A dating show format that hasn't aired new episodes since the 1980s is getting a live, in-person revival in San Diego's Gaslamp Quarter tomorrow, and this time a Netflix reality star is holding the mic. On The Spot Dating Show, a local live-dating business built on the bones of the classic Dating Game, will bring its mystery-contestant format to the Hilton San Diego Gaslamp Quarter tomorrow, with doors opening at 6:30 PM and the show starting at 7 PM.
The event marks a leap for co-founders Mary Puglisi and Ashley Carter, who started the show in 2025 and have spent the past year building it from neighborhood bars into a genuine business, according to Fox 5 San Diego & KUSI News. The format draws directly from The Dating Game, the show that ran from the mid-1960s to the 1980s and featured a single woman questioning three bachelors hidden behind a curtain to find a match. On The Spot flips the premise open to either a bachelor or a bachelorette as the chooser, who gets 15 minutes per round to grill three mystery contestants seated behind a partition before picking the person they liked most.
From a North Park Beauty Bar to a Gaslamp Quarter Hotel
The very first On The Spot event was held at Pure Pawsh, the North Park beauty bar Carter owned, and pulled in about 100 people, according to the same report. From there, Puglisi and Carter took the concept on the road to other local spots including barleymash and Park & Rec, per the Facebook history of the show's early events. San Diego Magazine's coverage of the production notes the pair also built an audience through age-tiered nights at craft beverage spots like AleSmith Brewing Company in Miramar and Kairoa Brewing Company in University Heights, dividing dating rounds by singles in their 20s, 30s, and 40s before scaling up to hotel-sized crowds.
Puglisi, who left her job producing comedy shows to build the concept, is herself a single woman living in San Diego and has described the show as live, unpredictable reality television, the Fox 5 report notes. Contestants are selected through an online questionnaire, and the show promises something different every time it runs, with new people and new questions at every show. The audience gets a say too: questions asked of the mystery contestants are chosen by both the chooser and the crowd.
A ‘Love Is Blind’ Alum Joins the Mic
Friday's show will be co-hosted by Mike Brockway, who appeared as a contestant on Netflix's Love Is Blind Season 9. That season was filmed in the Denver metro area and aired throughout October 2025, marking the first season in the show's history where no participating couple made it to the altar, according to background compiled from Wikipedia. Brockway, a 38-year-old real estate investor who owns short-term rental business Zen Haus Homes and previously worked in wealth management at Goldman Sachs and Fidelity, later revealed on social media that he and his girlfriend were relocating from Denver to San Diego, a move detailed by Swooon.
Beyond the two live dating rounds, the winning chooser and contestant are revealed to one another and go on a free first date the same night, with a local business covering the tab. The show also folds in a missed connections element: anyone in the room can submit an anonymous note the next day if someone caught their eye. That feature has already produced results — a bartender who submitted one for a contestant ended up going on several dates with them, and organizers say attendees have also formed unexpected friendships, including one who joined a rec dodgeball team with people met at a show.
After the Rounds, a Rooftop Mixer
Once the dating rounds wrap, the floor opens for a social mixer, running until about 9:30 PM before shifting to a rooftop gathering on the Hilton's Starlight Terrace. The hotel completed a $22.5 million full-property renovation in 2023 and offers more than 16,000 square feet of flexible indoor and outdoor event space directly across from the San Diego Convention Center, according to venue details logged on Cvent. Tickets for Friday's event run about $25.
Why Singles Are Ditching the Apps for a Live Show
The appeal of a live, structured alternative to swiping isn't happening in a vacuum. A July 2025 survey reported by Forbes Health found that 78% of dating app users experience burnout sometimes, often, or always, driven by rejection, superficial matches, and unfulfilled expectations, even as users average 51 minutes a day on the platforms. That fatigue appears to be fueling a broader national shift: Eventbrite marketplace data comparing early 2025 to early 2026 showed singles-oriented trivia nights surging 403% year-over-year, alongside strong growth in group social mixers, as reported by Fast Company.
A 2026 national study by the Institute for Family Studies found that only 30% of unmarried adults ages 22 to 35 date at least once a month, even though 51% say they want to start a relationship. Money is part of the equation too: Match's Singles in America study, cited by Forbes Health, found active daters spend over $300 a month on dating, while a 2026 BMO survey reported by CNBC found half of single Americans are cutting back on dating frequency or seeking cheaper alternatives amid inflation. Against that backdrop, a $25 ticket that comes with a shot at a venue-sponsored first date carries real appeal for organizers building out San Diego's live-dating scene.
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