Confessions of a Match.com commercial star: what happened after the online date you saw on TV
Going on your first ever online date is nerve-wracking enough. Now imagine it's being filmed for a national television commercial. You know those Match.com first date commercials, the ones that you might actually not fast forward on your DVR? Jessica, a 48-year-old single mom from Brooklyn, was on one and she told Shine everything about the date that didn't make the 30-second cut.
Shine: This was the first online date you'd ever been on. Did you know it was going to be filmed for a national audience?
Jessica: Yeah, I had to audition for it. Someone from Match wrote me on the site and asked if I wanted to come in for an interview for the commercial. I told them in advance I was an actress. They said that was okay. They wanted someone real and honest but it helps to be comfortable around a camera.
S: What did you have to do in the audition?
J: They asked me to talk about my ideal man, and who in hollywood would be my dream actor to date. I picked Gregory Peck, you know, the handsome, tall and quiet type.
S: So did they set you up with Kelly?
J: No. He actually picked me.
S: Did the date go as well as it looked?
J: It was a fun experience. We spent about 4 hours shooting in the restaurant. I was comfortable with the cameras but he was a bit overwhelmed. He was great though: warm, endearing, charming. He's also got kids and works in finance.
S: Did you go out again?J: We went out two more times after the date. We had a really nice friendship kind of thing but there wasn't any major chemistry. It's odd when you meet someone that fits all your criteria, but there's not that amazing click.
S: What was it like seeing the commercial for the first time?
J: I really liked it. What you see on the commercial was really real. We went on the date in November and saw each other two more times over the next month, but the commercial came out around February so we weren't dating by then.
S: Did it help you get more dates?
J: Nope, nothing like that. Nobody has recognized me in person or on match. I'm in my 40's so I get a lot of guys in their 50's writing to me. But I usually avoid dating people older than me. I'm kind of a ball of energy and that works better with a younger guy.
S: Have you dated anyone else since Kelly on Match?
J: One other guy who was really terrific. We had an ongoing reparte for a while and we met for the first time a few weeks ago. He seemed to like me and asked me out again, but then he canceled and I never really heard back.
S: That seems to be a common online dating complaint. How did you decide to join the 2.0 world of romance to begin with?
J: My 14-year-old daughter got me to do it last summer. I was dating a guy she didn't really like and we were all at dinner when she said let's put you on Match-right in front of him. I didn't actually think she'd set up profile for me, but them I started getting emails, so I figured, I might as well update the profile myself. I had had enough of the regular dating scene anyway.
S: Are you still a believer in the process?
J: Yeah. I'm really busy right now but I'll go out on more if I see someone who really interests me. I'm going back to school soon to get my psychology degree and I actually met someone online, that I didn't end up dating, but who was actually doing the same thing so he turned me on to the school I'm going to go to. So I guess that was good. I actually had two friends who watched my commercial and were inspired to join Match and they've both met great guys on the site they're with now. I haven't though. Yet.
Related links:
What not to do on your first online date
Genius idea: a dating website for foodies
How to handle online dating run-ins
Single moms rule the Match.com dating scene
