Would you go on a blind date in front of a roomful of strangers? That’s the idea behind comedy dating shows, which are suddenly everywhere on festival lineups and comedy club stages across Australia.
For audiences, comedy dating shows offer an easily understandable format with the voyeuristic appeal of reality TV. They’re something different for those looking for laughs and a novel alternative to online dating apps for the intrepid contestants.
Helming one of these shows can also be a boon for the comedian hosts. They can be spontaneous and enjoyable gigs that introduce the comic to a new audience, including those who wouldn’t typically attend a stand-up night, while also giving them the stage to build up new skills like improv, crowd work and emceeing.
We talked to some of the comedians turned onstage matchmakers.
Comedy dating shows – quick links
Sunday Singles: Daniel Delby and Simone Springer
A few years ago, Perth comedians Simone Springer and Daniel Delby were separately travelling down similar roads. Springer was doing her solo show Single at the city’s fringe festival, while Daniel Delby was covering similarly autobiographical territory with his 33 Years Single.
Then, Jack McAllister, founder of Sunday Singles, brought the pair together to host a live dating show.
‘It was funny – the two of us had been on the same galas and line-up shows, but we hadn’t thought of doing a duo,’ Springer explains. ‘But as soon as we got together to write, we churned out 35 pages of ideas in an hour and a half. We went “Oh God, this is going to work!”
‘Five years later, we still love the show.’
Sunday Singles has become a popular event around Australia, hosted by different comics in different cities. The show features a ‘blind date’ on stage: a volunteer bachelor or bachelorette is blindfolded, and the comedians quiz three contestants vying for a date. The bachelor or bachelorette then chooses one of the contestants based on their answers.
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In another section, people in couples can get in on the act, playing wingman in the aptly-named ‘Get Your Mate a Date’. Delby says it’s a show with broad appeal. ‘A lot of people are coming not knowing what to expect and, by chance, they get a pretty fun show.’
Springer says the shows are a hoot even when things don’t go smoothly for the on-stage contestants. She remembers asking one gentleman what he wrote as his bio on his online dating profile. ‘He said “My pronouns are God and King.” Every woman in the room just went eurgh.’
Later, she asked him what the worst thing he had ever done was. ‘He did a big pause and said, “I’m not going to get a date out of this, but I slept with my mate’s grandma.” The whole room went absolutely wild with people screaming and laughing. Delby hung onto a chair, and I literally dropped the mic and walked off stage for comedic effect.’
Springer says hosting such an unpredictable show has sharpened her comic skills. ‘When I first started doing comedy, I used to be so worried I would get distracted and not know what I was saying next, but now the crowd work is so fun and my favourite thing is going down that rabbit hole.’
She adds: ‘No two shows are the same, and we have people who come back over and over again, not just because they’re single, but because you never know what people are going to say next.’
And have any of the contestants found lasting love? ‘We’ve had quite a few,’ says Delby, who also works as a wedding celebrant. ‘But we had one couple from Sunday Singles get married, and they never booked me as the celebrant! I was pretty annoyed.’
Romantic Comedy: Chris Nguyen and Robyn Reynolds
Robyn Reynolds and Chris Nguyen know something about combining dating and comedy. They met as emerging comics in Sydney’s open mic scene, did their first fringe festival show before they started dating, chronicled their relationship on stage and recently got married in Melbourne.
Their 2026 festival show Romantic Comedy, which will be at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival in March and April, covers both the specifics of their relationship and the ups and downs of looking for love in general, blending stand-up with audience games.
One game in the upcoming show is the very much tongue-in-cheek. In ‘Would you leave me for…?’ the audience votes on whether one of the comedians should leave their partner for an audience member.
Reynolds says the stage show is something of an extension of the couple’s home life. ‘We’re literally playing comedy games at home all the time together, it’s actually just improvving,’ she says.
‘That’s vile,’ deadpans Nguyen.
‘No, it’s fun!’ Reynolds says. ‘We thought we’d bring that to the stage. Our background is stand up, so doing improv is a little out of our element, but it should be fun.’
While crowd work is a big part of their show, Reynolds and Nguyen aren’t looking to embarrass audience members. ‘We’re always telling people we want volunteers, we want enthusiastic consent,’ Reynolds says.
‘It’s a weird cultural thing,’ Nguyen adds. ‘Nobody ever wants to sit in the front row; they come to a comedy show expecting to be picked on, but we just hammer home that it’s a safe space.’
Reynolds says it’s crucial to win an audience’s trust before asking them to talk about their personal lives. ‘We’ll have audience games where we’ll ask “Who do you think is better in bed?” and we’ll pause, and everyone tenses up, then we’ll say “Robyn or Chris?” and that really eases the tension. Everyone always says “Robyn” by the way, which is not true!’
Audiences have warmed to their approach. One young couple who took part in an audience game in a previous show even confided to the crowd that they were about to leave the country to get married in secret. ‘They were really, really in love and wanted to elope from their families. They basically spilled all their secrets and said “Don’t tell anyone”. The whole room just erupted.’
Nguyen says there is a simple reason why dating is such rich ground for comedy. ‘It’s so universal and relatable,’ he explains. ‘I would also say most first dates are bad, so there is a lot of material there. Maybe what isn’t so universal, though, and what we’ve tapped into a little bit, is that we’re a happy couple. A lot of stand up in the past has been about ragging on your partner, but we don’t do any of that.’
Reynolds says sometimes punters are pleasantly surprised by the warm vibes. ‘We always get messages after like “That was fun and actually really nice,” and that’s been lovely.’
Standout Comedy: Reece Boyall
Sporting a white satin robe, halo and angel wings, Reece Boyall plays cupid at Standout Comedy’s monthly dating show, quizzing three onstage singles who are interested in dating the main contestant, who is cordoned off. The event started as a night for singles to meet but has since evolved into what Boyall describes as ‘reality TV live’ – and it’s proved a hit.
There is a twist to get the whole audience involved – everyone gets green and red flags to wave at the onstage answers and help the main contestant decide who to date.
‘That’s our big differentiator,’ says Boyall. ‘I want to give everyone a voice without them being too vocal. Normally, at stand-up, we say “Be respectful and don’t heckle” but we’ve had crowds cheer like crazy or fully boo. My comedian mate said it had “colosseum energy” and that describes it really well.’
Boyall, who also hosts and produces line-up comedy nights at Sydney’s Chippendale Hotel, estimates that 70% of the crowd haven’t been to see live comedy before.
‘I’d love everyone to experience both because they are vastly different,’ he says. ‘Stand up is a lot more structured and skill-based, while [hosting] this is its own skill, mostly improv. The foundations of the show are on point, but the questions are very silly, though what I like about the show is that there is a lot of depth to it.’
Last month, the night held its first event with gay men contestants. ‘That was phenomenal, such great energy,’ Boyall says. ‘It was a bit trickier getting gay guys up on stage, I think, because it was a new environment. Getting men on stage is generally a lot harder. I think the vulnerability and notoriety of being on stage can seem daunting.’
As he’s developed and fine-tuned the show, Boyall has realised that it’s vital for the contestants to trust him as host. He’ll chat with them on FaceTime before the show to build rapport and outline his approach.
‘I always say “I make fun of the things that we say, not the people we are”. Probably the nicest compliment I’ve ever received from the show was a guy who said, “I had the best time. It really felt like you had our backs, physically and spiritually”.’
Boyall adds: ‘I believe that the best show is when everyone’s feeling comfortable because then people get looser and more vulnerable, which I honestly think is where most of the comedy is.’
