Devotees of British daytime TV may well have spotted a familiar face in a popular new show lately.
Last week saw the debut of Love Is Blind UK, the latest international edition of the popular Netflix dating show that sees pairs of strangers getting engaged before they’ve even clapped eyes on one another.
The show begins with a total of 30 men and women, who communicate with prospective spouses in isolated pods, without being allowed to see what the other looks like until one of them has proposed.
Since the episode began streaming, one eagle-eyed viewer on Reddit spotted that Nicole, one of the single women taking part in the social experiment, already has reality TV experience.
“She’s not a stranger to cameras at all,” they wrote, alongside a clip of Nicole appearing on Come Dine With Me back in the day.
According to the Daily Mail, Nicole didn’t fare too well in the cooking show, finishing in fourth place of five.
“I gave it my best shot, at least I’m not Adam,” she said at the end of the episode, referring to her last place competition.
One Reddit user was happy to finally have the penny finally drop, remarking: “I FORGOT ABOUT THIS!!! Good digging OP, I was so certain I’d seen her face/heard her laugh somewhere before!”
“You know what? The ENTIRE time I was watching her onscreen, I kept thinking that she was so familiar and wondering why,” a second claimed, revealing that even though they’ve never seen Come Dine With Me, they’ve fallen into the YouTube rabbit hole of watching compilation clips in the past (which, by the way, same).
Others have also been clarifying the place Come Dine With Me holds in the cultural landscape to international viewers.
“I don’t think she was looking for fame. I don’t think people on cooking shows are the same as people on dating shows,” one wrote, while another agreed: “These comments are so funny. It’s definitely NOT a show that gets you any sort of fame.”
“These comments are hilarious and I assume it’s from Americans,” a third added. “Come Dine With Me does not get you clout or fame. It’s a cute cooking show with a small prize of £1,000.”
The first four episodes of Love Is Blind UK are now streaming on Netflix, with new instalments coming every Wednesday for the next three weeks.