Ten women, ten blind dates, one question at the end of each. Download or delete? That is the premise behind Dating Download, a new digital series on OWN hosted by Kendra G, where singles get matched based on exactly what they say they want on paper, then have to decide if reality lives up to the description.
What made you want to host Dating Download in the first place?
I’m a journalist at heart, most of my career was built around celebrities, then Covid hit and my relationship ended during that time. I couldn’t be around anyone else, so I went on IG Live and said if I’m feeling this way single, other people probably feel the same way. That was the first show, and I knew that first night it would change my life.
Three years later I walked away from my morning show job, moved to California, launched my own company, my own dating app and Kendra G Singles card game. We have more than 20 weddings from my platform, four of them this year alone. Then Pauline Malcolm, who created Dating Download, called and asked me to host. I told her my wig was already curled and my lashes were already on. It just made sense for me to go from building a space for singles to hosting a show for them.
What can we expect from the show?
My show is virtual, you could be in Alabama and I’m in California, but this is in person, in the studio. We found 10 women and did our best to match them with the type of guy they described, whether that was appearance or character. They go on a blind date, then interview with me afterward and decide if they want to download for another date or delete and never see him again.
It’s also about getting people out of the house. Covid made us comfortable doing everything from home, and if you want to get married one day, you have to leave the house. This show makes you go live on a date, sit across from a person and see how it feels.
Can you give us some insight on why it’s so hard to form a real connection with people these days?
People are still adjusting to how much the world has changed. Years ago there was no social media, no text messages. You had to court a woman, call her on the phone, meet her parents. Now we’ve made it easy, but women still want men to show up the old school way while also enjoying how easy dating has become.
It’s hard to build something serious without being in person. A lot of men no longer have to work for women the way they once did. Then there are the men with vision, going places in life, who still want a woman with standards. Those men will work for it, but there aren’t a lot of them.
How do you know when someone is playing games and not really ready to commit?
I sit in a journalistic lens on this. Men have been men forever, and women cheat too, we just talk about it more. I get good, solid men calling into my show who want to be husbands, but they get overlooked because they’re not as attractive or don’t make as much money. Women want the exciting man with options, and a man with options has always used them.
The difference now is social media. Years ago there wasn’t a track record on Instagram. Now if your man cheats, a million people find out, and if you stay with him, a million people judge you. Ladies, do not post that man. Men get grace to move on to another woman, women get branded to that relationship. Let a man earn the right to claim you instead of claiming him first.
How do we know we have a good man?
Ask yourself if you’re a good woman. If a man isn’t good and you are a good woman, you’ll detach from him naturally. Women say they want a God fearing man, but really they want a God fearing, attractive man like Idris Elba or Morris Chestnut. Focus on yourself instead of the man, and you’ll attract what you are. Also understand that red flags aren’t universal. What bothers me might not bother you, and neither of us is wrong, we just have different requirements. And do not make him your husband after the first date. I’ve done it myself, it should be the opposite of what usually happens. The date should get better over time, not worse.
While filming the show, what surprised you?
Before the show I always thought it was men who wanted poly relationships. Then women called in saying they were with their guy and looking for another woman too. I’ve talked to more than 16,000 people through my platform, and everyone is unique. You have to find your tribe and the dating method that works for you. Even some of my older women callers now say they don’t mind if their man has another woman, because they don’t want to cook or have sex every week themselves. Give yourself grace to evolve. What works for you now might change later.
When does Dating Download premiere?
July 29. You can watch on OWN’s YouTube channel at 5 p.m. Pacific, 8 p.m. Eastern. We’re launching two episodes, then it moves to Wednesday nights at the same time.