A couple weeks ago, my friends and I were sharing stories about our best and worst dates. Some of the stories were funny, some were inspiring, and some were downright horrifying. After hearing all the stories, a couple of my friends decided it would be a great idea to go on blind dates. Because blind dates are traditionally success stories, right?
The select few of the group that thought this was an awful idea, myself included, opted out of the blind date extravaganza, choosing to instead observe from the sidelines. The majority, however, jumped onboard the crazy train, and so the saga began. The rules were as follows:
1. Each person who was participating in the blind date challenge put their name in a hat (metaphorically speaking; it was actually a pile on the floor because nobody had a hat), and the person whose name they drew was the person they were setting up.
2. The setter-upper chose the person, time, and place, and no names were given to anyone in the group (to avoid the chance of someone googling their date beforehand)
3. When going on a date, at least one other in the group had to be informed in case a quick escape was needed (car trouble, anyone?)
4. Everyone would share their story after the date was over, no matter how good or bad the date went.
The three of us who weren’t participating observed in silence, hoping that if the dates went badly, which at least one of them was destined to, it would be one of the comedic stories rather than a horrifying one.
It was about two weeks after the initial challenge was set up that the first date happened. Girl #1 was set up with a musician of relative fame (as in, she had a minor fangirl moment when she realized this was her date), and it seemed like it might be a good match. At the very least, she got to meet someone famous and actually have a conversation with him. But alas, it was not meant to be. The musician took her to… Victoria’s Secret! For a first date! He told her to buy something pretty because he wanted her to look nice for that night. She laughed in his face and got out of there, not bothering to put up a pretense by using a fake excuse to leave. Suffice it to say, there was no second date. Mark this one in the fail category.
Boy #1 was set up next. He was told to meet his date in a pub on Huntington, so it was looking to be a pretty casual thing. The girl he was meeting seemed nice enough, and they had good conversation, but he couldn’t help but notice that she disappeared every so often with various excuses, like saying she was going to the bathroom or to get more food. After sitting alone for fifteen minutes, my friend decided to go looking to check if she was okay, and he found her in the opposite corner of the pub, sitting with another guy. Turns out, she was juggling two dates at the same time! My friend was polite about it, but he made it clear that he wasn’t up for something quite this casual. Another mark for the fail column.
Up next was girl #2. Her date took her to a Celtics game, which turned out to be a good choice as she was a huge Celtics fan. They took cute selfies together and ate stadium food and had an overall good time. They plan to continue dating and see how things progress. Mark one for the success column.
Boy #2 met his date at Prudential Center, and they decided to go to dinner together. His date was pretty snobby, so things were looking down from the very beginning. She demanded that they go to Capital Grille, which is a fancy, expensive steakhouse. Boy #2 was a bit hesitant to agree because he knew that his date would expect him to pay, and he wasn’t positive that he could afford it. Eventually, though, his date got her way and they sat down for a fancy dinner (where she made it clear that he would be paying). His date ordered first, and he knew he was in for a long night when she ordered the most expensive thing on the menu. Boy #2 chose to stick to the sides for the sake of saving money, yet he is unsurprised when the bill comes and it exceeds $100 by far. Ever the gentleman, he pays the bill and walks his date home, though he declined her offer to go on a second date. Mark three for the fail column.
The final date in my friend group was girl #3. She and her date went of a really cute date at a café, and they seemed to have a lot in common. Conversation was flowing and she liked him, so it seemed like this date might be a success. Girl #3 was just getting ready to ask him if he wanted to go on a second date when the date took a slight turn. Her date had gone to the bathroom, and as he was returning, he knocked into a waiter, causing him to tip his drink tray and spill hot tea and coffee all over girl #3. She handled it with grace, laughing it off despite the fact that she was completely soaked, but she never got around to asking him on a second date. She seemed to really like him, so perhaps when the sting of having coffee and tea dumped on her wears off, she’ll agree to another date. As far as success or failure, I don’t think this really classifies as either, so the final score is 3 fails and 1 success (with one that could swing either way, depending on how things go).
So, the whole blind date thing wasn’t a total success. But it also wasn’t a raging failure, which is what I thought it would be. There were ups and downs, but at least one potential relationship resulted from this whole blind date challenge.
As a spectator, I found the whole ordeal to be… interesting. I was intrigued that people were willing to go on horrible blind dates just for the sake of going on a date. Granted, not all of them were completely horrible, but still. I mean, I can see how the idea of a blind date is appealing; it’s with a stranger, there’s a blank slate, no expectations or preconceived ideas, and if it fails, it can just be chalked up as a one-and-done. But in order for a blind date to have even the slightest chance at success, some thought needs to be put into it. The person setting the date up should find people that actually have stuff in common who might actually like each other if the stands a chance of succeeding.
I guess the moral of the story is that blind dates are unpredictable. I’m not knocking blind dates; if blind date’s are your thing, go ahead and go on a blind date. But blind dates aren’t going to be successful unless they are set up for a reason (beyond being lonely and wanting to go on a date). So, if you are planning on going on a blind date- or setting up a blind date challenge like my friends- be thoughtful in your selections. Who knows, a good blind date could lead to your next relationship (or a career in matchmaking, if you plan a successful date).