ABC has ordered a new reality show from Endemol that serves up dates on a conveyor belt.
In "Conveyor Belt of Love," 30 men are rolled out before a panel of five women and given one minute to make a positive impression.
The show has been ordered as a special that will follow the season premiere of "The Bachelor: On the Wings of Love" on Jan. 4, but more episodes may be ordered depending on the special's performance.
Here's how the format works:
"If a woman is interested in someone, that man will step aside and wait as the rest of the men go by. But if another man comes by on the belt that seems better than that woman’s first choice, she can swap out the man waiting off of the belt as many times as she wants until the last man has passed by. If two or more of the women are interested in the same man, the tables turn and the man on the conveyor belt gets to choose which one he would like to wait for. After all 30 men have made it through the 'Conveyor Belt of Love,' each woman is left with her final choice as they embark on a date in the hope of finding a true connection."
The series is produced by Endemol ("Big Brother," "Wipeout") and executive produced by Tom Shelly ("Dating in the Dark," "Survivor") and Alex Duda.
With every new season of The Bachelor or The Bachelorette, I find myself wondering why people would want to subject themselves to the kind of anxiety and potential rejection that can come from dating on camera.
It seems ABC has found a new way to showcase (or exploit… however you want to look at it) the search for love. Following Monday night’s season premiere of The Bachelor, ABC will premiere the one-hour special, Conveyor Belt of Love. And yes, the title pretty much sums up exactly what this show is about. Five women will get the chance to browse thirty men presented to them on a conveyor belt. Video clips and a full description of the special ahead!
ABC has this listed as a special, so this is just a one-shot deal (for now anyway), which will premiere after The Bachelor: On the Wings of Love's season premiere. Below is ABC’s description of the special, including how the game will work. Further down are a couple of video clips.
Following the season premiere of "The Bachelor: On the Wings of Love," five women take a shot at finding love when 30 men are given the chance to impress them as they pass by on a moving conveyor belt, on Conveyor Belt of Love, MONDAY, JANUARY 4 (10:00-11:00 p.m., ET), on the ABC Television Network.
In this hilarious and fast-paced one-hour special, one by one the 30 men are presented on the "Conveyor Belt of Love" to the five women and given 60 seconds to impress them. If a woman is interested in someone, that man will step aside and wait as the rest of the men go by. But if another man comes by on the belt who seems better than that woman's first choice, she can swap out the man waiting off of the belt as many times as she wants until the last man has passed by. If two or more of the women are interested in the same man, the tables turn and the man on the conveyor belt gets to choose which one he would like to wait for. After all 30 men have made it through the "Conveyor Belt of Love," each woman is left with her final choice as she embarks on a date in the hope of finding a true connection. Will these five women be happy with their choices?
My own opinions of dating-reality-shows aside, it seems like the people involved in this show are there to have some fun and a few laughs. The Chris Farley guy seems sweet enough.
Yes, really. ABC is airing a show called "Conveyor Belt of Love" on Jan. 4, right after the premiere of "The Bachelor."
And if you're wondering what a show called "Conveyor Belt of Love" would entail, well, the title succinctly and depressingly pretty well says it all. From the network's press release: "One by one ... 30 men are presented on the 'Conveyor Belt of Love' to ... five women and given 60 seconds to impress them. If a woman is interested in someone, that man will step aside and wait as the rest of the men go by."
The network also promises that the show, a one-off thing ABC is throwing up against FOX's broadcast of the Fiesta Bowl, is "hilarious and fast-paced" and will help the five women find "a true connection." Because machinery-assisted speed-dating is such a tried and true method of matchmaking.
So the way it works is, the women will watch the guys roll past and pick out someone who seems interesting. If another guy comes along who appeals to her more, a woman can swap her guy for the new one. If more than one woman picks the same man, he gets decide who wins.
At the end of the show, the five couples go on a date and the other 25 guys presumably begin a life of denying they were ever on a show called "Conveyor Belt of Love."
Tom Shelly and Endemol USA, who produced "Dating in the Dark" for ABC last summer
After ABC’s new ‘Bachelor’ takes flight tonight, stay tuned for a dating show that really keeps things moving. Literally. Premiering at 10/9c, ‘Conveyor Belt of Love’ parades 30 eligible gents in front of a panel of hot-to-date females. Sliding out one by one, each guy has 60 seconds to catch a lady’s eye. If so, he gets set aside; if not, he moves right along… on a giant conveyor belt. Fancast invited Emmy-winning executive producer Tom Shelly (’Survivor’) to share the secrets behind this far-out one-time special.
‘Conveyor Belt of Love‘ – really?
Yeah, ‘Conveyor Belt of Love’ is exactly what the title says. We thought about doing ‘Trap Door of Love,’ but…. No, I’m kidding.
Actually, you totally stole my idea! I Tweeted that the next logical step would seem to be a show called ‘Shallow Guys, Judgy Women and a Trap Door in the Floor.’
What’s great about our show is that it doesn’t take itself too seriously. And seeing the power shift from guys going up and asking women on dates to women getting to sit back and watch these guys roll out one at a time and deciding whether they’re interested is just a fun twist on speed dating.
OK, burning question No. 1: Is it an actual conveyor belt?
It’s an actual conveyor belt. In fact, one of the first production issues was, “Where do we find a conveyor belt that’s big enough to carry guys on and off the stage?” Luckily, we found one.
Can it run at treadmill-like speeds in case, say, the show is running long?
It can, but we wanted to be safe with the guys. [Laughs] But we do zip them on and off. It’s a fast-moving show.
Burning question No. 2: Is there anything a guy is not allowed to do during his 60-second showcase?
We don’t want them doing anything crude or anything, but other than that we pretty much leave it up to their imagination. We’ve got everything from guys singing to reading poetry to doing magic…. It’s pretty funny to see what they come up with under this pressure of having 60 seconds to impress these beautiful girls.
If two women want the same guy, he gets to choose the one he goes with. Do the ladies then get to do anything to make their own case?
The guy can question the girls, if he wants to. Similarly, if a girl picks a guy and sets him off to the side and a “better” guy comes along and she chooses him, that first guy can speak up and say, “Wait a minute! Why did you change your mind?”
As absurd as this all sounds, one reality TV vet I spoke to said ‘Conveyor Belt of Love’ actually isn’t that far off from the likes of ‘The Dating Game’ or ‘Love Connection.’
Like I said, what’s fun about this is it transfers the power to the women, and it’s a fun way to present these guys. It’s like a sushi bar, where the sushi comes down the little belt and you get to pick.
Every now and then, a reality show comes along that makes me wonder, "what was the guy who came up with this one sipping that day?" Conveyor Belt of Love is one of those shows. Here's the Conveyor Belt of Love description from ABC:
"Five women take a shot at finding love when 30 men are given the chance to impress them as they pass by on a moving conveyor belt...one by one the 30 men are presented on the 'Conveyor Belt of Love' to the five women and given 60 seconds to impress them. If a woman is interested in someone, that man will step aside and wait as the rest of the men go by. But if another man comes by on the belt who seems better than that woman's first choice, she can swap out the man waiting off of the belt as many times as she wants until the last man has passed by."
The show ends with the women going on dates with the their conveyor belt picks. Um...how romantic?
Conveyor Belt of Love sounds ridiculous, but what do you think of the show after watching ABC's one hour special on Monday night? Did you love it or hate it?
Depending on the show's performance in the ratings, ABC might order up some more episodes in the coming months.
With every new season of The Bachelor or The Bachelorette, I find myself wondering why people would want to subject themselves to the kind of anxiety and potential rejection that can come from dating on camera. 
