Missives
New dating show ‘Eastern Hookup’ helps spark young love at Eastern Michigan University.
Finding love in college doesn’t have to mean stolen glances at the computer lab or missives shouted over the blaring radio at a house party or even accidental collisions at Rick’s.
Now that Eastern Michigan University students have harkened back to the 1960s and paid homage to the illustrious “Dating Game” television show, students can get struck by Cupid’s arrow the old-fashioned way: blind dating on TV.
College TV, that is.
EMU students have begun taping episodes of “The Eastern Hookup,” an EMU television show where one able-bodied college student interviews three possible dates without seeing them. In the end, the bachelor or bachelorette chooses one contestant, and after she or he is revealed they go on a date.
It’s so romantic, right?
“Dating is tough, especially in a world that can seem loveless at times,” student Alex Nelson, the show’s producer, told EMU’s student newspaper the Eastern Echo in article that appeared Feb. 27. Nelson says he wants to ignite “that spark” (you know, that feeling when weak knees, fluttering butterflies and a rush of college hormones collide) because “everybody deserves a chance to find love.”
You can view the show on EMU Television’s Youtube channel. It appears that this academic year there have been two episodes, one in October and the other in November.
What kind of dating questions can you expect as students look for that special spark? “Tell me something that is very appealing in a partner?” “Are you a virgin?” “What food would you order for me on a date?”Ah, college.
Dating service
A woman said she paid thousands for a service she never got after a dating service Target 8 investigated shut down its Grand Rapids branch.
Millions of people across the country use some kind of dating service. Here in West Michigan, one woman turned to a dating service after her husband died. Another did the same after a nasty divorce. Both say they lost thousands of dollars — and the company’s phone is now disconnected.
Lisa Wheaton started looking for a dating service after she divorced a man she said abused her.”Came home one night and beat the crap out of me and he was gone the next morning,” Wheaton recalled.
Wheaton then found out her ex-husband had a criminal history, including an incident of assault.So after her divorce she chose a dating service that ran background checks. She chose Two of Us in Grand Rapids, the same company Target 8 investigated.
“I went ‘Oh! Oh my God, they’re on the news!’” she said.Last year, Target 8 met Elizabeth Labine, who sued Two of Us and got half of her money back. “I just remember feeling very pressured,” she said at the time.
Labine paid nearly $3,000 and only went on two dates.Wheaton paid more than $4,000 and only had one date in the past year.
Last year, Two of Us Vice President of Operations Ethan Baker said the company was not running a scam.
Now, at the office where Target 8 interviewed Baker in May 2012, the Two of Us logo remains on the window, but the office is cleared out.
“I thought, ‘Holy crap, I have a whole year on this contract to go and they ripped me off,’” said Wheaton.Baker emailed a statement confirming the company’s Grand Rapids office closed and that “all members were notified via email or mail, and instructed to contact Matchmaker Michigan,” another local dating service.
The full statement.
“Two of Us Grand Rapids closed its doors and transferred all members to Matchmaker Michigan, another local dating service. Matchmaker Michigan has taken over the servicing of these members. All members were notified via email or mail and instructed to contact Matchmaker Michigan.”
When asked why the office closed and if patrons would get their money back, he wrote back: “No further comment.”
“I’m flabbergasted that they ripped me off of all that money, and I want it back,” said Wheaton.The Michigan Attorney General’s Office is looking into Wheaton’s complaint.
The follow-up call
- Men: If he had a good time, 30.6 percent would reach out the next day and 24.7 percent would get back in touch after 2-3 days, while 1.7 percent would wait 4-6 days.
- Women: Nearly half (47 percent) wait for the other person to reach out after a first date, 16.8 percent would wait 2-3 days, and a slim 3.8 percent would get back in touch on the same day.
Facebook: When to friend
- After 2-3 dates, 20 percent of single men and 16 percent of single women would add a date on Facebook.
- 16 percent of women would wait until the relationship has become exclusive to send a Facebook friend request; while 10 percent of men reported being a bit more anxious and would send a friend request before the first date.