First, the Waiting Game : Dozens Line Up for a Chance to Appear on TV’s Revived ‘Dating Game’

BUENA PARK — When Gigi Motalaby got out of bed Saturday morning, she looked into the mirror and asked herself questions that she hadn’t contemplated in quite some time. At least, not since her last first date.

What would she wear? Should she dye the dark roots of her blond hair? And should she go out of her way to impress, or just be herself?

“I decided to go just the way that I am,” the 54-year-old widow said.

What Motalaby was preparing for wasn’t a date, but a tryout for “The Dating Game.” The popular ‘60s-era television show returned to national television in August and was recruiting contestants at the Buena Park Mall on Saturday.

About 75 would-be contestants had their photos taken, filled out questionnaires and submitted to such questions as, “Do you have any unusual talents or stupid human tricks?” (If the answer was yes, they were asked to perform the trick on camera.)

Aspiring Romeos and Juliets ranged in age from 18 to 80, some with high-paying jobs and others with no job at all. They came clad in everything from white T-shirts and jeans to designer suits. One woman donned an ankle-length evening dress.

Motalaby went with what she called the “relaxed look”--slacks and a sweater with matching earrings. The San Clemente resident said she had not planned to try out for the game show, but then her sister-in-law dared her to.

“I figured there’s no way I can lose,” she said. “Even if I get on the show and the date doesn’t work out, I’ll still have my 10 minutes of fame.”

Sandra Gonzalez, 21, of Huntington Park said she was meeting a friend for lunch, saw the tryouts and decided to drop in. As part of her interview, she did a brief dance number with her hands on her knees. The audience cheered her on.

Robert Preston, 24, a Sears employee, was nervous. He took nearly half an hour to fill out the five-page application. He hadn’t a clue how to answer the question: “What’s the bravest thing you’ve ever done?”

“I’m not that brave, so I didn’t know what to say,” Preston said. “I put down the time that I had to date, you know, an ugly girl, so that my friend could get to know her friend. . . . He wanted to go out with her friend.”

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Lance Lucas, a production assistant at the tryouts, said show producers look for applicants with “personality.”

“Generally, they want someone who’s going to be relaxed in front of the camera, someone with a good sense of humor and someone who can tell a story . . . someone who’s interesting in some way or other,” Lucas said.

But they also “want somebody who really, really wants a date,” added Carin Tejidor, the talent coordinator for Saturday’s tryouts.

Tryouts are held mostly in California, but the Hollywood-based show has searched across the national landscape, in New York, Atlanta and Dallas. About 30% of the people who try out end up on the show, which airs locally 10 a.m. weekdays on KTTV, Lucas said.

Sometimes, the love connection is made before couples ever go out.

On Saturday, a man and a woman who filled out applications got to talking. One thing led to another, and the pair left the mall together.

“I was like, ‘Wait, come on ‘The Dating Game’ first,’ ” said Sandra Sanders, a field coordinator for the show.

That wasn’t the only incident to raise show organizers’ eyebrows Saturday. There was, for instance, the woman who frankly admitted to Sanders that she was married “but wanted to replace her husband.”

“I’m constantly surprised by the things that people do,” Tejidor said. “Once, we had a woman who could rub her head and her tummy and burp at the same time.”