A Take Me Out contestant has opened up about the surprising reality of being on the show - and it turns out that those lucky enough to bag a date on the Isle of Fernando's can't actually eat the food.
John Harris went on the show as a student in 2011 and admits that he only appeared on the show because it 'looked silly and fun' and not to find love.
It was perhaps a good thing that the Scot wasn't looking for anything serious, as he soon discovered that many of the women on the infamous Saturday night dating show were already in relationships.
He said: 'It transpired that loads of the girls were already in relationships. They were looking for a bit of publicity.
'They cast different characters in each episode. They would cast a gentleman, an interesting one, a quirky one, and then another good-looking fellow.'
John also revealed that while the show very much involved putting yourself out there, he wasn't paid a penny for his time and didn't even get to enjoy the seemingly slap-up meal on his date.
The reality TV contestant said filming the show in the studio took 'a good hour' and he had to go up and down in the single man lift a few times 'because they wanted a couple of panning shots'
He added: 'The girls have to keep their decision from the first time you come down.
'It's just industrial and you have to climb up a ladder - it's nothing really. It only becomes glamorous when you see it on the telly.'
His outfit was also a lot less glamorous than it appeared to be, he admitted, and unbelievably he was using sanitary pads in a bid to stop himself sweating so much.
John said: 'I had a grey shirt on and it was warm in there, so I had sanitary pads glued into the armpits of my arm. I was sweaty! I wanted to wear a kilt, but somebody else on the series was wearing one. I took three outfits and the production team said, "Wear that one."'
After being lucky enough to bag a date with single girl Kerry, John was then flown to the Isle of Fernando's the very next day.
The potential lovebirds, however, weren't alone and John explained that the entire series is filmed at once so all matched couples went out at the same time.
But, at the very least, their flights were paid for by ITV and they were given 'a little bit of expenses for food and stuff.'
Unbelievably though, by the time John got to Fernando's - despite only meeting her the day before - he had forgotten his date's name.
He said: 'When we flew out, we went partying. We were young lads, all staying in separate hotels. We just went out and had loads of fun.
'I had to be up at 5am the next morning to film my date - I couldn’t remember the girl’s name!
'We had to play tennis on the date and we had no choice. And then we went out for dinner - but you don’t actually get to eat any of the food. It’s all for display.'
John was true to his intentions of only having fun on the date and said that he thought Kerry 'wanted perhaps something a little more.'
He admitted: 'She was a lovely girl - nothing against it. But I was not the right man for her.'
Unbelievably though, by the time John (not pictured) got to Fernando's - despite only meeting her the day before - he had forgotten his date's name
Reflecting on the experience, John said that he probably should have made a different choice for the sake of better TV viewing.
He joked: 'Do I regret choosing her? No, because she was nice. She was good looking.
'Do I wish I had chosen somebody else for TV purposes? Yes, because there were two twins on the show, and I think it would have been really, really good TV.'
John also praised the show's host Paddy McGuinness for making him and the other contestants feel at ease throughout the process.
The contestant said: 'He was great. He's a make your life easier kind of person. He came and said hello to you before. He was a breath of fresh air.I
'I was only young, and whilst in my head there were delusions of grandeur, I think I thought I was this charismatic young man. I was probably a nervous wreck.
'I remember Paddy being really nice.'
While Take Me Out is no longer available to stream, episodes and clips of the famous dating show can be found on YouTube.