First dates can be awkward enough when nobody's looking (Blind dates? Potentially even more cringe-worthy!).
So just imagine what it'd be like to dip your toe into the love pond on national TV—while a presiding team of funny people narrates the whole thing. That pretty much sums up the premise for Dating #NoFilter, a brand-new reality series that sees seven comics putting a modern spin on the traditional concept of "kiss and tell."
Over the course of five weeks, comedians Zach Noe Towers, Rocky Dale Davis, Kelsey Darragh, Cara Connors, Ben Bizuneh, Ben Evans and Nightly Pop's Nina Parker will join audiences in witnessing some exceedingly amusing first-time romantic rendezvous, for better or worse.
Starting Monday, Jan. 21, the group will convene four nights a week to dole out quips, critiques and commentaries while a lineup of hopeful singles try their hands at blind dating. "Armed with wine, popcorn, and astute observations, they will offer hilarious commentary as our daters navigate the thrills and awkward drama in their quest for love," said Amy Introcaso-Davis, EVP of Development and Production at E!, in a statement.
Want to know more about these slapstick love gurus ahead of Dating #NoFilter's upcoming series premiere? Learn a little bit about each comedian below.
Nina is the co-host of E!'s Nightly Pop and an E! News correspondent who can be seen appearing on E!'s Daily Pop, E! News, Live From E! on Facebook and E! Live from the Red Carpet. Parker began her career working at a local NBC news affiliate in San Francisco before moving to Los Angeles where she assisted with the growth of TMZ, serving as talent, producer and weekend manager of the website turned television show. Nina has served as an entertainment news correspondent for The Insider on CBS and as the host of the reunion shows for VH1's top rated franchise Love and Hip Hop. Parker has made numerous television appearances as a pop culture expert on popular shows such as The Wendy Williams Show and The Talk and as a contributor and fill in host for Access Live on NBC.
Zach is an LA-based comedian, actor and writer. Zach was recently selected to be a New Face at the prestigious Montreal Just For Laughs Festival 2018 and was one of Time Out magazine's "2018 Comedians to Watch." Zach was the host of the The Elite Daily Show on Verizon's Go90 network for seasons 1-4 and hosts and stars in the feature presentation of Out On Stage, which premiered July 24, 2018. Zach's recent short film Killer Friends (which he directed, wrote and starred in) was screened at many film festivals, both domestically and internationally, and won the overall audience award at Dances With Films.
Cara is an out and proud stand-up comedian on the rise. She is the creator, writer and star of two original digital series for CBC Comedy Cara Cooks and Every BLANK Ever and is a graduate of the Second City Conservatory in Toronto. Other credits include JFL42, Hot Tub with Kurt and Kristen, Winnipeg Comedy Festival, Sirius XM Top Comic, CTV, Tim Sim's Encouragement Award, Chicago Funny Women's Festival, She Devil Comedy Contest NYC, Toronto Sketchfest and CBC's Laugh Out Loud.
Kelsey is a YouTuber, actress and comedian who captured America's attention as a Buzzfeed fan favorite with her popular segment Married vs. Single. Darragh has appeared in a number of other skits on BuzzFeed's channels including "If Netflix And Chill Were Honest," "When You're A Girl Who Loves Food" and "When Drunk Food Is The Best Part of Going Out." Darragh is also the star of the comedy web series Harder Than It Looks.
Monroe is a rising comedy star who mines his laughs from life experiences such as growing up in foster care and bouncing around from one dysfunctional family to another. With a very honest, open approach to storytelling and an engaging personality, Martin effortlessly turns his childhood of hard knock experiences into comedy gold. Monroe made his TV debut in 2014 on the 8th season NBC's Last Comic Standing, where he made it to the top 10. From there he went on to make many more TV appearances such as season 2 of Adam Devine's House Party on Comedy Central, Late Night With Jimmy Fallon, MTV2's Guy Code, MTV2's Joking Off, TRU TV's Comedy KO, and Big Jay Oakerson's WYFD on Seeso.com. He has also had cameos in Aziz Ansari's Master of None on Netflix, The Jim Gaffigan Show on TV land, and Amazon Studios' recent film Late Night.
Shapel is an American comedian who has performed in front of thousands of audiences around the country. In 2019 he was chosen to perform at Comedy Central's festival Clusterfest as part of their "Up Next" series and was also named a "New Face" at the prestigious comedy festival Just for Laughs in Montreal, Canada.
Shapel's unique life experiences (such as being adopted by a Caucasian family at age 15), punk rock mentality and stage presence make for a truly original voice in the community. Born and raised in Mesa, Arizona, Shapel found ways to express himself and own his individuality at an early age. Shapel was cheer-leading competitively for University of Louisville when someone dared him to take the stage as a comedian and he never looked back, dropping out shortly thereafter to pursue a career in stand up full-time. Diligence and the desire to grow led him from the Phoenix open mic circuit onto main stages where he regularly performed for comedians such as Bill Burr, Chris D'Elia, Hannibal Buress, Bryan Callen, Frank Caliendo and now regularly in Los Angeles.
Steve is quickly emerging as one of the sharpest young stand-ups in the comedy world. His ability to craft jokes and command the stage has garnered attention in the LA comedy scene, as he was recently passed as the newest paid regular at The World Famous Comedy Store. Furey performs at clubs and festivals all over the country, and has performed with comics such as Nemr, Kyle Kinane, Natasha Leggero, Bobby Lee, Anthony Jeselnik, Ron White and Eddie Pepitone. Steve can also be seen at Follow That!, a monthly show that he runs at The World Famous Comedy Store.