The application form to get on First Dates asks for every skeleton in your closet

A scene from the TV series, First Dates New Zealand. Photo / TVNZ

If you thought going on First Dates would be awkward and uncomfortable, just have a look at what it takes to even get on the show in the first place.

Hopefuls looking for love have to fill out an application form and put it this way; if you ever wanted a free and non-responsive therapy session that will probably just make you feel worse about your love life, this is the application form for you.

There are about 50 questions - a lot of which require an essay type answer - and we've heard if you fill out the whole thing properly, it can take about an hour and a half.

It starts out as you'd expect, asking for the usual personal and contact details, although interestingly, there's a question regarding marital status at which point you can choose if you're single, de-facto, engaged or married ... for a dating show. Go figure.

Then there's the job interview section - strengths, weaknesses, goals, any previous television experience, any criminal convictions and what not.

And then straight out of left-field: "Have you ever worked in the adult entertainment industry or been employed as a sex worker?" This is followed up with an unconvincing: "this does not necessarily count you out but we do need to know".

Then the form starts sassing me like an aunty at a family get-together, essentially asking me what I'm doing with my life and what my biggest regret is. But that's nothing on the next three questions.

"How long did your last relationship last? Why did you break up?" and my personal favourite: "why do you think you are single?"

The best part is it goes ahead and follows that up with this: "Do you have any skeletons in your closet?" And if that weren't enough, it gives some examples: "Eg. jilted lovers, sex tapes, drug use, unauthorised photos - please let us know."

And then toward the end it asks if I'm cool with going on a date in the First Dates restaurant, "even if you're only in the background". Way to hit that singleton complex, mate.

The team over at TVNZ say the questions are all in an attempt to "try to make genuine and appropriate connections for the people on the show".

"Applicants are asked a range of questions for safety and authenticity reasons," they say.

"Applicants can fill out as little or as much detail as they like, but of course full and honest answers help us to better match our First Date-ers."

I guess, if nothing else, they found enough people to fill out this season of First Dates, so it can't be all that bad.

* Watch episodes of First Dates NZ here.