Ever looked over at your significant other and wondered whether, in an alternative universe, you’d still choose them – and they’d still choose you?
Hello Stranger, a new dating show with a twist, gives couples the opportunity to meet each other again for the very first time. In the first episode of the programme, we see my favs The Juicy Vloggers, AKA Lucy and George at a crossroads in their relationship. The dynamic screen duo are looking to recapture the excitement and butterflies which have disappeared after 4 years together.
In this extraordinary dating show, the pair will be hypnotised by hypnotist Aaron Calvert who will make them temporarily forget each other. By erasing their memories they will become completely unattached strangers once more.
With no memories of their relationship, Lucy and George go out on dates with two other people who match what they are looking for in an ideal partner and on a first date with each other, as if for the first time, to find out whether they might fall in love all over again.
Will sparks fly once more, or will Lucy and George find more chemistry with one of their new dates?
This incredibly unique concept, made possible through Aaron’s unique hypnotic process, produces an exciting, funny and emotional show. It truly brings a much needed shake-up to the TV dating show genre.
[Read: 10 Small Ways To Make Your Partner’s Day (And Add A Little Spark Back In Your Love Life!)]After watching the show, I had many questions for the duo, so spoke directly to Lucy and George, on their thoughts on the show:
What was it like to be hypnotised, did you feel like yourself? Do you remember it?
It’s so hard to explain to someone who hasn’t had it done on them. You are still completely yourself and remember everything, there are just suggestions put in place. It’s a state of extreme relaxation and focus. The technique used on us was something called “Amnesia Hypnosis” which puts blocks in in front of your memories.
Can you remember the way you ‘thought’ when you couldn’t remember each other? How did you fill 4 years of “memories” lost?
The subconscious mind actually filled in the gaps for the past 4 years. We both worked with Aaron & Sam on a loose narrative of our past 4 years, and then when asked under hypnosis our brain pulled answers from that.
Did you just not have a phone for 3 days? Or were you brought out of the trance in between dates?
Our phones, and any access to the internet or social media, was taken away from us for the full 4 days. We were taken in and out of the state before and after filming. So in the evenings our memories were fully present and we knew everything, however we were encouraged to not think of each other.
Did you stay at your parents?
The show was filmed in London and we were put up in separate hotels, we each had a runner assigned to us who would look after us on set and also outside of filming hours. They had to come everywhere with us, even if we just wanted to go for a walk!
Did you absolutely believe you were single?
Yes. What you don’t see on camera is the 30-40 minutes Aaron spends getting us into the state and putting in place the suggestions. With hypnosis, you don’t fight it. You listen to Aaron and do what he says, he tells you what to believe and you believe it.
Was it strange watching yourselves back?
We’re obviously used to seeing yourself on the screen from our vlogs. What was more weird was knowing millions of people were watching it at the same time. That’s something we’re not used to with YouTube!
What advice would you give to couples in a similar ‘stuck-in-a-rut’ position?
It’s definitely an extreme thing to test your relationship on national television and there are other ways to do it, but for us it was so re-assuring that we chose each other again after meeting as strangers. We would say just be as open as possible with each other about your feelings, decide what you both want out of life and then audit whether or not those ambitions can be achieved as a couple.
You’re in the 30% of people who are susceptible to hypnotism – which is amazing! Do you think you’ll try something like this again?
I’m not sure if we would explore hypnosis again in this way, it was quite an emotional experience to go through. We would definitely consider it as a treatment option though if any problems were to arise in our lives. We’ve seen the power of it and to know we’re susceptible is pretty cool!
[Read: The #1 Reason A Relationship Goes Stale]
Are they really under hypnosis?
If your relationship is going through a rocky patch, there are more conventional ways to test its strength than undergoing “amnesia hypnosis”, but that’s exactly what Hello Stranger’s contestants sign up for when they meet the show’s hypnotist Aaron Calvert, who hypnotises each pair into temporarily forgetting each other.
At the end of the show, viewers find out whether the couple would still choose each other. Of course, some will argue that the premise of the show might be flawed, as hypnosis can affect people in different ways. Will the couples remember each other after all?
Tune in to judge for yourself.
Hello Stranger is on Channel 4, Tuesdays at 10pm. Catchup on 4OD.
Follow Lucy and George on Twitter and subscribe to their YouTube channel!
