Did you know that Bee Gees twins Maurice Gibb and Robin Gibb were once celebrity guests on an episode of the 1960s blind-date-themed show, The Dating Game? The brothers went head-to-head on a 1968 celebrity edition of the popular dating program when they were both just 18 years old.
The ‘Night Fever’ singers were pitted against each other, along with an Olympic Gold medalist, all competing to win over the heart of one hopeful single. The Dating Game gave bachelors and bachelorettes the chance to question three mystery singletons who were hidden from view before choosing one for a date.
After asking their questions, the budding bachelor/bachelorette in the questioning seat was given the opportunity to choose which of the three people they’d questioned they’d like to go on an all-expenses-paid date with.
On the Bee Gees brothers’ episode of the show, Maurice and Robin were up against multiple USA Olympic Gold medal-winning and then-world record-holding swimmer Don Schollander.
Both Maurice and Robin were 18 years old when they appeared on the show, and despite some issues with their accents, the two young men obviously impressed their episode’s young single woman, Debbie, with their answers.
Don also impressed Debbie with his responses to her questions, but in the end it was Maurice who Debbie chose for her date.
“I wanted them all!” the theatre student admitted at the time, but she seemed delighted with the identity of her suitor.
Debbie and Maurice were set up with a date in South Africa, but as his later 1969 marriage to Lulu reveals, the pair’s TV show meeting didn’t lead to a lasting romance.
Still, the young star at least got the satisfaction of beating his brother to the date!
It’s nice to see the brothers jokingly going up against each other in this TV show appearance, considering how the following year was a troubled one for the Bee Gees as a group.
1969 saw Robin temporarily leave the band and also saw the collapse of the band’s plans to star in the feature film, an idea mentioned in the above clips by The Dating Game’s host Jim Lange ahead of Maurice and Robin’s arrival on the show.
Thankfully, 1970 saw the brothers reunite and move on to new projects, leading eventually to more successes with that year’s 2 Years On, 1971’s Trafalgar, and eventually to future hits like Saturday Night Fever.