First Dates recap: Success stories, laughs and more in look-back at memorable moments
Shez and Carla celebrated their engagement.
It’s almost the end of the road for series eight of First Dates Ireland with the final episode set to air next Thursday. But before that, this week's installment brought us on a journey back to some of 2022’s most memorable matchups.
From awkward moments (some made more so by social distancing), to success stories and cringe-worthy clangers, there was a lot to unpack in this throwback.
A face now synonymous with the First Dates restaurant, 2022 saw the return of the hilarious Hughie Maughan. The former Dancing with the Stars contestant made his way into the Gibson Hotel once again but this time he had new hair — and a new bum.
His date Jason remembered Hughie from his first appearance on the show back in 2021 which — let’s just say — didn’t go too well.
Hughie as always is honest and open and doesn’t hold back. He tells his date all about his new €9,000 bum. It’s at this point that we remember his date would eventually say no to seeing our hilarious Hugie again. After we relive that moment, maitre d’ Mateo steps in and takes Jason's place in order to give Hughie the ‘yes’ he deserves.
“I love every time you come in. You [light] up the room,” he tells his First Dates regular. It’s two thumbs up from the lads before we’re whisked back in time to another memorable date.
Despite a generous helping of awkward moments, the episode did remind us that some people do find love in the First Dates restaurant. One couple who can attest to that are Carla and Shez. The happy pair were put together on the show back in 2020. Now engaged, they returned to the restaurant for a very special champagne toast with Mateo.
“She’s more than I asked for. She’s the most beautiful girl in the world and I love her to bits — inside and out. It’s been the best year ever since I met her,” says Shez of fiancée (queue the ‘aws’).
This season Carla's mother, Phil also appeared on the show and was hoping to repeat the success of her daughter.
Later, we see another familiar face as Lain makes another appearance. Lain had been on the show not once but twice and on his third visit to the restaurant, he has a very special someone with him.
His fiancé Ryan tells us he had spotted Lain on First Dates and as the kids say, he “slid into his DMs”. Lain proposed outside Stephen’s Green Shopping Centre, where they first met.
While they didn’t meet on the show, it definitely facilitated this love story, so we reckon it counts as First Dates success.
They say there’s plenty of fish in the sea, but First Dates often reminds us of just how small that pool is in Ireland. Every time a pairing realises they only live down the road from one another, or that they have a mutual friend — or that they have actually dated before — we remember how tiny our little island is. For Aisling and Mervyn, it was a bit of a class reunion.
“Long time no see,” Mervyn says when he greets his date at the bar. “I don’t know what to say,” she says before he fittingly adds: “Small world”.
Avid viewers will remember this pair went to school together and as the barman Neil says, they have “a head start”.
They sat beside each other in school for five years, and Aisling even told Mervyn she would marry him someday.
“Yeah sure we’ll meet up again,” he says when asked the dreaded ‘would you like to see each other again’ question. “Yes indeed. For sure,” Aisling says.
As they walk — literally into the sunset — we hear Aisling say: “Of all the people in the whole world, I meet someone I’ve known since I’m 12 years of age”.
All together now: ‘Awww.’
When it comes to style, the First Dates restaurant has it all. In 2022, there were a couple of stand-out fashion favourites. The first we are reminded of is Michael who, dressed in a striking blue suit, seemed to be after Mateo’s job. But it was Patrick that really impressed with his look.
The Monaghan native dressed in an exquisite blazer and tells us he engages in ‘peacocking’ which essentially means he wants to get noticed. Matching his energy and his outfit, his date Elvira from Dublin also stuns in a dress and fur coat, complete with a fan to keep her cool.
Meanwhile, we’re reintroduced to Grace (49) who eats and breathes fashion. This memorable dater definitely stood out in her puffy pink dress and matching sparkly facemask.
Glamourous Grace’s date is Philip (46) from Galway. This date is certainly a memorable one as the pair discovers they were both adopted.
Grace explains that she was adopted when she was two and a half “but it didn’t work out” and when she was four and a half she was fostered and had a beautiful childhood on the farm. While her mother passed away before she found her, Grace did eventually meet her siblings and was welcomed into the family with open arms. Unfortunately, Philip tells her that his parents did not want to meet him.
“It’s in the past, you can’t change it, but you change your future,” she tells him.
Divided by the covid restrictions partition, we all squealed with excitement when Grace and Philip said yes to another date.
Ending on another funny note, how could we forget Cian and Ellie’s debate over the pronunciation of the word ‘definitely’? Cian from Wexford says ‘def-in-ite-ly’ while Ellie from Limerick says it — well, the way we all do.
The whole thing has Ellie in stitches and after a couple of minutes, we are too.
“I was weak at him. Some craic. I’ll be taking that home with me now,” she says of the pronunciation.
The Limerick accent is also “such a turn on”, according to Cian.
“Your laugh is good as well. Giddy. I like a giddy person. Definitely,” he adds (pronounced def-in-ite-ly’).
Asked if she fancied him, Ellie says: “Definitely” (not the way Cian pronounces it). Oh well, maybe it will catch on eventually.
