The popular ITV gameshow “Take Me Out” was recreated at the Lincoln Performing Arts Centre on Friday, February 15th, 2013, as 27 single ladies and seven single men were hoping to bag themselves a date.
The night was held in aid of St Barnabas Lincolnshire Hospice, with Nando’s Lincoln offering successful matches a meal in their restaurant.
Filling the shoes of the programme’s host Paddy McGuiness was DJ Flip, who kept the proceedings going by providing banter with the ladies and the audience.
The first hopeful trying to bag himself a date was Dan Sam, who impressed the girls with his dancing to “Gangnam Style”, his press-up claps and his moonwalking. Sam managed to wow one lady, as he earned a trip to Nando’s.
Rather than turning off lights, the ladies popped balloons if the man didn’t take their fancy. Unfortunately for 43-year-old Jasper, his pool and juggling skills were greeted to a blackout from the remaining girls. Nevertheless, it wasn’t all doom and gloom for Jasper as he received a hug from the Nando’s chicken before he left the stage.
The third contestant of the night was University of Lincoln student Dan Baker, whose impressions and dancing weren’t enough to earn a date. This meant that only one match had been made as the night went into the interval.
After the break, 18-year-old Conor was next to take to the stage in search of a date. The teenager wowed the single women with his guitar-playing skills and even earned himself a meal at Nando’s.
The fifth contestant was freelance journalist JJ, who greeted each of the single ladies in turning, handing them a chocolate each. However, his dancing to Michael Buble’s “Just Haven’t Met You Yet” wasn’t enough to bag himself a date, as he too received a hug from the eight foot chicken.
The evening’s final contestants were friends Danny and Danny. A projected video showed one of their granddads telling embarrassing stories about their past. The pair then played Enrique Iglesias’ “Hero” with one Danny taking to the guitar, and the other taking to the triangle.
Surprisingly enough, this was enough for them to earn themselves a double date – the perfect end to the night.
Speaking about the event, events fundraiser Becky Otter said: “The event was full of love and laughter. Take Me Out was a roaring success raising over £3,000 for our hospice, which will buy a hospital bed frame for our patients.
“Take Me Out was thoroughly enjoyed by all the contestants and the 300 plus lively crowd. A big thank you to all involved including Nando’s Lincoln, Zanzas Style Lounge and DJ Flipstones. Look out for Take Me Out 2014.”