HRTV To Spark ‘Love At Harvard’

Dating at Harvard can be bleak, but the creators of an upcoming reality tv show are hoping to provide a spark of hope.

The new show, “Love @ Harvard” produced by Harvard-Radcliffe Television is the brainchild of Executive Producer Emma R. Coleman ’09 and will bring together eligible bachelors and bachelorettes in a style reminiscent of the ABC 1960s show “The Dating Game.”

“Love @ Harvard,” which Coleman hopes to launch in November, is based on the previous HRTV production, “Harvard Hookups,” which folded in 2006. She began working on revamping the show at the beginning of this school year.

“The goal of the show is to highlight how much fun Harvard students are. We would love to promote dating on campus,” she said.

On the show, one bachelor or bachelorette will choose a date from a panel of three single students. In the first round, the bachelor will ask an open-ended question, after which one competitor will be eliminated. The second round will consist of a set of “either/or” questions, Coleman said, after which the student asking questions will eliminate one contestant and go on a date with the remaining contestant.

“You could find love in an hour,” Coleman said.

The show is still seeking a host, someone who, according to Coleman, “is outgoing and excited, funny, and just wants to have a good time.” Host auditions will be held this weekend and next, while contestant applications will be accepted throughout the year.

“We’re looking for people who are single and are looking for soulmates,” said Sanyee Yuan ’12, a writer and publicist for the show,

The time commitment for contestants is low, Coleman said. Filming will last about one hour and each episode, which will be posted online at HRTV’s Web site, will last ten to fifteen minutes.

According to HRTV Co-President Derek M. Flanzraich ’10, “Love @ Harvard” is part of greater changes at HRTV which is seeking to show a larger number of entertainment shows. HRTV already produces several shows, including the college soap opera “Ivory Tower” and the satire “On Harvard Time.”

Explaining this shift at HRTV, Flanzraich said, “It has new leadership, and we have a new focus, and it’s an exciting time for HRTV.”

“Love @ Harvard” is one of three or four new productions this year, Flanzraich said, adding the he thinks “it has awesome potential.”

“Dating and love life is one of those things Harvard is not always associated with. It’s a fun way to satirize that,” Flanzraich said.

Many students are optimistic about the success of “Love @ Harvard,” Yuan said.

While Yuan said she had heard from upperclassmen who felt pessimistic about Harvard’s dating scene, she said she was interested to see how a Harvard reality show would work out.

“If we are able to inspire any happy endings,” Yuan said, “we would feel very good about ourselves and about advancing love lives of Harvard students.”