Lorraine and Eoin have both made the long distance journey from the rebel county in the hopes of finding love. Unusually for Corkonians they have committed to staying up for the night in Dublin and foregone the temptation of the airport bus home. Sadly this appears to be where the commitment begins and ends, as we learn though they are, as they repeatedly remind us, ‘the same person’, the banter appears to be just that – friendly jibes delivered cheerfully in a Leeside lilt.
Next up Kyra and Ben are nothing short of adorable: the tattoos, hugs, and the piercings all have this reviewer reaching for her tarot cards in the hope that this could be a celestial pairing. Whilst their connection isn’t romantic, we do learn that these two lovely souls maintained a friendship after the fact. As against the usual friendzoning we so often see on this show, it does feel like a meaningful connection was made, and once again we are reminded that, as by far the soundest province in terms of populus, munster people must stick together at all costs.
Andrew and Claire
Andrew and Claire are just two beautiful people looking for a second shot at things, and are well matched in the glamour and attraction stakes. When we learn that distance is keeping these two love seekers apart it is once again a reminder that the Wexford to Cork bypass needs to get fast tracked before we lose the makings of another great couple to badly tarmaced national roads.
In a rare mismatch, it feels like the production company has dropped the ball a little in pairing Donegal man Joseph to translation technician Hyeji. A self professed foodie, Hyeji discusses the differences between the approach of men in her native Korea versus Irish men, declaring the latter to be much shyer than their Korean counterparts. It is an interesting and illuminating observation, pointing to the difference between bravado and confidence, and had this reviewer ruminating on how often the two may be confused, especially within the modern Irish dating scene.
Hyeji and Andrew
As a serious celiac Joseph cannot share Hyeji’s love of food, pointing out that he cannot eat any desserts on the menu and at that, we can’t help but notice Hyeji’s face fall a little. When Hyeji announces she would not like to meet again romantically, Joseph takes it on the chin, and we as a viewer breathe a sigh of relief, having learned in his talking head that kissing him may have resulted in a bowel movement, had Hyeji consumed gluten. Joseph is to be commended for taking Hyeji’s feedback on board and being direct and assertive on his date, something which is not easy to do on regular dates, let alone those which are televised.
Once again, it’s a case of four strikes and you’re out, as none of the pairs find a romantic connection. When it all looks so good on paper, we can’t help but wonder will this dating experiment ever work out for our ever single, ever lovely hopefuls.
