Forget Tinder — NYC’s hottest dating scene is a live comedy stage

They’re looking to feel a spark — in the spotlight.

Singles are flocking to a roving weekly comedy show called UpDating, which puts two love-seeking locals onstage for a first date in front of a live crowd. For the participants, it’s literally blind dating — their eyes are shrouded by a blindfold. Launched in 2018, and paused due to COVID-19, UpDating returned in April to enormous, post-pandemic demand. In the last month, the show — which requires would-be daters to go through an online casting process that involves sharing their Instagram handles and telling the organizers about their last first date with humor — has amassed a 600-person waitlist of singles vying to be featured. Then the show’s organizers match those with the most interesting stories, or those who they predict will be more open and outgoing.