IT’S the dating show that saw hundreds of girls ‘turned on’ and ‘turned off’ by the single men that danced out of the Love Lift.
Despite being cancelled in February after 11 series, Take Me Out remains a firm favourite in the nation’s affections and is constantly on repeat.
But what was it like to appear on the show and what REALLY went on in the fictional resort of Fernando’s – where paired up couples go for their date?
In an exclusive interview with the Sun, Paiton Barker and Ryan Lenton, who met on the 2019 series and are still dating, spill the beans on the auditions, the gruelling filming schedule and how some girls were ditched even after filming began.
The couple also reveal the truth about the date in Tenerife, which doubles as Fernando’s, with shared rooms, multiple hotels and a drunken night out on the strip with the other couples.
And 24-year-old Paiton, from Wigan, says the lads were treated like “royalty” compared to the girls picked from the “flirty thirty.”
1. Single lads are approached by producers
Although it aired in October 2019, the show that united Paiton and Peterborough-based Ryan, 27, was actually filmed a year before.
Like many of the male contestants, Ryan was approached by the show’s producers and asked to audition, after signing up to a model agency.
The tryout, at a hotel in London, lasted almost two hours and included a mock run-through of the show, with a producer standing in as host Paddy McGuinness.
“We had stock pictures of girls in the back and I pretended I’d just come down in the Love Lift and did the dance I would do,” he says .
“Then I had to run through all the rounds and play as if I was on stage. They fired questions that some of the girls might ask me. And then I had to think on my feet and come up with answers as you would on the show.”
2. Paddy McGuinness gets final say
Zoo worker Paiton was among 20,000 girls who applied for the 2019 series.
She auditioned at a Manchester hotel, driving straight from her part time job in TopShop and changing into a glamorous outfit in the car park.
“It was in a conference room and there were supposed to be ten of us but only two turned up, and we both got onto the show,” she says.
“They showed us clips of guys coming down in the Lift, and we had cards to hold up saying whether we’d turn our light off or not.
“We had to show how we would to the podium, walk down the stairs and dance but we had a laugh with it.”
At the end of both auditions, the would-be stars had to film a short message to Paddy McGuinness – who has the final say in the casting of both the boys and the girls.
3. Girls sent home mid-series for ‘not fitting the vibe’
Having made it though to the show, the experience for the boys and the girls begins to differ.
As the 30 girls stay at their podiums until they are picked, they are asked to commit two weeks to the show, although Paiton reveals that the rules can be bent – and not everyone gets to stay.
“When I got the contract I was about to start a new job,” says Paiton. “I messaged them to say ‘I’m sorry, I can’t do the full two weeks so I can’t do the show.’
“Straight away they said I could do Monday to Saturday.
“The rest of the girls committed to two full weeks to film 10 episodes but they said they would swap me for the second week if I was still there.
“A couple of girls got sent home before they got picked anyway because they weren’t standing out or fitting in with the whole vibe.”
4. Girls bring 10 outfits and don’t get to choose
The girls are asked to bring 10 outfits of their own to the show but they also order in extras from ASOS and other stores.
“The wardrobe department picks an outfit for you and then you do a dress rehearsal with full makeup and hair and outfit,” says Paiton.
“When you come offstage they’ll either send you for an outfit change or say your outfit’s fine, depending how it fits in with the lineup.
“On the show that Ryan picked me on I was initially going to wear leather look leggings and a top and I had my hair in a ponytail, then they wanted a complete change to a blue-sequinned dress and my hair down and curly.
“My hair had been lacquered into the ponytail so it was quite painful to have it brushed out and I wasn’t ecstatic about my outfit either.”
5. Lads pick five entrance songs
For the lads, who only take part in one show and the date, the commitment is no more than four days and they are asked to provide five outfits, sending pictures ahead for approval.
They are also asked to pick five songs for their descent in the Love Lift, then the producers choose which they prefer.
“One of the songs I’d picked had already been used in the show, so I came down to Kickstarter by Example,” says Ryan. “It’s quite an upbeat song and good to dance to.”
6. Boys’ World and Girls’ World
The girls were kept separate from the moment of arrival in Maidstone, home to the TMO studio, with different hotels.
Even train times are carefully planned so the girls don’t accidentally meet any of the boys on their way there – and with good reason.
Ryan met Modestus on the train and instantly clocked that he was a fellow contestant.
On set, there’s strict segregation with areas split into ‘Boys’ World’ and ‘Girls’ World’, with each having their own team of wardrobe, hair and make-up, welfare team and runners.
For the girls, the filming day is incredibly long, beginning at 7am, when they are picked up from the hotel, to almost 11pm.
“As soon as we got to the studio we had our hair and make-up done,” says Paiton. “Each stylist has five or six girls each, and you keep the same one throughout, so they get to know you.
“Then we sat around, had lunch in the canteen, and rehearsals started at about 3pm, with filming at around 7pm.
“You lose track of time because it feels like you’re on the stage and on your feet for ages, especially if you’re wearing heels.”
7. Girls can steal killer question answers
For the purpose of the rehearsal, a member of the production team stands in for the men, coming down in the lift and chatting with the flirty thirty to put them at ease.
Although they don’t know what their final killer question will be on the show, the girls do get to rehearse possible answers.
“To make us a bit more prepared, so that we don’t waffle, they gave us a list of six killer questions and four out of the six are going to get asked,” Paiton says.
“You also hear the other girls’ answers so you could potentially steal an answer because there’s a very low chance you’re going to be up against the girl whose answer you really liked. I banked a few in my head just in case.”
8. Lads chill and play FIFA
The boys arrived at around 8am and were put into lockdown in a swanky dressing room, with FIFA to keep them amused.
Their phones are taken away from them, to stop them calling friends.
“We had a good time getting to know each other for a few hours, then we were taken down to the studio for the first time,” says Ryan.
“That’s an overwhelming moment because leading up to that, it was fun and easy-going but when we got into the studio, and practiced the dance routine, it suddenly felt very real.”
The boys are then taken through a run of the whole show and meet Paddy.
They even rehearse their reaction to a blackout – when all the girls turn their lights off.
“There’s a great atmosphere backstage and the crew fire questions at you as they walk past, to keep you on your toes, or they’ll say ‘pretend you’re walking out,’” says Ryan.
“By the end of it you feel like the king of cheesy lines and dance routines.”
9. Love Lift ‘flashbacks’
When the big moment came, and he was led out to the Love Lift, Ryan admits he was nervous.
“I get flashbacks of that – I can’t go in a lift anymore,” he says.
“It’s surreal. Four crew members took me round the back of the stage and they held up a board so I couldn’t see through to the stage and get a sneak peak of the girls.
“But I could hear the warm-up comedian and hear the crowd laughing, which was quite intimidating, and the crew were saying, ‘This is a once in a lifetime opportunity, give it everything you’ve got.’
“Then it was into the lift, you hear Paddy say ‘single man reveal yourself’ out in the studio, your song comes on, the lift bounces and starts to come down.
“Any fear I had up until that point was just completely gone. I was full of adrenaline and just wanted to get out on to the stage.”
The Love Lift takes 12 seconds longer to descend with the contestants than when Paddy makes his entrance, to tease the arrival a little longer.
10. Shared rooms at ‘Fernando’s’
After choosing each other, the new couple are once again separated with the girls being driven straight to a hotel at Gatwick, for an early flight the following morning, while the boys stay in Maidstone.
Incredibly the famous Fernando’s resort – which is actually in Tenerife – consists of numerous hotels, all serving a different purpose.
“We stayed in a country club style hotel with a really nice pool. I shared an apartment room with a fellow contestant Shelly, while two more from the same show, Emma and Chelsea, shared a room.
“The next morning, they took me to another hotel where they filmed me getting ready for the date in a room there, and giving myself a pep talk in the mirror.
“At that point, I still didn’t know where I was being taken to.
“ I always joke that they treat the lads like royalty and the girls get the rough end of the stick.
“The boys get a lunchtime flight, and the girls at 4am.
“The boys are told what the date is the day before, while we had no idea what it is. So when I was packing they were saying, ‘Bring a bikini, bring this, bring that, be prepared for whatever it will be’. I was really stressing because I didn’t want to be in a bikini on telly.
“Then I’m holed up in a room with just one woman as my line of communication, and she’s getting updates on when they might be ready.
“All this time, Ryan is sitting at the Kaluna Beach Club drinking a cocktail, chilling out and knowing exactly what to expect.”
11. Nights out banned after boozy benders
Clearly, with Ryan and Paiton, the date went well as they are still an item two years on.
But after lunchtime drinks, the pair opted to join all the other couples for a wild night rather than going for a candlelit dinner.
“We all went out on the strip that evening which was fun because one of the lads on the show was a rep in Ibiza and he knew some people out there. We were getting free drinks and cocktails.
“The following day we all caught an early flight and then had a long train journey home – shattered and hungover.
“Soon after that, they stopped people going out on the town in Tenerife after their dates, although I don’t know why.”
As well as making friends on the show, who they’re still in touch with, Paiton and Ryan fell for each other.
While Paiton has started a new job at a wildlife park in Kent and Ryan has stayed in Peterborough, they have managed to make it work, even through the Covid restrictions.
Bubbly Paiton says the show was “one of the best things that’s happened to me.”
Ryan, who says he went on the show to overcome a fear of crowds, is also glad he signed up.
“It was a sink or swim moment but I was surrounded by people in the same boat,” he says.
“Everyone on the show has got your back and they were really supportive. It was fantastic experience.”
