The Miami Herald

Cat Deeley’s ready to play matchmaker

 

LOS ANGELES, CA - SEPTEMBER 18:  TV personality Cat Deeley arrives at the 63rd Annual Primetime Emmy Awards held at Nokia Theatre L.A. LIVE on September 18, 2011 in Los Angeles, California.  (Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)
Frazer Harrison / Getty Images
LOS ANGELES, CA - SEPTEMBER 18: TV personality Cat Deeley arrives at the 63rd Annual Primetime Emmy Awards held at Nokia Theatre L.A. LIVE on September 18, 2011 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)
Cat Deeley is so convinced that a love connection could result from the new Fox dating show The Choice that she jokes she’s ready to buy a fancy hat to have on standby for a wedding.

“We meet people in all different ways nowadays, on the Internet, through friends … there has to be a possibility for something to happen,” Deeley, an England native, said in a recent interview.

The Choice, which premiered Thursday on Fox, essentially pairs real people with celebrities.

It’s like The Dating Game meets The Voice. Four stars sit in chairs with their backs turned to a non-celeb who tries to pique their interest. If the celebrities like what they hear, they turn around.

The show has three rounds where the contestants are narrowed down until each star has chosen a date.

Cameras follow the pairs on their dates so viewers will be able to see what happened next.

Some of the celebrities who took part are Jersey Shore stars Paul “DJ Pauly D” DelVecchio and Mike “The Situation” Sorrentino, reality star Rob Kardashian, actress Carmen Electra, model Tyson Beckford and singer Joe Jonas.

The chemistry between Electra and her date “was thunderbolt city,” Deeley said. “The chemistry was palpable.”

The 35-year-old Deeley says her ideal casting for the show would be George Clooney.

“He’s the most eligible bachelor of all time! He still hasn’t gotten married,” she said. “Also, it’s a way of me getting to the wedding.”

Besides The Choice, Deeley also hosts So You Think You Can Dance, which is in its ninth season and airs Wednesdays on Fox.

Both Dance and Deeley were nominated for a Critics’ Choice Television Award for Best Reality Series and Best Reality Series Host. Those awards will be handed out June 18.

Deeley said her success on camera is a surprise because she was “very geeky” growing up.

“I was told to be a lawyer or a doctor or an accountant and be sensible, have a sensible career. And I didn’t listen to anybody,” she said, laughing.

Now that her career has brought her to the U.S., Deeley said she misses her friends and family in England but loves the opportunities in America.

“I like the whole idea of the American dream and the fact that it’s alive and kicking, and if you’re successful, you guys are so enthusiastic,” she said. “I love being here, actually.”




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