What you need to know
For Tamron Hall, there’s nothing scarier than a first date.
This Halloween, the two-time Emmy Award-winning host pays homage to spooky singles by parodying popular TV dating shows of the past and dressing up as a male host.
PEOPLE has an exclusive first look at the Oct. 31 episode of Hall’s show of the same name. The lineup is filled with nostalgic nods to dating through the decades, game show catchphrases worth remembering, and a fair amount of fake beards.
“I didn’t know facial hair was such an issue. Believe it or not, it was easier being pregnant Cardi B,” Halls tells PEOPLE. “We were plucking our mustaches and goatees! It took us back to the days of waxing!”
Hall welcomed a gaggle of singles to each segment, wearing looks inspired by shows like “The Dating Game,” “Love Connection” and “Love Island.” She even channels Flavor Flav in a parody of Flavor of Love.
She has previously flipped the script on powerful female characters, including Dorothy in 2023’s The Wiz and 2022’s Halle Bailey’s The Little Mermaid. Hall says this was a move to keep viewers guessing about season 7 of the show.
“I thought it was unexpected,” she added.
Beyond the hair and makeup, it didn’t take long for Hall to portray the character. “I lived it,” she tells People. The mother-of-one married Stephen Greener in 2019 at the age of 48.
“The only thing missing from my life is that I’ve never been on a dating show,” Hall says. “If I had waited a little longer, that might have happened. I could have been on Love Island!”
Here are all of Hall’s 2025 Halloween costumes.
Reggie Romance in “The Spooky Dating Game”
Disney/Jeff Neira
With a perfectly bouncy Afro to rival Richard Pryor’s, Hall brought 70s flower power to the stage of the dating show’s first segment, “The Spooky Dating Game.”
Michael Jackson references, skinny microphones and floppies, and oversized bow ties sold this blind date format as a quirky throwback to kick off decades of dating episodes.
While Hall may have sneaky and creepy intentions, she said she hopes viewers “always get the date you really want.”
Lenny Lovebird in “The Love Potion Connection”
Disney/Jeff Neira
Chuck Woolley aside, Hall’s Lenny Lovebird is here! Channeling his pumpkin hue, the host was transported back to 1983 in a coordinating orange suit and a thick mustache that looked like a lampshade.
Tubbs and Crockett from Miami Vice were the inspiration for the Love Connection parody, and Hall admitted that she is most similar to them.
“I look like Steve Harvey,” she said. “This is the first time I’ve grown a mustache without using wax.”
Kwame meets Kwame in the 90s
Disney/Jeff Neira
It must be scary to know that the twins are being broadcast live on TV.
Musical guest Kwame Holland apparently took a step too far to the left and found himself face-to-face in a time warp with Hall dressed as his ’90s self.
The acid-wash jeans, color-block print jacket and partially bleached hair sold the look, but not as much as the nostalgic tracks Kwame played.
T-Flav from “Flavor of Fear”
Disney/Jeff Neira
Losing taste is a frightening phenomenon. Luckily, Hall excited his taste buds with the “Flavors of Fear” date corner. The corner also included a special Flavor Fluff clock and a cake decorating contest for the contestants’ suitors.
The appearance is also worthy of royalty. And to take it to the next level, reality TV royalty has joined the hall in the form of guest star Tiffany Pollard, who got her start on Fluff’s Flavor of Love in the early 2000s.
Landon Lovemore in “Rose of Thorns”
Disney/Jeff Neira
In Bachelor Nation, the most memorable question is, of course, when someone asks, “Are you here for the right reasons?”
Hall chose a monochrome gray for his classy suit, paying homage to The Bachelor host and former contestant Jesse Palmer. She was very wary of thorny roses in this corner, noting that dating in 2010 “could be scarier than a haunted house.”
To add to the spooky atmosphere, she made a chilling prophecy.
“We expect this show to last 300 seasons,” Hall said, referring to the ABC series, which has about 60 seasons total. “Jesse Palmer is going to kill me.”
Tyrone Tender from “Scary Island”
Disney/Jeff Neira
Experiencing illness can be chilling.
In this Love Island parody, Hall wore resort attire and joked around a fire pit, helping bachelorettes decide whether their type on paper was worth booing IRL.
In “Scary Island” both “heat and ghosts” appear.
T-9-16 from “Lovebot Trick or Treat”
Disney/Jeff Neira
No one knows what dating will look like in the distant future, but Hall had some spooky ideas. While sporting a reflective jumpsuit and channeling some sci-fi madness, the Lovebot host praised a “super algorithm” for scanning for the perfect date.
Never miss a news. Sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up to date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to human interest stories.
The Tamron Hall Show airs weekdays (check local listings).
