If you happened to watch “First Dates,” you might have recognized me.
It was me who showed up for tonight’s first date with a lackluster conversation and a miniature house I built because I was cool.
But what you see on TV is only part of the story, and much more happens by the time you walk into the restaurant and sit down at the bar with your heart pounding.
For me, it started with one of my best friends, Caitlin, and my sister, Lucy, recommending it to me.
I’ve been single for a while now, and I’m always stuck in that awkward situation where small talk is boring and emotions are big. gross.
So, after a glass of wine and a bit of nagging, I filled out the application of my own volition.
@rte2 “If you don’t like Spud, you’ll be ignored” 🤣 #FirstDatesIRL replies this Thursday at 9:35pm | @rteplayer ♬ Original song – RTÉ
To be honest, I was confused overall, such as when I answered “I have a heart” to the question “What do you look for in a partner?”
After Bish Bash Bosh, I forgot about it until I got a call while taking a shower. I thought it was my mom, but when I realized it was a member of First Date who answered the phone, I had almost forgotten about it. I threw it out the door.
Yet in 2023, I had the courage to say yes. It wasn’t entirely true, but I knew that if I said no, my best friend and sister would be skinned alive.
So I began the process of a phone interview with the show’s production team. And I quickly realized that I had nothing to fear. Everyone was so positive and what felt like a bad idea turned into a good idea.
My first experience with the entertainment world was when I did a solo interview. There I was asked a lot of questions about myself and my ideal partner.
It may be scary to go inside, but you’ll immediately feel at ease. Plus, I had to talk about mine, and I’m an expert on the subject.
More time passes and it’s time for a date. Was I nervous? It’s definitely made of brick. I don’t like anything about what happens, I’m a total control freak but this was out of my hands.
For the love of God, I didn’t even know if I was going to date a boy or a girl. I was making a list in my head of people who hadn’t come out yet.
I don’t know what happened, but as I walked towards that iconic door, I managed to open it the right way, a switch flipped in my brain, and I was ready to go. a little bit.
First of all, Mateo is beautiful.
My experience was complete after I met him. Why is he so good-looking yet so nice? I ended up telling him about my aunt, and I’ll never forget it.
What they don’t show is the moment he takes you to the bar, and all the while he makes sure you’re okay, reassures you, and lets you know what’s going to happen when you sit down. That’s what I do.
From here on out, what you see is more or less what you get, the chat is real and no one pulls you aside and says “Oh, ask this question!” No. Have you talked to them about this? ” It’s just a date, a date with a camera, but a date nonetheless.
Honestly, you barely notice the camera is there. It’s out of sight so you don’t even feel like you’re being watched, except when you’re in the bathroom. This is difficult to avoid.
The best feature of this restaurant is its quietness. Of course there is a background date, but it’s not loud and there’s no music playing.
So you had to fill that silence, and my big mouth took over (sorry Eilish, you probably feel the words didn’t get through, I get confused when I’m nervous) .
I was very happy to see Irish sitting across from me. We seemed to be on the same wavelength and just had fun and joked around.
The actual date is about an hour and a half later, and it’s time to decide if you want to go on another date. We did.
Spoiler alert, we have never been there. Sorry to disappoint you, but now at least we both have a great story to tell.
But the funniest part of the whole filming process was the scene at the end where the taxi drives about 10 meters and actually says goodbye.
Most people don’t take a taxi anywhere, but I went straight to the airport for my next adventure.