Come Dine with Me is a reality TV show where groups of four or five strangers, each an amateur chef, compete to host the best dinner party. Each party is solely for the competitors and is held on consecutive evenings.
With a set amount of money provided for the party, each host must submit a menu in advance of the week. The menu must consist of at least a starter, a main course, and a dessert/pudding.
At the end of each party, each guest rates the party on a scale of one to ten inclusive. Each guest can use whatever criteria he/she deems important to rate the party, with the quality of the food being just one possible factor.
At the end of the last party, the host of that party gets the voting results, which he/she reads to the other competitors. The competitor with the highest score wins £1,000.
By the end of the last party, each competitor gets to know their fellow competitors a little better. Some may become friends for life, while others wish they had never met.