The Dating Game show was held on Nov. 8 in Newbold Auditorium, Buller Hall, from 8 to 10 p.m. The event, hosted by Student Involvement, Leadership & Activities, occurs annually and usually draws a large crowd. This go-around was no exception, with halls, walls and even stairwells filling up with attendees once the auditorium’s seats were filled. All eagerly anticipated the game’s commencement, perhaps none as much as the contestants themselves.
Before the game’s start, contestant Andrea Huaytalla Diaz, a senior nursing student, said, “It’s always scary ‘cause you don’t know what questions they’re going to ask you, but it’s fun because random stuff happens. It’s gonna be a good time!”
Contestant Reagan Westerman, a senior, said, “I’m feeling pumped!! I think this night is gonna be so fun and so random, and I love random things! I was lowkey pressured to do this, but I’m glad to be here.”
After a brief introduction by Darius Bridges, assistant dean for SILA, the Dating Game commenced. The space at the front of the auditorium was divided by a curtain, having one chair on the left side and three on the right. Each round, the lone chair would be occupied by a prospective bachelor or bachelorette, and the three on the other side of the curtain would each seat a contestant. Those on the left would ask the contestants a series of questions and, based on the responses, pick the number corresponding to the contestant whose answers impressed them the most. The two parties, ideally unaware of the other’s identity until the round’s end, would be rewarded with a “SILA dating package.”
While most aspects of the Dating Game are planned weeks in advance, according to Robyn Victoriano, Student Experience Coordinator of SILA, some on-the-fly elements ended up being necessary. Most significant was a shortage of male contestants; two men from the audience were chosen to fill empty seats — one for the first round and the other for the third. Both ended up winning their respective rounds.
Of course, part of the Dating Game’s appeal comes from the breadth of possibilities the simple rules allow. The primary element of the game, after all, was the questions and answers between suitor and contestants. Questions ranged from as tame as “How tall are you?” (Round 1) and “What’s one thing you’ve learned about yourself this past year?” (Round 3) to as ludicrous as “What is a song you would listen to while bleeding out in a snowy forest?” (Round 2) and “Instead of a dating show, you’re forced into a Mortal Kombat-style fight to the death. Which of your fellow contestants are you killing first?” (Round 4). The question was soon amended by Bridges to “Which contestant can you beat in arm wrestling,” due to the original’s overly graphic nature.
Responses from contestants were equally varied. Ridiculous questions tended to elicit ridiculous answers. One contestant said they’d like to bleed out to “White Christmas” (Round 3), while another, asked what she’d do if her suitor gruesomely died in front of her after a happy relationship, replied, “Short and sweet. Y’all know Romeo and Juliet, right?” (Round 4); this response provoked another amusing Bridges disclaimer clarifying that SILA does not promote suicide.
A few responses were especially charismatic. When posed the question “Do you think I’m funny?”, one Round 1 contestant responded, “I don’t know, maybe, but I’d like to get to know you more to find out!”
Another contestant, in Round 4, was posed the prompt “I’d like to hear about the most embarrassing moment of your life,” to which, after a moving tale told with much gravity (she fell), she added, “The most embarrassing thing, though? Is that I haven’t met you yet!” Both instances precipitated great applause from the audience.
Throughout the event, a curious trend emerged where the contestant in the third seat won in the first three rounds. However, in a dramatic finish for the night, Contestant 2 of the fourth round defeated both her opponents in an arm-wrestling match and was subsequently chosen by the mysterious bachelor as victor. As Bridges declared, “She has broken the curse of Chair #3!”
Contestants, winners and otherwise, seemed to have had a good time all around, as did the audience. “I’m feeling fantastic, it’s fun!” said senior Joel Pelletier.
Bridges was happy to see the success of the event, and also revealed after its conclusion that the popularity of the Dating Game means that, for the first time, SILA plans to host a spring semester Dating Game. But even now, with the sound of jingling sleigh bells in the distance, it seems love is in the air at Andrews.
The Student Movement is the official student newspaper of Andrews University. Opinions expressed in the Student Movement are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the editors, Andrews University or the Seventh-day Adventist church.