The Celebrity Dating Game premieres on ABC June 14. Zooey Deschanel and Michael Bolton host what ABC calls “a wry wink at modern dating with a star-studded roster of celebrity singles in their pursuit to find love.”
Celebs, including Iggy Azalea and Taye Diggs, make up the single contestants vying for a date. They remain hidden as a lucky bachelor/bachelorette is chosen from an incognito panel of three, based on their answers to the celebrity’s questions.
Hannah Brown from The Bachelorette and comedian Nicole Byer are the celebs in the first episode.
The Celebrity Dating Game is produced by Sony Pictures Television. Charles Wachter, Michael Bolton, Christina Kline and Wendi Wan are executive producers, and Wachter is the showrunner.
Deschanel’s work includes playing Jovie in Elf and Jessica in Fox comedy New Girl. Bolton sings what Wachter calls “parody love songs that are riddled with clues” — classic power ballads rewritten for the show.
“His voice is unreal,” Wachter said. “He kills it.”
The Dating Game premiered on ABC in 1965. Wachter suggested the reboot arrives at the right time in America. It’s “a hint at nostalgia,” he said, “a look back at a safer time.”
