In the beginning, there was Blind Date. This popular dating show, in case you've never heard of it, started on the 30th November 1985 and continued for another 18 years until host Cilla Black decided to call it a day, the last show transmitted on the 24th May 2003. But what does this have to do with Knightmare, I hear you cry? Well, the show laid dormant until the closing hour of the 10th October 2004.

It began innocently enough with #knightmare member Mashibinbin (aka Robin John Barlow) asking Kieran O'Brien how things were shaping up for his next engagements. Kieran joked that he didn't know who he was getting engaged to- at which point the game was born in Mashibinbin's mind. He set up #blind as a way of finding a date for Kieran, and chatroom members came up with fifty possible names. Kieran was asked to choose a number between 1 & 50, and after choosing number 14 it was revealed that his date was to be...his dad!

A second Blind Date was quickly arranged for Mashibinbin himself, who, when faced with the choice between 1 & 1, picked &. (He would later describe his date as a failure due to the fact she(?) "just always wanted more")

It was on the third and fourth playings, just under two weeks later, when the game was exposed to the masses and became a regular #knightmare fixture. Originally, the contestant simply chose their date and that was that, the date revealed by typing /list and seeing the topic in #blind. On the 4th playing, Drassil suggested the novel idea of choosing some more numbers, to "find out who you turned down". It soon settled into eliminating three dates, followed by the main choice, with the reveal now simply said in the room. Mashibinbin was originally the regular Cilla, but later it depended on who was in the room, with Billy Hicks usually taking the role of Our Graham, the announcer. #blind has been used for all playings except the 4th, when #blind2 was used.

Blind Date's 'imperial phase' in the chatroom lasted from October 2004 to January 2005, during which time it was played on most chatnights. It then continued intermittently until the last known playing on the 6th November 2006. In those two years there were 41 Blind Dates, a list of which follows:

1. Kieran and his Dad (10/10/04)
2. Mashibinbin and & (10/10/04)
3. Lausie and Billy1987-1994 (23/10/04)
4. Pooka and Skarkill (23/10/04)
5. Kinsella and Mortuus47/Kieran (24/10/04)
6. Ringmasterrob and his TV (24/10/04)
7. Ladies Night: Aranel and Lucifer as played by Ned Flanders (30/10/04)
8. Ladies Night: Louise and Dick & Dom (chose Dom) (30/10/04)
9. Ark and Kieran's Dad (31/10/04)
10. Forester and Ah Mok disguised as Hordriss disguised as Mashibinbin (31/10/04)
11. Halloween Special: Drassil and William Hague (31/10/04)
12. Billy1987-1994 and Kieran's Dad (06/11/04)
13. Ringmasterrob and a pint of lager (06/11/04)
14. Brollachan and Lissard (21/11/04)
15. MidnightWolf and Margeret Rutherford (21/11/04)
16. Mog and Snowcat (21/11/04)
17. KM Fan and Sophie Aldred (27/11/04)
18. Aranel and Lord Nagash Fear/Kieran (28/11/04)
19. Darren and the surviving members of the Spice Girls (28/11/04)
20. Louise and Billy/Az (05/12/04)
21. 'Cowgirl' Chloe and Brolly the Kid (12/12/04)
22. 'Deputy' Drassil and Ant/Janet Ellis/David Hasselhoff (12/12/04)
23. Pooka and The Lexicon (01/01/05)
24. MidnightWolf and Jeremy Clarkson (01/01/05)
25. Mashibinbin and Peggy Mitchell (02/01/05)
26. Elita and Elita (09/01/05)
27. Morgaineofevil and Kieran dressed as Morgaine (13/03/05)
28. Sodoto and Keith (24/04/05)
29. Darren and Giles (01/05/05)
30. Becxsmagic and a boy with red hair (23/10/05)
31. Darren and a fish (23/10/05)
32. Halloween Special Part 1: Lewis and a vampire (30/10/05)
33. Halloween Special Part 2: Lord Fear and a bat (31/10/05) (no online log available)
34. Billy1987-1994 and pea soup (25/11/05)
35. Pooka and Bex (25/11/05)
36. Becxsmagic and One of those Boohbah thngs (03/12/05)
37. Caei and Our Graham's SNES (18/12/05)
38. Mashibinbin and Noel Edmonds (07/03/06) (no online log available)
39. Natter and Treguard (29/10/06)
40. Random and Noel Edmonds as Jon Culshaw and Borat (30/10/06)
41. Mog and Rod Hull (05/11/06)

Thanks to Mashibinbin for the original version of the list. Halloween Specials (and in 2006, the Bonfire Night special) are played with 100 names rather than 50, though the 30/10/05 one had to be halted at 61 names due to the contestant needing to leave soon. Names separated with forward slashes indicate when a reselection was made for varying reasons.

(Originally posted on 2004-12-18 07:32:30)

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