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 MC and Rafael up for a special night at Frank's Chophouse in Boulder.

Meet The Daters:

MC


Hometown: San Diego, CA 
Current job: Grad Student 
Why are you going on Rooster’s Blind Date: Because my friend submitted me for it. 
What do you do for fun: Run, play with my dogs. 
What are you best at? Running and photography.  
What do you suck at? Being on time. 
Do you sing in the shower: No. 
What are you most grateful for: That I get to live here with my dogs. 
Do you want kids? Maybe. Not worried about it. 
Immediate red flags: Doesn’t like animals. Rude to waitstaff. Mansplains. 
Fill in the blanks: I want my date to be “blank” and “blank”: Fun and good conversation. 
One thing you can’t live without: My dogs. 
Why did your last relationship end: Because they lied, cheated and gaslit me. 
Celebrity crush: Justin Timberlake. 
Guilty pleasure: Lime Hot Cheetos. 

Rafael


Hometown: Gypsum 
Current job: Mechanical Engineer 
Why are you going on Rooster’s Blind Date: For the experience and the food.
What do you do for fun: I like to hike, run and play soccer. 
What are you best at? Listening. 
What do you suck at? Talking.
Do you sing in the shower: Yeah, I do… when a song is stuck in my head.  
What are you most grateful for: My family. 
Do you want kids? Yes.
Dating life in three words: It just started. 
Immediate red flags: Being rude to the staff. 
Fill in the blanks: I want my date to be “blank” and “blank”: Fun and easy going. 
One thing you can’t live without: Mountains. 
Why did your last relationship end: Long distance. We were pre-engaged and she was supposed to move here but didn’t. 
Celebrity crush: Ana De Armas. 
Guilty pleasure: Online chess.  

First Round
The night is set on the beautiful patio of Frank’s Chophouse. The daters arrive—MC, about 20 minutes late— and we quickly give them a couple of craft cocktails to quell the nervous vibes. Once the calamari appetizers and dinner steaks are ordered, we awkwardly pull them aside to talk about first impressions. 

How’s it going so far? 
R: Good. I think it’s going alright.
M: Good. I don’t know yet.  

What were your first impressions of the dater?
R: She has a lot of tattoos. 
M: He seems nice. Probably a little nervous. I feel like I was talking a lot and he was taking a second to gather his thoughts. 

Is this the type of person you’d normally date?
R: No. She’s attractive though. 
M: I think it’s the type of person I have dated.  

Where do you normally meet potential partners?
R: Soccer teams. Online dating. 
M: Through friends or out and about. 

What’s the strangest dating story you have?
R: We were on a date and I had to go pick up her brother from a car accident.
M: Definitely this one.   

What are you most nervous about for tonight?
R: Awkward silences.
M: I’m not — low bar expectations. 

Did you get any advice for this date?
R: Just have fun. 
M: No. Everyone thought it was funny. My friends were talking about coming out to observe. 

How did you prepare for the date?
R: I took a shower and put some clothes on. 
M: Googling previous ones because I didn’t know what I was getting into. 

How did your date dress tonight?
R: She’s very attractive. She’s showing off her tattoos for sure. They look good. 
M: Nice? 

Will there be a goodnight kiss?
R: I’m not sure. We’ll see how it progresses.
M: Unknown. He kinda, just slightly, very slightly, looks like my brother.    

Round Two: 
The five worst words a date can hear, “you look like my sibling.” We’ll brush it off as first round hallucinations and hopefully the hand cut steaks and sunset will mask the similarities to any familial ties. The daters finish up their last bites and we follow up to see how the date is going.  

How was dinner at Frank’s Chophouse?
R: Awesome. One of the better steaks I’ve had. 
M: Delicious. Everything was cooked perfectly and the patio is amazing. 

How’s the date going? 
R: Good conversation. 
M: It’s fine. Conversation is good. 

Do you guys have anything in common?
R: Running. She’s a big runner. 
M: We have a lot in common. We both run. We both are in the aerospace industry. 

What do you like about your date?
R: She’s Mexican so that’s a plus. 
M: It’s easy to talk to him. 

What do you not like about your date?
R: Nothing, I think she seems great. 
M: He looks a little bit like my brother. It’s really the only complaint I have so far. 

What’s the most attractive thing your date has done so far?
R: Talk about running. 
M: I’m neutral about this. He keeps asking questions. 

How would your parents feel about the dater?
R: I think they’d like her. She’s pretty smart and easy to talk to. 
M: I don’t think they’d dislike him. 

What’s been the best part of the date so far?
R: Food has been great. The company is great. 
M: The conversation. 

What could make the date better?
R: Couple more drinks and to talk more. 
M: If he didn’t look like my brother. 

How’s the chemistry on a scale of 1 to 10?
R: 7
M: 6-8: it fluctuates. 

Where would you like the night to go from here?
R: Drink and keep talking at another bar. 
M: I have some stuff due tomorrow so I don’t think the night is extending further. 

Round Three: 
The daters continue to talk about jogging with MC being able to run a whopping 5:30 mile. While they share glances over Ribeyes, we finish up our cold beers and head for the exit. The next morning, we check back in with the daters to see if we missed anything from the night before.  

What happened after Rooster left?
R: I walked her to her car and she said I remind her of her brother then we went our separate ways.
M: We talked a little longer, then parted ways. 

What was the best part of the date and why?
R: MC! She is a Fun person to talk to.
M: The best part was the conversation because it didn’t really feel awkward or forced at any point.

Would you have changed anything about the date?
R: No. 
M: Maybe an activity date vs dinner date. 

Was there a goodnight kiss?
R: No, but we had a side hug…  
M: No kiss. 

Will there be a second date?
R: No, we might run together. 
M: Nope no second date. 

Any advice for future blind daters?
R: Enjoy the experience. 
M: Plan to have a good meal, otherwise no expectations. 

Is there anything you want to end with?
R: Really fun date, and I made a new running friend.
M: Overall it was an amusing experience!

Conclusion
Side hugs and future run dates don’t sound promising but the daters came for an experience and Frank’s Chophouse provided. Over steaks, cocktails and the evening breeze, our daters shared a night they’ll never forget. Rafael found great conversation and MC found a doppelganger for her brother — what more could we ask for! Rooster will head back to the headquarters and once again go in search of love.