Our Blind Date series is proudly presented by Criswell & Criswell Plastic Surgery.
Husband and wife team, Dr. Bryan and Kara Criswell, know how important it is to find someone who brings out your best features. Here’s to finding the Criswell to your Criswell.
PARTICIPATE: Want the chance to get matched? Tell us about yourself in quick Agenda Blind Date Survey. Then the Agenda plays matchmaker by sending couples out on blind dates. To see past installments of the series, click here. Responses have been edited lightly for length and clarity.
Meet Maggie and Jason.
Maggie is a 31-year-old designer who loves rock climbing and trying new restaurants and fitness classes. She describes herself as adventurous and creative, with an old soul.
She’s looking for a genuine, responsible person who also likes the outdoors and is ready to be in a relationship.
Then there’s 30-year-old Jason. He’s in the information security industry. He loves golfing, visiting the Whitewater Center, and heading to bars and breweries to play games.
He describes himself as dependable, laid back, and outgoing. He’s looking for an athletic type who’s sarcastic, extroverted, and dependable.
Here’s how their date went.
How do you feel about the Charlotte dating scene?
Jason: It’s basically like anything else. Whatever you put into it, you get out of it. I’ll use the apps more than anything. It’s probably a 75/25 split between the apps and real life.
Maggie: Unfortunately, I think that most dating scenes as a whole, not just Charlotte, have just completely shifted from what has been, like getting to know someone, going on multiple dates, to a scene that is completely overrun with instant gratification and lack of accountability.
It definitely has a lot to do with the surge of dating apps and social media. Seeing highlight reels and just judging people on looks alone.
Obviously attraction has to be there, but come on. It’s messed up.
How did you feel leading up to the date?
Jason: A few days before I told my friends I was a little nervous, but then on the actual day, it went away. I was like, “Well, what’s the worst-case scenario?” That was my thought process.
Maggie: I was excited. I think the idea of a true blind date has been lost.
With the internet at our fingertips, it’s easy to look someone up and get a sense of what you might be getting into, which greatly plays into what I was mentioning above.
I was definitely more nervous about finding parking.
What was your first impression of Maggie?
Jason: She had a great smile. She came right up to me and said, “Are you Jason?” so that worked out. Yeah, good smile. Really outgoing, you could tell right off the bat. There was no nervousness on her side at all, it didn’t appear.
Maggie: He seemed nice and put together. He was waiting at the elevator for me, so it was nice to not walk into a bar and wonder where he was sitting or if he was there yet.
How was the date itself?
Jason: It was good. We sat on the roof for a couple hours. We ate a cheese and meat board and had a couple drinks. The weather was perfect, I think it was like 60 degrees, and we had a good sunset. Like I said, she was super outgoing, she asked a ton of questions, and was easy to talk to. Two hours flew by pretty quickly.
Maggie: We went to Nuvolé. It’s not a place I would normally go, as I try to avoid Uptown, but it was nice to grab drinks at a quiet place with a great view.
On a scale of 1-10, how would you rate your date’s personality?
Jason: I’d give it an 8.
Maggie: I would say a 6.5. He was nice and seemed smart, but he was reserved a little bit so it was hard to get a read of him. I would give him a 7, but he doesn’t like ranch.
On a scale of 1-10, how would you rate your conversation?
Jason: A 7.
Maggie: 5 or 6… I felt like I drove most of the conversation, which is something I don’t like doing. However, some of it seemed natural, and I felt like I laughed a decent amount.
On a scale of 1-10, how would you rate your chemistry?
Jason: Probably about a 5.
Maggie: I would probably say a solid a 4 or 5. It wasn’t forced, but I laughed and felt comfortable. I think first dates can be awkward.
On a scale of 1-10, how would you rate the date overall?
Jason: A 7.
Maggie: I think a 7. It was a fantastic view and delicious drinks. It was nice to go somewhere I normally wouldn’t.
So, will there be a second date?
Jason: I got her number and I was out of town all weekend so I haven’t texted her yet and I’m not…sure. I haven’t decided yet. I’m going to text her today and see how it goes.
Maggie: I’m a big fan of second dates. I think it’s hard to get a gauge on someone’s personality and chemistry in such a short amount of time.
I gave him my number but didn’t hear back until just now, almost a week later. He “mulled it over” and there will be no second date. I do appreciate him being transparent and not dropping off the face of the planet, so I will give him that.
PARTICIPATE: Want the chance to get matched? Tell us about yourself in quick Agenda Blind Date Survey. Then the Agenda plays matchmaker by sending couples out on blind dates. To see past installments of the series, click here.
