Each month, we set two daters up at a restaurant, give them free food and drinks, then wait for the magic to happen. This month's Blind Date, we set Nicki and Wade up for a special night at Avanti Food & Beverage. 

Meet The Daters

Nicki

Current job: Service industry at Cherry Cricket Ballpark.
Favorite food: Anything Italian. 
Biggest Pet Peeve: Someone who has to always one up your story. 
Cats or Dogs: Both—but I'm a cat mom at the moment.
Winter or Summer: Summer.
Do you want kids? Perhaps.
One of your best qualities: I can talk to anyone; I’m funny. 
How many times have you been in love? Twice. 
One thing you can’t live without: Laughter.
Strange date story? The second time I used Hinge, we met at Blake Street and talked for 20 minutes, then he literally asked me if we were going to hookup or what… 
How did your last relationship end: It was mutual. We wanted to live our own lives.  
Celebrity Crush: John Mayer.
Guilty pleasure: Snacks in bed, snacks all the time. They call me Nicki snacks. 
 

Wade

Current job: Contract administrator at an Internet service provider. 
Favorite food: BBQ or tacos.
Biggest Pet Peeve: The lack of public transportation to the mountains. 
Cats or Dogs: Cat. I have a Bengal cat.
Winter or Summer: Toss up. 
Do you want kids? Potentially. 
One of your best qualities: Channeling nihilism into humor. 
Immediate Red Flag: Someone who isn’t open. 
How many times have you been in love? One to four.
One thing you can’t live without: The movie Night at the Roxbury. 
Strange date story? I drove 35 minutes to meet a gorgeous woman who was trashed after a company soft ball event. I had to get a hold of her sister and mom to stop her from driving home and I had to drive her vehicle to her mom’s house. She went to Arizona state so I should have known.  
How did your last relationship end: She was concerned that I used a women's razor to shave. 
Celebrity Crush: John Mayer. 
Guilty pleasure: Spending too much time grooming my mustache. 

First Round:
After having to cancel the date due to a winter snowstorm, we finally connect on a wet Colorado night at Avanti. The two daters slide into the date with tequila sodas and whiskey cocktails as they get to know each other. Liquored up on honesty juice, we pull them aside to see first impressions. 

How would you describe your dating life in three words? 

Nicki: Tedious. Fun. Sporadic.
Wade: Spans the spectrum.  

Where do you normally meet potential partners?

N: Mutual friends, bars, concerts. 
W: Online or magazines. 

What are you most nervous about for tonight?

N: That I’ll be a little too much for him. Afraid of saying the wrong thing. 
W: Deciding which of the six restaurants I’m going to order from. 

Why do you think you’re a catch?

N: I can be anyone’s friend. 
W: Because I own a Bengal cat named Artemis—she’s turning 8 this month. 

What are you looking for in a partner?

N: A best friend. Adventure partner. I haven’t been able to find that. 
W: Someone who enjoys living the Denver Dream. 

What makes for a successful relationship?

N: Communication. Being goofballs. Laughing and letting go. 
W: Strong preferences and flexibility. The ability to be spontaneous while maintaining long term goals. 

Did you get any advice for this date?

N: Yes. My friends and family both said don’t even think about it and take shots. 
W: Yes. I created a twitter poll about whether I should be wild and wholesome. It came out with 53 percent wholesome, 37 percent wild.  

How did you prepare for the date?

N: I ate snacks with my best friend. 
W: I created a Twitter poll. 

What was the first thing you noticed about the dater?

N: His mustache and his eyes. 
W: I really liked her turquoise earrings. 

What are your first impressions?

N: He’s sweet. He had a hard time making eye contact. 
W: We have a lot in common. A lot of similar interests. 

Are you attracted to your date?

N: Yeah, he’s cute. 
W: Absolutely.  

 

Round Two: 
Over a plate of nacho fries, the daters dive into the fact that they both have a celebrity crush on John Mayer and they both own cats. Our dating algorithm couldn’t be more spot on. We let them toss back a few more cheesy fries before we pull them aside to see how things are going.  

How was dinner?

N: We’re having trouble deciding on food. The nacho fries were great. 
W: It was great.We’ve enjoyed our time together exploring so many options. 

Have your first impressions changed?

N: No. It got a little better. 
W: No, she seems really fun. 

Do you guys have anything in common?

N: Yeah, our music. We have cats. The John Mayer thing. 
W: We have a lot in common. We might even go to a John Mayer concert together. 

Are there any deal breakers so far?

N: Eye contact and looking at his phone. 
W: No. 

What’s something interesting you’ve learned about your date?

N: He has a bengal cat. It got lost and someone reported it missing as a stray. 
W: We have many similar tastes in music. And we both have lived in Connecticut. 

How do they compare to other people you’ve dated?

N: Similar awkwardness… 
W: She has better music choice and is more fun. 

What would your parents say about the dater?

N: He’s a sweet boy. 
W: Parents would say we’re glad to see you getting out there with the cute gals and we’re glad that you’re happy. 

What’s been the best part of the date so far?

N: This drink. Mescal.
W: The number of similar interests. We both have cats named after Greek figures. 

What could make the date better?

N: If we walked around for a little bit. Take a stroll. 
W: If we were invited to the comedy show. 

How’s the chemistry on a scale of 1 to 10?

N: 5
W: (Googling term)… Cellular osmosis 

Where do you see the night going?

N: Probably go to my job after and tell everyone, then go to a dive bar. 
W: Downstairs toward the Arepas and Bistro. 

 

Restaurant Quote: 

“Her body language is leaning away… I give it a .5 out of 10 for being a success. Other observations include her tapping other people to talk to.”

Lydia, Manager
 

Round Three: 
As we leave the daters to their own, we are on the fence about whether there's chemistry in the air. Maybe a few more tequila sodas will do the trick. We check back in the next morning and see how things ended after Rooster left. 

What happened after Rooster left?

N: We did a few more Irish Slammers and walked around Avanti and shared an appetizer. 
W: We hung out a little more, split elote and an Arepa then went to another bar to chat.  

Did Rooster find a match?

N: Perhaps! 
W: I think so! 

How did the date end? 

N: We met with friends at a different bar. 
W: We exchanged numbers. 

Was there a goodnight kiss? 

N: We smooched. 
W: Yes. 

Would you have changed anything about the date?

N: Not really. Shout out to our server Savannah! She was dope. 
W: No, I don’t think so. We had a blast!  
  
Would you go on a second date with them?

N: Perhaps! 
W: Yes, I would. I think we’re going to the John Mayer concert for it. The Rooster needs to come document it. 
 
Is there anything you want to end with?

N: I’m glad I actually went because I was nervous about being out of my element. I never go on blind dats or use dating apps. It’s exciting doing something new. 
W: Thanks to the Rooster team for setting this up! 

 

Conclusion

If there’s one thing we’ve learned from this date, it’s that John Mayer is a tall glass of water everyone wants to taste. Between Bengal cats and pop culture guitarists, these daters are destined for a second date of weeping guitars and cat licks. The world is a strange place but if things go right, these two might truly find out that our bodies are nothing, if not a wonderland.