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 Delaney and Troy up for a special night at Villa Denver. 

 

Meet the daters:

Troy | Aquarius

Data Engineer / Software Engineer

Why are you going on a Rooster Blind Date? I don’t like to miss out on opportunities. I don’t go on many dates either.  

What do you do for fun? I like to play a lot of recreational sports—volleyball, soccer, skiing.

What are you best at? Reading the room, and being the soccer goalkeeper.

What do you suck at? I’m bad at saying no at parties.

Do you sing in the shower? Yeah. I like disco music. Sho-be-do-ba-ba. 

Do you want kids? Not anytime soon. 

Immediate red flags: Narcissism. 

One thing you can’t live without: Music and good connections with friends.  

Why did your last relationship end:  It ended because the sparks weren’t there. 

Celebrity crush: I really like Sydney Sweeney. 

Guilty pleasure: Watching Nicolas Cage movies. They are not good movies but I enjoy watching them.

 

Delaney | Libra

Works at REI

Why are you going on a Rooster Blind Date? I randomly saw it and thought it was a longshot but why not fill it out and see what happened. 

What do you do for fun? Kayak. I’m big into kayaking and white-water rafting. Anything outside. Dirt is my happy place. 

What are you best at? Trivia. I don’t know anything useful but I know a lot of random not so useful things.

What do you suck at? Time management.

Do you sing in the shower? Loudly and badly. Classic rock or country. 

Do you want kids? Maybe? I don’t know. Not for a long time if yes.  

Immediate red flags: If someone is really extreme about any opinion. I don’t think any situation – even ones I feel very strongly about – is black and white. 

One thing you can’t live without: People with a sense of humor. 

Why did your last relationship end:  Geography. 

Celebrity crush: Jodi Comer from Killing Eve. 

Guilty pleasure: Really bad horror movies. 

Round 1

It’s a hot, summer night in Larimer Square. Troy and Delaney fight Denver traffic and arrive just in time for happy hour at Villa Denver. They say their hellos and we send them off to their cool and comfortable table to order some cocktails and tapas.

How’s it going so far?

T: I think it’s going pretty well. Nothing to awkward. I think she’s outgoing and overall a good presence.

D: Good. I think were both kind of in that tense first meeting phase, but were vibing and were on the same page about a lot of stuff, so that’s good.

What were your first impressions of the dater? 

T: She’s got a pretty good aurora. She’s nice and she’s really into outdoorsy stuff. She works at REI which is cool. She’s probably from Colorado and knows a lot of cool spots to go to. 

D: He seems like a very open person. He’s really cute and has nice eyes. This situation is inherently a good sign that he’s open to new experiences.  We haven’t had any lags in conversation yet.  

Is this the type of person you’d normally date?

T: Normally date, no. But I have a history of dating crazy, wild girls. Maybe she is, but I just don’t know yet.   

D: I guess? Not no, but not yes.  I date a variety of people, so sure?

Where do you normally meet potential partners? 

T: Usually at house parties or concerts where I have a big group of friends, or through a friend of a friend. 

D: Everywhere. Sometimes in person, sometimes through friends, dating apps or bars. If you’re open to building relationships with people in general, whether it’s sexual, romantic or platonic, and put that kind of vibe out, you’ll get it back. 

What are you most nervous about for tonight? 

T: Doing something embarrassing like talking with my mouth full, spilling food or saying something stupid. 

D: Nothing in particular. I just have that normal social dating anxiety with first meeting someone, but apart from that nothing.  I’m excited and open to the experience. The worst case is we don’t get along and we go our separate ways, and the best case it turns into something.

Did you get any advice for this date? 

T: No. Not really. I told my friends that it’s in Rooster and some of them were joking around like I should put on a full act, which is not good advice at all. Some said to be myself and that’s the best advice. You can’t be afraid to be yourself. 

D: I talked to my sister about it briefly and she said, “Sounds weird, have fun.” She was excited for me to do something weird and different especially since it’s a true blind date.

How did you prepare for the date? 

T: I didn’t have very much time. I work 9-5, so I showered, got ready and I took a shot or two of Jamo to calm the nerves before I hopping in an Uber.

D: I just got dressed and drove here. I didn’t really prepare.

How did your date dress tonight? 

T: Its summer, it looks like a sundress. I find that attractive. Sundresses are good in the summer.  

D: Is it bad that I don’t know? Nice, but laid back. Not over the top. 

 

Round 2

The outdoors – check. Live music – check. It seems like they are both passing the vibe check, even after Rooster accidentally eats their Chicarrónes (sorry, but it was so worth it!).  After they get their new order of Chicarrónes and some other yummy tapas, we pull them apart to see how things are going.

How’s it going?

T: Good. It’s been smooth. We started talking about music a lot and I think we connected about that. All the bands that we knew and festivals and fun stuff. 

D: Good. We’re getting along. We have a lot in common. But I don’t know if there’s something there or not…. it’s kind of hard to tell on any date but it’s also added pressure with the interview, so I can’t really tell right now. Otherwise, it’s going well.

What have you been talking about? 

T: It’s been jumping around quite a bit. We’ve talked about sports, what we like about Colorado. We talked about music and then we went on a rant about psychedelics. Her dad does ketamine therapy. I think that’s cool and I enjoy doing that, too, from time to time, recreationally. My mom might read this, but she loves Rooster!

D: A lot about ketamine therapy. That’s the topic we happen to be on. We’ve talked a lot about music and the standards like family and whatever.  

Do you two have anything in common? 

T: Yes. Music, we know a lot of the same bands. We are both a little nerdy in a sense. She mentioned Dungeons & Dragons and I mentioned my career and how I used to go through big video games phases.  

D: Yeah. We also talked some about recreational sports that we love – kickball, volleyball and stuff like that. It seems like we have pretty similar music tastes – some disco, funk, jam bands etc. 

What do you like about your date?

T: I like that she’s outgoing and she doesn’t seem shy at all. She has an open mind to be on a blind date. It takes some effort to do and I respect that.  

D: He’s good at curating and there is a lot of reciprocity of asking each other questions and keeping the conversation going. He’s easy to talk to. It doesn’t feel like there’s any pressure which is nice.  

What do you not like about your date? 

T: That’s a loaded question. I don’t think there’s anything not to like. So far so good.

 D: There’s not an immediate sense of chemistry is the only thing I could maybe point to, but in terms of conversation and on paper – there’s nothing I don’t like. I don’t get the sense that he’s feeling anything in terms of chemistry which is totally fine.

What’s the most attractive thing about your date? 

T: Being able to keep a conversation.

D: He’s definitely an active listener. In terms of paraphrasing and asking follow up questions. He’s not just waiting for his turn to talk. I find that very attractive. He has a genuine level of engagement. 

How would your parents feel about the dater? 

T: My mom is a saint. She gets overly excited about any partner that comes into my life. She needs to know everything. I’m sure she would absolutely adore her. My dad, I feel like he doesn’t have too much of an opinion. He goes with the flow.  

D: Fine, I guess. They probably would not think he was the worst by a long shot. I guess they’d probably like him and they’d get along pretty well. There would be plenty to talk about. No immediate red flags or anything. 

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

T: This place has been really cool. I love tapas and it’s been delicious. The food has been amazing. The drinks are great, the service is great and the conversation is good. The steak was amazing. 

D: The conversation has been really good. 

What could make the date better? 

T: Going out for another drink after. It’s going well so far. 

D: If we could find a topic to talk about that felt like we were breaking through those stereotypical questions that we could really both engage in. I feel like it would be easier to have a free-flowing conversation.  We did kind of with the ketamine therapy and micro dosing.

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

T: I’d say a 7 or an 8. 

D: Maybe a 4?

Where would you like the night to go from here? 

T: I’m fine with any result. Either grab another drink or exchange numbers or meet up another time.

D: I’m kind of open to whatever happens as long as it’s a positive experience. It can go any direction. I’m cool with it.

 

Round 3

The sparks might not be flying, but are there some sparks that could ignite? We can’t really tell yet.  We leave them with a couple of Calle Ocho Espresso Martinis hoping they can break through to the other side.  We check in the next day to see how the rest of the night went. 

How was Villa Denver? 

T: It was great. The food was delicious, a great place for tapas, and the atmosphere was cool. It had good service and good drinks too.

D: Villa was awesome! Great atmosphere and absolutely fantastic food.   

What happened after Rooster left?

T: We finished up our last drink we ended up going across the street to the Rhein Haus to grab another beer and keep the night going a little bit. She dropped me off – gave me a ride home. 

D: We went across the street and grabbed a couple of beers, then I drove him home. 

What was the best part of the date and why?

T: The best part was having food, drinks and conversions with someone new. 

D: We really bonded over music and shared new artists with each other!

Was there a goodnight kiss?

T: There was a goodnight kiss.

D: Yes. 

Will there be a second date? 

T: I could see there being one. She mentioned she couldn’t really quite tell if I was into her or not, and she mentioned she might have a friend who’d be a better fit for me. 

D: We exchanged numbers but both felt like we would be better as friends. He is a good kisser though… 

Any advice for future Blind Daters? 

T: Just go in. If you get nervous it’s natural, but go in being yourself and it will be a good time. 

D: It sounds cliché but just be yourself and enjoy each other’s company like you would on any date.  

Anything you want to end with? 

T: I had a good time, but hey what even is time?

D: This was a blast! I highly recommend it to anyone looking to try something different in the dating world. Thanks for a fun night, Rooster!

 

Conclusion

A kiss is a kiss, so we’re considering this Blind Date a win! Even if they might be better off as friends. But hey, who says you can’t kiss your friends? It’s called friends with benefits for a reason. Now, on to the next blind date because love is in the air!