The Spectrum put out an open call to UB singles to be participants in The Spectrum's all-expenses-paid "Experiment in Romance" series in celebration of Valentine's Day. The photos and short biographies of five males and five females were placed in The Spectrum to be voted on by UB students to decide which couple got set up and sent out.
Steve Paul, a junior media study major, and Carmen Gaudinier, a freshman undecided about her major, were chosen by voters to be the participants.
The awkwardness that often accompanies a first date certainly wasn't a factor during Carmen and Steve's date to Game Zone and the Bubble Tea Caf?(c) on Jan. 25. There was good-natured conversation with queries about bubble tea, which was to be the second part of the date and which neither had ever tried.
"What is this bubble tea stuff?" Carmen asked. "I heard it's like tapioca balls in tea or something, I have no idea."
The two seemed completely at ease throughout the date and even teamed up to make fun of the fact that they were supposed to be ignoring the reporter and photographer.
"Who are these strange people bowling with us?" asked Steve.
"Get out of our lane," joked Carmen.
The mood of the second date in The Spectrum's Experiment in Romance series, however, was subdued in comparison to the first date. This time, the date was set for a Bandits lacrosse game.
The evening began with Steve picking Carmen up at 7:30 p.m. for the game that he thought was to begin at 8 p.m. Carmen seemed less energetic than on the first date.
"Are you all right over there?" asked Steve.
"Yeah, I'm fine," Carmen said, with a slight smile.
Carmen's reticence did not seem to bother Steve, and he enjoyed the halftime show. His reaction was limited to "woo-hoo" and whistles as he watched the halftime dancers perform to Guns 'N' Roses' "Welcome to the Jungle."
"That was a good game," Carmen said as they walked out of the arena. "At least Buffalo has one winning team."
"The music they played was awesome," Steve said. "I've never been to a sports event where they just cranked music like that."
The series culminated with an evening of dinner and mystery at the Central Station Dinner Theatre, part of the Old Red Mill Inn restaurant, where daters Steve and Carmen were scheduled to enjoy a meal and an interactive murder mystery.
Carmen and Steve kept the pre-dinner conversation flowing with topics varying from a recap of their previous date and poking fun at the reporters to a discussion of which of the three forks goes with which course.
The show revolved around two murders and set the stage for a "whodunit" mystery the audience was encouraged to try to solve. Characters in the murder mystery had eclectic names such as Sal Monella, an Italian chef, and Morte D'Kay, a maitre d' who continually tried to "kill" the patrons of Chez No More and consume their body parts.
"The show was pretty cool, I liked it," said Carmen.
Steve and Carmen both gave the overall dating experience good marks.
"It was an interesting experience - a little awkward at times, but it was fun," Carmen said. "It was awkward being put in a situation with a total stranger, and having people follow you around and document your every move was kind of odd."
"It was great that I got to go and do things that I probably wouldn't have done on my own here at college, like the (lacrosse game) and the dinner theater, and it was cool getting to know someone," she added. "Steve's a really nice guy, and we had fun."
"It was a good time, the dates were really fun. My favorite was the lacrosse game just because I'm a sports guy," Steve said. "She's a fun girl; she's cool to hang around."
-Compiled by Dena-Kay Martin
-Written by Dena-Kay Martin
Photo: Courtesy of Laron Fomby
