It’s as if “Catfish” and “The Bachelor” had a baby in Buckingham Palace.
Twelve clueless American women sign up for a chance with a man whom they believe to be the man of their dreams — only his true identity is concealed behind a façade of private planes, a well-dressed butler, impeccable military uniforms and an upstanding English accent.
Plus the guy dyes his hair red, so he must be Prince Harry, right?
“I Wanna Marry ‘Harry,’ ” which premiered Tuesday night on Fox, stars the elusive Matthew “Not Really Prince Harry” Hicks, a regular joe who works as an environmental worker in London. He bears a close resemblance to the 29-year-old royal, but anyone with access to Google Images knows that’s not him — except these girls.
Hicks works for an entertainment firm moonlighting as a Harry impersonator and even gets stopped on the street for photos on vacation.
For the Fox series, producers assign him to a Prince Harry training camp, fully equipped with fencing and polo lessons, and he learns every searchable fact on the real Harry — from his military role to that wild night in Vegas (which resulted in an embarrassing photo).
At the same time, the wide-eyed women arrive at a prestigious English castle, in awe of the possibility of falling in love with a prince.
After a series of introductions, the women see a helicopter on the premises and completely lose it. They spot a ginger-haired guy wearing khaki pants and a crisp polo shirt being escorted into a black car. This is when they become convinced of his royalhood.
Next up is the predictable “Bachelor”-inspired masquerade party. The contestants dress up in their finest evening duds and line up wearing fancy masquerade masks. One by one, they reveal themselves to the presumed prince, and he greets them with a hug. They toss questions at him — What does he do for a living? What is his real name? — but the crafty look-alike deflects each one with a flirtatious smile.
Hicks finally removes his mask, and they still can’t decide if that’s really him.
This is the first of many episodes where the impersonator grapples with the moral dilemma of lying about who he is. You rang, Joe Millionaire?
It’s only a matter of time before we see Hoax Harry break a heart or two with the confession of who he really is. The only question is, will she then get it?