UpDATING

Where Live Comedy Meets Blind Dating

By Harrison Fornan

When I started a comedy blog back in 2017, I had no idea where it would take me or just how far it would go. I was 26, single, living in San Francisco with a great job at Facebook, and like most people, I was also looking for companionship. It’s no secret the pandemic made nearly everything more complex, including dating—even before coronavirus, dating was never easy to navigate.

The awful dates I’ve been on could fill this entire magazine. So, on one date already going down the drain, I decided to stream it live with permission, of course. It just took off; I had no idea people would be interested in my dating life. Soon I was giving halftime reports and running to the bathroom in the middle of a date to ask my growing virtual audience questions like: “My date just ordered a scorpion bowl. For herself. Is that weird?”

CREATING A NEW WAY OF DATING
That’s when Brandon Berman contacted me and eventually became my co-producer and partner in UpDating. While I was exposing my dating life to the Internet, Brandon was in New York, spending nights performing standup and mornings as an intern at The Howard Stern Show. Then, a mutual colleague connected us. Despite being on opposite ends of the country, we became friends and set out to create a show that fuses dating and comedy unlike anything seen before.

In February of 2018, Brandon was having dinner with friends, and in true form, providing mock commentary about a date at a nearby table when it dawned on him: dates in front of a live audience. Before I knew it, I was on a plane, making a big move to New York City to bring the UpDating show to life.

We knew we wanted to use comedy to showcase brutally honest dating moments, and audience participation would make Updating a hit. But we needed a twist to tap into the awkwardness of first dates. It came to us while watching old episodes of The Dating Show, a long-running series that inspired shows like The Bachelor and Temptation Island. Let’s blindfold the daters, so they must make a connection having no idea what the other person looked like.

UP CLOSE & PERSONAL
That winter, 30 people attended our first show at a taqueria in Tribeca. When an audience member crashed a date and two singles shared a blindfolded kiss, the crowd went wild, and many asked about the next show date. It was then we knew UpDating could become a nationally recognized live dating show.

After three years and 80+ shows, we are selling out venues with crowds of 200+ people. What attracts people to UpDating is the unfiltered and unpredictable moments that happen. No two shows are the same—from audience members crashing dates to the mother of one dater pulling her daughter off stage before the blindfolds were removed.

People often ask us to describe a typical dater we would cast on the show. The truth is, with UpDating, typical is not in our vocabulary, and that is the beauty of our show. Instead, we cast everyday New Yorkers who are open-minded and ready to try something new. Our goal with UpDating has been to bring comedy and authenticity into the world of modern dating, and it has turned into something relatable and entertaining that Brandon and I can’t wait to grow.

For more information on UpDating, visit updatingshow.com