First Dates recap: Mother of previous participant gets her shot at love
Stan from Galway was not the man for Phil (left).
The tables have turned for Phil (65) from Antrim who is hoping to repeat the success that her daughter Carla had in the First Dates restaurant.
Carla met Shez on the show two years ago and the pair announced their engagement in June 2021.
Phil says Carla gave her the push she needed to apply and so, here she is entering the First Dates restaurant looking very glamorous indeed with her bright pink hat.
She just wants a handsome soulmate. Is that really too much to ask for? “I don’t need somebody. It would just be nice to have someone, but that someone has to be the right person,” says Phil.
Enter country music fan and Kenny Rogers lookalike, Stan (69) from Galway. Stan has not been on a date in 15 years and once the conversation gets going, it’s easy to see he is out of practice.
We would like to tell you a bit more about Phil but with Stan doing most (or all) of the talking, there is not much to discuss. We do know she’s a bit of a wine connoisseur and even does a little taste test at the table. “As long as it doesn’t taste like vinegar it's grand,” she declares.
While there is no denying Stan’s fascinating family history, poor Phil was dying for some respite. When Stan finally heads to the toilet, Phil is asked how she’s finding the company — “just grand” she says.
Meanwhile, Stan also seems unimpressed. People say he looks younger than he is, so he was expecting the same from his date, he says.
For Phil, if Stan hadn’t talked so much about himself, she might have agreed to see him again. But she leaves him with some sound advice: next time, talk less.
“You should have told me to shut up,” Stan says. But alas, it is too late. It’s a no from Phil.
Chef Mark (23) says his most attractive feature is how outgoing he is.
“If they don’t like my vibe, that sounds like a them problem, not a me problem,” he says with confidence.
Dressed in a paisley shirt Mark is looking for someone a little different and with bright pink hair, tattoos and piercings, Jois makes her way to the First Dates restaurant. The Kildare native (22) is looking for someone who is “bubbly” and has a “funky personality”. Mark, who has already sung a rendition of I Was Made for Lovin You for the barman, seems like he may just fit the bill.
Karaoke-lover Mark is “on cloud nine” when Jois meets him at the bar and after a few minutes, he’s singing again.
If the pair bonding over their love for the movie Spirited Away was not enough to make us think it is meant to be, then Mark correctly guessing Jois’ star sign (Pisces — if you were curious) surely means its true love?
“I don’t think there was any awkwardness at all”, says Mark before we see him pay for the bill.
In their matching Dr Martens and leather jackets, the pair make their way out of the restaurant and its rock-paper-scissors to decide who answers the dreaded “would you like to see each other again?” question. Jois loses the game and says yes, she wants to see Mark again.
"Abso-f*cking-lutely” he adds. Asked if they fancy each other, in unison, they say “yes”. Adorable.
32-year-old Keith from Limerick has a bit of a vague wish list for his perfect date. He is looking for someone who is “cool” and doesn’t take themselves too seriously.
With a “dangerously good” pornstar martini to settle his nerves, Keith is introduced to fellow “Munster head”, Eve (30).
From Cork, the kitchen designer says it is easy to get along with someone when you have something to talk about — so it’s a good thing the pair have plenty of tattoos between them to discuss.
Over dinner, Keith opens up about his Obsessive Compulsive Disorder diagnosis while Eve also shares her own mental health struggles and autism diagnosis.
“It sounds so bizarre because obviously I come across really outgoing and I come across really confident but I find it really hard to connect with people,” she tells us.
The pair bond and even have a little cheers to “mental health recovery”. Keith, who has a son and can’t resist showing Eve an adorable picture, insists on “treating” his date and pays for their meal.
Asked if he fancies Eve he answers with a very quick “yes”, but Eve reckons they should do a friend date next and Keith seems okay with that.
Karl (34) is a man of many talents and is Ireland’s first-ever speed skier. However, the Meath native may have regretted mentioning his bar experience when entering the restaurant. In no time, he finds himself preparing a Negroni.
By the time his date, psychologist Sara (29) arrives dressed in a white dress, Karl is still behind the bar but keeps up the charade by making her a drink.
Sara, who is from the “centre of the universe” (a.k.a Cork) doesn’t realise the man that is preparing her drink is in fact her date. When Karl confesses, she seems very impressed. “Give us an extra shot so,” she says as he makes her Aperol Spritz.
When Karl finally comes out from behind the bar and they sit down to dinner, they learn they have a lot in common and both comes from large families — and they’re both trad fans.
Karl slyly pays for the bill while Sara is in the loo applying lip liner and telling her friend on the phone that her date is “lovely”.
Red-haired and with tattoos, Karl admits Sara is not his usual type but he is up for a second date. And thankfully, so is she. And sure, she’s already dressed in white, Karl quips.
