10 Dates in 10 States

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Date No. 7 in Austin, Texas, was a blend of “old school” and “new school,” half set-up and half digital dating. The dating app, Bumble, is headquartered in Austin, and the CEO, Whitney Wolfe, set me up with Amir, a Bumble user. Since Bumble is a location-based service, I couldn't have matched with him until I was already in Austin, so it was an app-set-up, hybrid scenario!

I interviewed Wolfe and got insight into why Bumble has been successful in what's becoming a saturated dating-app market. Bumble has a unique feature which allows women to initiate the conversation once a match is made, flipping dating norms. The company says it has an equal ratio of male to female users, which distinguishes it from other apps and sites.

My date with Amir was great, but I'll admit two-stepping definitely sounded better in theory! Apparently 9 p.m. on a Monday night is not peak time for the White Horse bar. We were the only couple on the dance floor, which was slightly mortifying. Luckily Amir was a real trooper and dragged me out there anyways, and like a true gentleman, he tried to teach me how to two step. I definitely embarrassed myself (again), but maybe being able to laugh at yourself on a first date forces you to open up!

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It ain’t easy being cheesy! Actually, apparently it isn’t all that hard. For my second-to-last date, I took a cheese-making class at Eataly in Chicago with my date, Marcus, who is another friend of a friend. I was expecting a fromage failure, but I was pleasantly surprised by my mozzarella skills. My curds were on point!

Before my date I got a few pointers on online dating safety from Bela Gandhi, founder of the Smart Dating Academy. We’ve had a professional body guard with us on each date as an extra precaution, given the televised extra attention. But, of course, most blind dates are not being broadcast and Bela emphasized a few helpful tips to approach a date with a stranger safely. She recommended setting up a Google Voice account, so you can call and text without having to give out your cell phone number. When it comes to meeting up, pick a public place you know well and feel comfortable in, and never invite someone over to your place on the first date.

This experiment has been a mad dash to the Valentine’s Day finish line, and I can’t believe today is the final date! The song “The Final Countdown” by Europe has been playing on repeat in my head…

All of a sudden I am back in New York, walking through the hallways of ABC News as though this whole thing never happened. It’s been 10 days, 11 flights, 31 hours in the air, maybe 50 cups of coffee and almost 12,000 miles traveled. It felt as long as ten years but as short as two minutes, all at the same time.

My grand finale date was something on my home turf, close to my roots, at a local legendary pizza place I have been going to in Connecticut for years with my family. Pepe’s Pizza is infamous for their clam pizza – which might not sound half as appetizing as it truly is, but I promise it’s nothing short of spectacular.

For Date no. 10 I was set up one last time through a friend of my producer’s, and I met Mike, who lives nearby in Stanford. My favorite part of the day was definitely getting to go behind the counter I’ve so often stood in front of, and getting hands-on with the ingredients I’ve eaten so many times with my family. We made our own pizzas with the help of one of the owners, Jennifer, whose grandfather, Frank, started the restaurant 90 years ago. Talk about a labor of love!

I am live in Times Square this morning to top off this amazing trip by deciding which of my 10 dates I can fly into New York for the big V-Day. To me, it seems like a little much considering I barely know any of these guys. They really are all great people, so it’ll be fun either way!