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Auditions: If You Are The One

If you can speak fluent Mandarin, love may await you on China's cult dating show -now looking for Aussie entrants.

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Here’s a first. SBS 2 is calling for contestants to compete in cult Chinese dating show If You Are The One.

The quirky show, based on the format Taken Out previously seen in Australia on TEN, is known for its unusual cultural questions, such as honouring parents, academic achievements and unusual hobbies.

But it’s no cult in China, seen by 50 million viewers.

However, the contestant entry criteria is very specific. While entrants do not need to be an Australian resident, they must be able to speak fluent Mandarin, and be aged a minimum of 22 years.

The episodes, to be filmed in Nanjing, China, in December, will also require contestants to contribute half the airfare (accommodation and food for 3-4 days will be covered).

Are you terrified you’re going to die alone? Do you worry that no one will love you – ever? Are you sick of cooking for one? In a network first, SBS 2 is giving Australians the chance to find their soul mate and be a contestant on the world’s biggest dating show. If You Are the One and SBS 2 are inviting single Australians to take part in the filming of two Australian specials filmed in both Australia and Nanjing, China.

With a viewing audience of up to 50 million people per episode, If You Are The One is a popular Chinese dating show and a cultural phenomenon. A lone male suitor has to impress a panel of 24 single women, who can then register their interest or disinterest in the man through the use of their podium lights. Popular host and ringmaster extraordinaire Meng Fei oversees the action (and offers contestants blunt dating advice) in front of a large studio audience.

Ever since the series hit Australian screens in 2013, If You Are The One has developed a mass cult following proving popular with local audiences for its earnestness and the contestants’ business-like approach to finding their life partners.

Potential contestants must be willing to bare it all, from break-up histories and dating criteria, to their potential partner’s income expectations and favourite body part on the opposite sex.

Love doesn’t (usually) care which country you’re from, but all entrants must be living in Australia and are required to speak fluent Mandarin.

A lengthy application form is available at www.sbs.com.au/iyato

New episodes air on SBS 2 at 7:30pm every Saturday and Sunday, with repeats every weeknight at 6.30pm.

6 Responses

  1. My teens binge on this, and they’ve no Chinese ancestry. They find it “interesting”. At the same time they find “The Bachelor” and its female clone “ridiculous, fake, crap…”and other descriptions unprintable.
    I can hear the frustrations now – “they must be able to speak fluent Mandarin”.
    “Tyffanie, where is Mandarin? I’ve heard of mandarines but where’s Mandarin?”.
    “Donno. Maybe near OC, you know, like, near Orange County?”.

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