Format
The contestant (sometimes female, but usually male) meet their four dates one by one, and then give their first impression in a confessional-style cut scene. The other four contestants then size each other up along with the contestant within their own confessional scenes.
The group of five is cut one-by-one each round and in each round the group usually goes to a different place. The show starts out in the late afternoon at a public place (e.g. a city park or restaurant). Then, when there are only two suitors left, the setting moves to a hot tub or VIP area of a club where different sexual actions are apt to happen.
Typically, the contestants are very competitive and direct insulting comments towards one another many times during an episode. There are rare cases of fighting, but "catty" bickering is the major draw of the show. The extremity of some of the cattiness suggests handling and line-feeding from producers, and contestants respond in to these situations in interview sequences filmed after the fact. Most eliminations are preceded by some variation of the phrase I liked everybody but unfortunately the name of the game is 'elimiDATE', so I have to make a cut. So I decided to cut.... Contestants who are cut have the opportunity to react to their dismissal. Many eliminated contestants, who are often visibly intoxicated, insult the contestant who eliminated them, claiming He/she wasn't my type, anyway. Although the four suitors usually compete intensely for the main contestant, there was at least one instance in which two females suitors left with each other because they were so disgusted with the male contestant.
Initially, episodes rotated between Los Angeles, Miami, and New York City, but the popularity of the program encouraged the producers to film episodes in other cities. Episodes were filmed in over three dozen cities, including Baltimore, Chicago, Columbus, Little Rock, St. Paul, Jacksonville, Phoenix, Raleigh and Sacramento, and the syndicators usually received strong support from their affiliate stations to find contestants for the series within their cities through casting calls.
Read more about this topic: Elimi Date