MORNING SHOW WEEDING OUT WANNABE BRIDES.

Byline: - Fred Shuster

It's the ultimate blind date.

Morning team Mark and Brian's reality-radio experiment on KLOS-FM (95.5) continued Wednesday with a revealing interview of a third wannabe bride hoping to meet her groom through the show.

Since Monday, female finalists have been subjected to sometimes painfully personal questions from the hosts and listeners as part of the ``2 Strangers and a Wedding'' stunt. As the process plays out, five bachelorettes and five bachelors will be scrutinized and attached to a lie detector before two winners are attached to each other.

The catch: Bride and groom will meet for the first time on their wedding day March 3 aboard the Queen Mary. The couple will then be whisked away for a Hawaiian honeymoon. Separate hotel rooms and eventual divorce are optional. (In reality, the ``wedding'' is a commitment ceremony.)

``It takes guts because they're in for a real grilling on the air,'' said Mark Thompson, who, with broadcast partner Brian Phelps, has been on Los Angeles radio for almost 20 years. ``They have to answer questions nobody should be forced to answer in public.''

Show staff waded through hundreds of applicants to pick the 10 finalists, whose backgrounds were fully investigated before they were invited to appear on the popular KLOS morning show, which airs 7 to 10 a.m. weekdays. Listeners can call in to the show at [phone].

Wednesday, the contestant dubbed ``Jane,'' who is 34 and lives in Costa Mesa, winced audibly when interrogated about her sexual history.

On-air interviews include a personal examination of each finalist, with input from friends, family members, ex-lovers, relationship counselors and, finally, the guy with the lie detector. Identities are being kept secret.

Starting Friday, listeners can vote online (955klos.com) for their favorite potential bride. The female winner will be announced by Mark and Brian on Tuesday and the search for a groom begins Feb. 13, the day before Valentine's Day.