Summer TV is all about keeping the audience entertained. Most of the times it also pays to be light and easy watching… say, like a dating game show. So when you add four of the most eligible famous bachelors to the mix, well, it’s got to be a good recipe for ratings. That’s FOX‘s new dating show The Choice.

The series – which features the four famous bachelors in chairs that turn around when they pull the “love handle” so they can see the girl who’s been trying to convince them to choose them – kicks off with singer Romeo, skier Jeremy Bloom, soap star Jason Cook and reality star DJ Pauly D.

The four were all endearing and adorable in their own ways and it only got better when we got to see the four of them talking to one another behind the chairs and discussing whether or not to turn around. There was a definite sense of camaraderie behind the chairs, but that doesn’t mean it wasn’t fun to put it to the test when more than one of the guys would have turned around for the girl and then have to fight for why the girl should choose them.

Speaking of the girls, it was truly surprising to find that a good number of them were not just tolerable, but downright familiar and likeable. I won’t say 100%, but a good deal of the girls were far from the stock dating game show girls who show up in tight dresses, ready to giggle and get their five seconds of fame. Some were, but only enough to give that proper dose of laughter and absurdity.

So here’s how the guys fared:

 

ROMEO

While Romeo was trying to select his potential dates, he ended up choosing some of the same girls as the other fellas did and when the girls didn’t choose him, he admitted to feeling a bit rejected. But he didn’t feel that way for long because he got his three girls: Lisa, Vanessa and Angeliese. The clear stand-out here (and by stand out, I mean the girl who was the most down-to-earth and normal) was Vanessa and in a rather shocking turn of events, she was the girl he chose to eliminate in the second round when they only have 15 seconds to prove why they deserve the date.

But in the final round, where the two remaining girls must answer the bachelor’s one question, Romeo redeemed himself not just by referencing Romeo & Juliet in his question but by coming to the final decision of Lisa who impressed him with her answer of the most impressive thing she ever did for love, taking her then-boyfriend to Jamaica. Interestingly enough, he and Lisa were the only pair who sat coupled together on his spinning chair. The other guys stood off to the side with their respective dates taking their seat.

 

JEREMY BLOOM

Jeremy is certainly the least known of the four bachelors on tonight’s episode and serves as the greatest evidence that even if we don’t know the man, there is something special about this show that pushes everyone to the endearing side – even if we’ve only known them for thirty seconds. Impressively, Jeremy chose the most “real” girls of the bachelors, like a farm girl, a Valedictorian and an adorable girl who essentially begged Jeremy to turn around. In the second round, it was the farm girl Amber who was eliminated, leaving the intellectual Elizabeth and the excited Rachael to answer Jeremy’s final question by describing the most adventurous thing they’d ever done.

Elizabeth didn’t really answer the question at all and Rachael, who’s enthusiasm could border on too much, redeemed herself with her answer that coming on the show was the most adventurous thing she’d done and she was proud of the fact she was putting herself out there. In her dress from Target (I know because I have the same one) and her endless excitement, she won Jeremy over – but her Taylor Swift vibe may have played a part in that, too. He even called her “Taylor Swift” when he made the decision.

 

JASON COOK

I grew up watching Days of Our Lives and, man, Jason looks just as dreamy as ever. Sitting next to Pauly D, he could easily have ventured too far over the edge, but rather he was one of the most likeable bachelors there and proved himself a funny man with sound reasoning behind his decisions. Let’s just say he turned around on the word “dinner” and rather than falling into female stereotypes he turned it into cooking is something you do with someone you love. Cue the “awwws”. His three girls were Lisa, Nia and Annapurna, but Lisa didn’t make it past round two. She told him he was the most attractive man and he politely said “thank you, you’re a liar.”

The rather shy Nia and musician Annapurna were left for the final round, perhaps leaving Jason with almost as strong a final two as Jeremy.  When they had to answer his final question of what they’d prescribe to heal a broken heart, Nia ran away with the competition with her “a little coffee for your cream” answer. Shy girls shouldn’t be underrated. Annapurna had an admirable answer but it was pretty awkward when she referenced chocolate and the crowd laughed and looked at Nia. Jason continued his likeability by saying “This has been the most awkward blind date I’ve ever been on,” and quickly pulling the band-aid off and telling Annapurna it was nice to meet her and choosing Nia for the date.

 

DJ PAULY D

As someone who doesn’t take the Jersey Shore seriously and has certainly never seen an episode of The Pauly D Project, I had no expectations for the infamous DJ. But in a surprising turn of events, he was ridiculously likeable. Seriously, I would never have expected myself to say it, but when you accept Pauly D for Pauly D, his humor and strange charm shines through. Perhaps the best moment for him was when he described himself as “trustworthy,” a term even his fellow bachelors called him out on, when he admitted he’d made a mistake in not turning around for a girl or when he tried to pull his love handle twice for the same girl. His top three were Elyse, Donna and Alyssa, with Alyssa leaving after second round.

Elyse and Donna were left to answer his question as to whether they thought guys and girls could ever really be just friends and Elyse made a smart move for trustworthy Pauly D by playing up the “trust” card in her answer. But it was never exactly a competition because as soon as Elyse came out to a crowd’s roar and Pauly D picked her, we all knew who he’d be taking on the date. Even without seeing the other contestants.He knew it, too, because when he went up to the two girls to make the final decision he explained, “If you look up my type in the dictionary, there’s a great big picture of Elyse.” Sweet and sincere, Pauly D. Color me impressed.

 

 

While I knew the show would prove for some good laughs, I didn’t exactly expect to genuinely enjoy it quite as much as I did. After watching the show, the biggest downfall seemed like it would be that after falling in love with these four characters, we would want to see them again! But guess what? Problem solved because we WILL see them next week as we catch up with the guys and their respective dates to see how things went.

Of all the dating shows this summer, so far this is the one that gets my vote on which one to keep tuning in for. Next week we’ll see four new bachelors choose a date of their own – TV star Parker Young, Olympic Gold Medalist Seth Wescott, Radio Personality Mike Catherwood and heartthrob Joe Jonas.

We can’t wait for more! What did you think? Who surprised you the most? And who really made you wish you could go on a date with them? Sound off in the comments below!

 

New Episodes of The Choice Air Thursdays at 9/8c on FOX.