Dimoldenberg builds a bridge between audiences and celebrities
PHOTO: Chicken Shop Date (IMDb courtesy photo)
By Lily Schroeder
BlueDevilHUB.com Staff–
Since its first episode aired in 2014, “Chicken Shop Date” has grown exponentially in viewership.
The 5-minute interviews on a YouTube channel center around an awkward first date between Amelia Dimoldenberg and a celebrity. Dimoldenberg goes on the dates with a perfect “weird girl” attitude, using long, awkward silences as her brand.
According to the Washington Post, “Dimoldenberg plays out the ultimate fan fantasy: What if this famous person were genuinely, totally into me?” As her channel has risen in popularity, Dimoldenberg’s style of acting like a celebrity’s friend has been adopted in other celebrity interviews.
“On red carpets now there is definitely a more friendly energy to celebrity interviews,” said senior Ava Portello, who came across Dimoldenberg’s work through short clips on social media.
Portello says Dimoldenberg’s open conversations she has with her guests shows the audience a new side of their idols. “Often in interviews celebrities seem pretty reserved so it’s interesting to see them more relaxed,” Portello said.
Senior Iryna Monastyrska, who also found Dimoldenberg on TikTok, likes the authenticity of Chicken Shop Date. She feels that a lot of celebrity interviews adopt a more professional style, but with Dimoldenberg, they are just on a date.
“It brought down the seriousness of interviews because celebrities usually do interviews to promote one of their projects but it’s not like that with (Dimoldenberg),” Monastyrska said. Other interviewers have attempted to emulate Dimoldenberg’s style to draw out unseen sides of celebrities, but this is not always as successful.
Ashley Graham’s interview of Hugh Grant at the 2023 Oscars went viral for all the wrong reasons, as it was painfully obvious that Graham’s friendliness was not reciprocated by Grant.
Despite being an interviewer at the same event, Dimoldenberg stuck to her awkward style and the celebrities matched her energy. “(Dimoldenberg’s) particular interview style has created much more relaxed interactions,” Portello said.
