Dating Around represents a dramatic mood shift for the dating reality show genre

TheWrap

"Reality television editing has a bad reputation," says Amanda Hess. "It is the nefarious tool that carves regular people into villains and fools. (One Bachelor in Paradise contestant was edited to look as if she spoke to raccoons.) If the editing of Dating Around is manipulative, it is a constructive kind of interference. Its montage technique injects mystery into an otherwise rote exercise. Though our daters are often following the same lines of questioning — where are you from, what do you do, what do you want? — the edit destabilizes our perspective, so that we never know exactly who is on the other end of the conversation at any given moment. This converts the mildest of emotions into suspense: When a dater looks smitten or miffed, we hold our breath until we discover who produced the feeling. Dating Around has an eye for romance, and not just because it lingers on its daters’ coy glances. It zooms in on the most optimistic moment in a relationship (you met someone you might actually like!) and cuts away before the letdown (nevermind, he’s terrible!)." ALSO: A Dating Around alum says the show's creator did try to "steer (the date) when the ship was off course."