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Calling all single men!

It might sound like a Vancouver cliché, but just like single-family-homes, there appears to be a shortage of single-available-hommes in this town.
Van Shake 0414
'First Dates' is sending out a casting call, and single men are wanted.

 

It might sound like a Vancouver cliché, but just like single-family-homes, there appears to be a shortage of single-available-hommes in this town.

Case in point: Kristian Olsen, a Vancouver-based TV industry pal, recently approached me with a quandary. He’s a story producer on First Dates, a reality dating show set here in Vancouver, which airs on the Slice Network. They’ve put forth the call for single men and women to appear on the show, but the producers were perplexed by the results: female applicants greatly outnumber the dudes.

Olsen is hastily researching why so few of Vancouver’s single guys appear to be interested or available. He admits that he’s not an expert, but is willing to speculate.

“Vancouver’s demographics might be the biggest reason why we are having tough time finding straight, single men to participate on First Dates. There are a lot of gay men in Vancouver, which takes a lot of males out of the eligibility pool. Also, Tinder has made it so damn easy to get laid that the process of dating – taking someone out for dinner and drinks – has become somewhat antiquated. Someone told us during an audition that there are men who are getting pizza delivered to their home, paid for by women on Tinder! Vancouver women will do anything to stand out!” (When I enquired about contestant eligibility, Olsen told me that besides single straights, anyone from the LGBTQ community is welcome to audition.)

The workload of the show entails an initial audition interview, a two-hour dinner date at a typical local restaurant (captured by fixed rigged cameras, so there’s no crew running around to distract you), and a 15-minute exit interview. There’s no pay, but the show will at least pick up a portion of your dinner, and you get to be on TV.

I had to repeatedly email my single guy friends to get a response. One of them, who I know only as “KirkofDoom”, eventually got back to me: “I completely forgot that you asked me about this. Or maybe I blocked it out. I don’t want to be on the show, because the whole concept of a dating show seems weird and archaic”.

I also reached out to solo female friends. Christine, who has been intermittently single in Vancouver for eight years, agrees about the lack of available guys.

“It’s a quantity and quality problem in my eyes. A smaller pool of single guys means a smaller amount of quality partners.”

Emily, also “footloose” (her term), has a more positive outlook on Vancouver’s apparent lack of single men.

“We can’t wait for these gorgeous, interesting guys to drop in our lap. If you see someone you like, anywhere, for goodness sake, SMILE. Seriously, just showing your teeth in public can change your whole dating scene”.

How about smiling for the camera? Or is First Dates just a ruse to set you up for a TV train wreck? Olsen responds: “Yes, awkwardness and bad dates are part of the fun of the show, but we don't set that up deliberately. That's not fair to the people who genuinely want to find love. We actually do have integrity about our match ups.”

Moments before my deadline, I received an email back from a friend named Colin. He’s a well-groomed, employed, fit, totally eligible bachelor, who even drives a Mini. He’s game to be on the show. “I’m 34 and single. Why not?” Colin reasons. “I’m a bit of a creature of habit and tend to go to the same places and see the same people, so I might as well take advantage of this.”

How about the rest of you single dudes of Vancouver, are you ready for your close-up?