10 Dates in 10 States

Date No. 1: Ice Skating in New York City: My first date with Josh this morning was fantastic. I couldn’t have picked a better guy if he was cast from a room of professional actors. (Trust me, he wasn’t. We actually met on Hinge.) He had told me he wasn’t great at ice skating, and I said I wasn’t either. Neither one of us ended up with injuries, so that’s a win in my book. I’ll admit I expected the online/app dating scene could be slim pickings, but so far I’m impressed. Thank you so much, Josh! The bar has been set high.

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Date No. 3: Exploring the Santa Monica Pier in California: Wednesday was our longest day so far. I got up around 1:30 a.m. to get ready for our 3:30 a.m. live shot for “GMA,” talking to George in Times Square from the lobby in the Aulani resort. Then we hopped in a car to the airport to catch our 7 a.m. flight to Los Angeles, touched down at 2:30 p.m. and drove straight from the airport to the Tinder headquarters for an interview with Tinder CEO Sean Rad.

Before I started this project, my first thought when someone mentioned Tinder was something along the lines of casual hookups and one night flings. Sean was candid enough when I asked about that. He said the goal for Tinder is to connect people -- whether that's a friendship, fling, or forever mate – and the company is proud to boast over 1 billion matches in its history. In many ways I believe that's true. More millennials are on Tinder than any other dating app and maybe the company’s reputation will wear off as more matches are made. I asked Sean the best advice for a Tinder dating profile, and he said to just be yourself. Honesty is the best way to connect with people.

My interview ran long and all of a sudden I was almost an HOUR LATE for my date with Adson. Luckily, he was an easygoing guy who understands that L.A. traffic can be the stuff of nightmares. Our date hanging out on the Santa Monica pier was nice, and relatively low key compared to my other action-filled dates. We had more opportunity to chat, which gave me a better idea of who he was as a person, so maybe having an activity planned for the first date isn't always the best way to go. I guess it depends on the date!

Date No. 4 in Las Vegas, Nevada: In a world full of strangers, it’s nice to finally meet up with someone with only one degree of separation between us.

My first three dates were all set up through online apps — Hinge, Tinder, and OkCupid. Date No. 4 was with Kash, who used to play football with one of my producer’s brothers. I think comparing the “old school” approach of having a friend set you up vs. “new school” approach of digital matching is helpful to give insight on whether or not that makes any difference between how much of a connection there might be.

The date was another planned activity, dune buggy driving in the desert outside Las Vegas. As an adrenaline-junkie I had so much fun, but I’ll admit the conditions were a bit loud for first date conversation. (Not to mention the buckets of sand embedded now into my hair, clothes, shoes, and even mouth…. Ew!) But Kash is definitely a really great guy, a small business owner in Vegas originally from West Virginia, and it was another fantastic date.

My favorite part of the day actually happened before the date even started. My “GMA” producer Taylor and I flew into Vegas at 8 a.m. and weren’t scheduled to meet Kash until 10:30 a.m., so after paying our respects to the famed “Welcome to Las Vegas” sign (cue Elvis), I asked our driver Reggie if we could find the best wedding chapel in search of maybe finding a newlywed. Instead, we got something even better! A minister from the Little White Wedding Chapel gave us his take on modern love, marriages made on dating apps, what makes a relationship last, and everything in between. And no one knows love better I’d say, considering he’s wed thousands of couples in what’s arguably the most iconic Vegas wedding chapel. Even Elvis himself was married there!

Date No. 6 in Denver, Colorado: There's a first time for everything, and my sixth date marked the first time in this cross-country dating saga where I actually had what would be considered a "normal" first date. I met John at a bar called the Thirsty Lion, we ordered food, and watched football. Besides the fact that it was Super Bowl Sunday and I was in the hometown of one of the teams playing, I'd say that sounds like a pretty typical first date scenario. I even brought myself to wear a Broncos t-shirt (Shhh… don't tell my Jets!)

I met John through my colleague, which means I've now had three dates through digital platforms and three set up through friends. So far it seems to me that the closer the mutual friend, the more likely you are to feel comfortable when you meet that person for the first time.

Tomorrow morning my alarm will go off at 3:45 a.m. to prepare for another airport live shot, then I’m off to Austin for some two-stepping. I'm looking forward to putting on my dancing shoes!