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 Kelli & Alfonso up at My Neighbor Felix!

Meet the Daters!

Name: Kelli 

Sign: Leo 

Current job: Product Manager

Why are you going on Rooster’s Blind Date? I figured, why not? I had just been ghosted by someone on the apps. 

What’s a good way to win you over? Be curious. I want you to want to know about me. 

Most irrational fear: A shark in the deep end of the swimming pool. The minute I go underwater, I’m like Oh my god, where’s it at?! It could happen! 

What’s your greatest strength? My resiliency. I thrive in almost any situation you throw me into. I find a silver lining no matter what. 

Do you want kids? No. I would adopt if I had the money. 

What do you geek out on? True crime documentaries. I’m a Dateline faithful. I even watch the new episodes. I fall asleep to Dateline. His voice is so soothing. 

Immediate red flags: Not being kind to service workers, or someone who just generally seems pessimistic. I’m pretty optimistic. I try to find a silver lining or at least a lesson learned in everything. 

Immediate green flags: Someone being curious, and someone who looks like they have their own sense of style. A little uniqueness to them. 

What is your toxic trait as a partner? Anxiety. When it creeps up, I’m not necessarily myself. And I think it can come out in my relationships. But I have been actively working on that. Therapy works! 

One thing you can’t live without? Peppermint tea before bed. Nighttime peppermint tea and some Dateline. 

Why did your last relationship end? He was moving to Montreal, and long distance didn’t work for us. 

Celebrity crush: Bad Bunny. 

Guilty pleasure: Bravo TV. Reality TV. Right now, my favorite is Real Housewives of Salt Lake City. It’s the best. The Miami Housewives are really good this season, too. It’s been crazy!

Name: Alfonso 

Sign: Cancer. 

Current job: Structural engineer 

Why are you going on Rooster’s Blind Date? Why not? I think in a dating environment that gets a bad rep, it’s a cool way to switch it up a bit into something different. 

What’s a good way to win you over? Be compassionate towards others. That’s super attractive. And showing empathy to others. 

Most irrational fear:  Not muting myself in a Zoom meeting. I always think about that. 

What’s your greatest strength? Empathy and loyalty. My friends would describe me as that. 

Do you want kids? I do. Two. A boy and a girl, but honestly, it’s a two-person decision. But that’s where my head’s at. 

What do you geek out on? A lot of stuff. I geek out on design, specifically interior design. I’m always looking at interior buildings because it goes with my job. My favorite in the area is The Ramble Hotel. It’s really nice inside. 

Immediate red flags: Not communicating well or not expressing well.  Being rude or unkind to others is a really big one for me. 

Immediate green flags: Along a similar vein, driven, compassionate, and family-oriented. 

What is your toxic trait as a partner? I can be stubborn at times. I’ve navigated as a single guy for a while, so when it comes to merging into a relationship, there’s a transition period where I still operate as a single person. 

One thing you can’t live without? My dog, Nala. It’s her birthday today! She’s a chocolate brown lab mix with some Weimaraner in her.   

Why did your last relationship end? She moved to Chicago, and the move exposed some underlying issues that we were having. It ended up not working out. 

Celebrity crush: Rachel McAdams. 

Guilty pleasure: Trash TV is a big one. Lately, it’s been the dating shows. I’m watching Love is Blind. 

Round 1

Raise your hand if you’ve already binged the new Love is Blind. If your hand isn’t raised, you’ve probably been living under a large boulder the size of a small boulder. This season was filmed in Denver and somehow featured the least Denvery Denverites in existence. Everyone knows someone who knows someone from the show. Tonight, we’re at My Neighbor Felix, which you probably recognize from episode 8. That officially makes us one step away from reality TV, including our daters, Kelli and Alfonso, who skipped tonight’s episodes for their own shot at love. 

How are things going so far?
A: They are going great. The conversation is going really well, and she’s easy to talk to.
K: I think it’s going really great. We’re both really chatty, and he’s been curious, which is nice.

What were your first impressions of the dater?
A: She had kind eyes, and she was smiling a lot, which is really cool. All positive first impressions.
K: I thought he had some unique style. He put some thought into his appearance today, and that goes very far with me. Putting effort into yourself, especially in casual Denver.

What was the first thing you noticed about your date?
A: Her eyes. She was smiling, too. That’s the first thing I gravitated toward.
K: His sweater. It reminds me of a childhood blanket, so it’s very nostalgic. It looks like my blankie! I told him that in a good way. He thought it was cute. 

Is this the type of person you’d normally date?
A: I don’t really have a type. So yeah, absolutely.
K: Yeah, I think so. I don’t necessarily have a type. I go off of personality, vibes, and general charisma. I think there is that spark. The conversation has been flowing very nicely.

Where do you normally meet partners?
A: My last couple of relationships have been out in the wild. I met my last relationship at the gym. I did a singles mixer last summer, and I went on a few dates with somebody from there.
K: I do a little bit of everything. I dabble in the apps because I feel like you have to these days, but I have the most luck when I meet people in real life. Either through friends or through my hobbies. I met a man on the street at Santa Fe First Friday. Unfortunately, we didn’t work out, but he knows I’m doing this tonight.

What are you most nervous about for tonight?
A: I would say it was more anticipation than nervousness. I was kind of a little anxious and looking forward to it, honestly.
K: If I had to constantly pick up the lull in conversion or lead the conversion. Not to toot my own horn, but I think I’m a pretty good first date, so I wasn’t too nervous about it. Or if he was a shitty person, but I would assume that Rooster wouldn’t pick out that kind of person.

Did you get any advice for the date?
A: I did mention it to a few friends. They told me a bunch of stuff to ask, but I’m just going to go with the flow. I did not bring a list of questions, but they were so eager to help. They tried.
K: Yes. I definitely ran my outfit through my special group of friends. My favorite friend told me I look expensive. She said, ‘You’ve been watching Housewives all your life. You live this. You are expensive.’ It was a confidence booster.

How did you prepare for the date?
A: I didn’t do too much in preparation, honestly. I went to work and came straight here.
K: I had a busy day today. I definitely took an hour off work early to get ready. I had to take my cat to the vet. I tried to stay as chill as possible while getting ready. I listened to a good bit of music. I didn’t let myself watch Love is Blind so I could remain optimistic. I’m so excited to watch this week’s episode!

How did your date dress tonight?
A: She looks great. I like her blouse. It’s flowy.
K: I thought he looks very good. He’s got some accessories going on. He looks stylish. I like the piercings.

What are you looking forward to in the next round?
A: Getting to know her and  getting a little bit deeper in the conversation.
K: Getting to know him more. We’ve already covered a good bit of topics, but diving deeper into the juicer stuff. 

Round 2

Kelli and Alfonso are sitting across from each other instead of talking to a wall, but that hasn’t stopped them from effortlessly connecting. Their conversation is flowing smoother than the weird lava-lamp wall in the pods. No producers, prompts, or creative editing needed to make our daters seem interested in each other. After an appetizer, we interrupt them to see how real this really is. 

How was dinner at My Neighbor Felix?
A: It was great. The food was really good, and Jazz, our server, is awesome. Jazz is the man!
K: It was very delicious. It’s great that they have a plant-based offering on the menu. I’m not fully veggie; I can get down on a random hot dog, but I eat a lot of tofu at home.

How’s the date going?
A: The date is going well. I’m getting to know her a little better. She’s a dancer. She dances hip-hop and grew up with classical. Big dancer. I love to move my body, but I wouldn’t say I’m a dancer, per se. I’ve got no shame.
K: I think it’s going really well. The conversation still hasn’t had a lull. We’re both asking questions. We seem to have a lot of things in common. I feel like both of our interests are very broad, which is really nice.

Do you two have anything in common?
A: We have a lot in common. We like the outdoors. I feel like we’re both pretty driven people; she’s really kind, and she values her family. That meshes well.
K: Yeah, we definitely have a wide range of interests. The biggest thing in common is probably our love of travel and curiosity. We’ve both been to Iceland and talked about that.

What do you like about your date?
A: She asks very intentional questions and is intentional with the way the conversation goes.
K: I like that he’s been able to open up and be kind of deep on a first date. You don’t always get that on a first date. It can be very superficial.

What do you not like about your date?
A: I can’t think of anything that I don’t like about her.
K: This is such a hard question! I don’t know if we necessarily align with the wanting kids stuff, but that’s something that comes in time with more conversation.

What’s the most attractive thing your date has done so far?
A: I think she’s very intentional with her questions. That’s really attractive to me. She shares the same values about family.
K: He talked about his time doing nonprofit work after college. Seeing the maturity of someone right out of college of being able to do that and talk about his experience is really attractive.

How would your parents feel about the dater?
A: They would like her. I don’t know her super well either, but I think that everything I’ve seen, they would obviously like as well.
K: I think they would like him, especially since he’s done some fly fishing. My dad’s a fly fisherman. My mom loves to talk and he’s pretty easy to talk to.

What’s been the best part of the date so far?
A: The conversation has flowed really well. We’ve been able to joke around with each other, and she laughs at the things that I say, so that’s nice. It’s very easy flowing.
K: Really just getting to know him and how the conversation has been flowing so naturally. I think it’s the comfortability too.

What could make the date better?
A: It would be fun to see her in a different environment than a dinner date.
K: A second date!

How’s the chemistry on a scale of 1 to 10?
A: You’re making me rate it?! 8. I would need to know more about her to make it a 10.
K: Part of me wants to say a 9, but I’m worried that he doesn’t feel the same. So, in that case, a 7.

Where would you like the night to go from here?
A: I think we’re both very much homebodies. I think we would wrap it up here, and we’ll see where it ends. Ideally, a second date.
K: It is getting a little late, and I work pretty early. So, probably not too much longer.

Do you think there’s going to be a second date?
A: I think so.
K: I would like there to be.

What do you think of the new Love is Blind season?
A: It’s a hot topic. No matter how strong the attraction is in the pods, some elements can only be seen in real life. At the end of the day, love is a choice. I think a lot of people, in general, give up on love easily and hit the eject button right away rather than try to work it out.
K: I feel like the cast of characters is not representative of Denver people, but I think the shit show is representative of the Denver dating scene. Nobody’s hiking or skiing! 

Round 3

If this were Love is Blind, this would be the part where Kelli and Alfonso confess their love, get engaged, and meet face-to-face. Luckily, this isn’t reality TV. There are no pods, no gold goblets, and is way less cringe than what we all hate-watched last month. Kelli and Alfonso actually seem to like each other, unlike this season’s couples. After binging the newest episodes, we check in to see what happened after Rooster left. 

What happened after Rooster left?
A: We continued talking. We shut that place down. I walked her to her car, and that was it.
K: We had some more conversation, and by then they were closing down the restaurant, so we took a little stroll to talk more. Then went home.

What was the best part of the date and why?
A: Getting to know a new person was really fun. She’s really interesting and brings a lot to the table. It was cool to get to the beginning stages of getting to know somebody.
K: Getting to know him more. I touched on it in the last interview, but I think we went deeper than surface-level first date stuff, and I really like that.

Would you have changed anything about the date?
A: No. It was perfect.
K: No.

Was there a goodnight kiss, hug or exchange of numbers?
A: Hug and exchange of numbers. No kiss. It didn’t feel like the right opportunity arose.
K: We hugged, and I gave him my number. No kiss, but yesterday was a lot, so it would have felt weird anyway.

Will there be a second date?
A: Yeah, absolutely. I will follow up with her.
K: Yeah, he has already reached out today and asked if I’m free on Tuesday. I think we’re going to get together.

Any advice for future blind daters?
A: Have an open mind. Enjoy it. Don’t allow the nervousness and anxiousness to take away from the excitement of it. Be open to meeting new people and new experiences.
K: Come into it with an open mind and no expectations.

Conclusion

Another successful Blind Date in the books! The Love is Blind cast says the Denver dating scene is trash, but Kelli and Alfonso proved there is a glimmer (or sparkle) of hope out there. Our matchmaking services are open. Netflix, we’re ready for our spinoff. 

Are you tired of ordinary dating? Do you like free food and drinks? If you are 21 or older, then you may be entitled to a  Rooster Blind Date! Click HERE to sign yourself or a friend up!