend's Date were ordered.
  2. "Children's cable channels aim to entertain teens, preschoolers: New spinoff networks offer other options". The Burlington Free Press. Gannett. October 2, 2004 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. "Best Friend's Date on TV Guide". TV Guide. CBS Interactive. 2005.
  4. "Tika Sumpter: Not leaving!". She Knows. SHE Media. 6 September 2007.
  5. Catlin, Roger (December 3, 2004). "Reality shows aren't just for grown-ups anymore". Hartford Courant. Tribune Publishing.
  6. "No chance of romance in Noggin's teen dating show". The Dallas Morning News. A. H. Belo. November 28, 2004.
  7. "Best Friend's Date – Trademarkia". Viacom International. June 15, 2004. Entertainment services in the nature of an on-going reality-based television series wherein a teen's best friend chooses her date – featuring live action, comedy, drama
  8. McKeith, Derek (2020). "Discography: Derek McKeith". Best Friends Date (Nickelodeon/ Noggin) – 2004
  9. "Sunday Late Night: February 13, 2005". Reno Gazette-Journal. Gannett. February 13, 2005 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. Reynolds, Mike (February 7, 2005). "On a growth spurt with teens and tots". Multichannel News.
  11. "Best Friend's Date Episode Guide". Noggin. Viacom. 2005. Archived from the original on April 13, 2005.
  12. "Noggin's The N TV Schedule: December 10, 2004". Noggin's The N. Viacom. 2004. Archived from the original on November 26, 2004. Retrieved May 28, 2021.
  13. "Noggin's The N TV Schedule: December 17, 2004". Noggin's The N. Viacom. 2004. Archived from the original on December 12, 2004. Retrieved May 28, 2021.
  14. "Noggin's The N TV Schedule: December 3, 2004". Noggin's The N. Viacom. 2004. Archived from the original on November 25, 2004. Retrieved May 28, 2021.
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