MTV was bigger than the Spice Girls in the ’90s.

The old MTV shows may be long gone, but that didn’t stop the station from inspiring the Student Union Board to throw their own version of “Singled Out,” a dating show phenomenon on the youth-centric channel.

Dathan Brown, junior in journalism and mass communication and co-host of Thursday’s “Singled Out,” said he watched the show when he was a kid before he understood the difficulties of dating in the real world.

The show, a dating game featuring a guy and girl “picker” who each won a dream date out of a pool of participants, offered a lighthearted approach to what is in real life what Brown called “the constant search.”

The event is free for participants and audience members.

“This isn’t going to happen again,” Brown said, referring to the opportunity of “50 members of the opposite sex who are single and ready to mingle” together in the same room.

The MTV version had 50 potential dates lined up for each “picker,” and the Student Union Board hopes for a similar amount of participants – the identities of the “pickers” are already fixed, but they will not be disclosed until the event.

Students who want to participate can sign up between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. Thursday in a booth outside the Memorial Union’s West Student Office Space. They also can sign up at the door, but they’re encouraged to sign up beforehand.

The winning couples will receive a $20 gift card to Applebee’s, a movie pass and a Maintenance Shop concert ticket. They aren’t obligated to go on a date together, although that’s the idea of the game.

Regardless of who wins the prizes at the end, Brown said the benefits of having a lot of singles together at one time are clear.

“We’re actually doing a lot of work for them,” he said.

Brown added that if students miss this opportunity, they might just end up sitting alone eating Chef Boyardee.

“[‘Singled Out’] can get a lot of people interacting,” said Alison Comb, junior in journalism and mass communication and the special events director for the Student Union Board.

Comb said she thinks the two hosts should make “Singled Out” entertaining for everyone. She has seen Brown perform with the improv group Grandma Mojo’s Moonshine Revival and after talking with him, she thinks he will be a good host.

Heather Behrens, senior in journalism and mass communication, will be the female host. Comb said her personality should work well for the show.

“She’s a pretty outgoing person,” Comb said.

As to whether she can keep up with the MTV “Singled Out” counterpart Jenny McCarthy, Behrens is ready to take on the task. She said she looks forward to hosting the date-a-thon.

“I’m almost kind of sad I’m not playing,” she said.