Blind Date: Axes flew when Stephanie and Carlos met. But did sparks?

Our Blind Date series is proudly presented by Criswell & Criswell Plastic Surgery. Husband and wife team, Drs. Bryan and Kara Criswell, know how important it is to find someone who brings out your best features. Here’s to finding the Criswell to your Criswell.

We’re back with another in-person Blind Date. Woohoo!

Zoom is great, but there’s something special about an in-person date that a screen just doesn’t replicate.

Hoping to get sent out on a future date? Awesome! Just fill out this quick Axios Blind Date Survey.

To see past installments of the series, click here. Responses have been edited lightly for length and clarity.

Let’s meet this month’s participants:

First, we have Carlos.

He’s 34 and enjoys biking, checking out new bars and restaurants, playing Can Jam by the pool with friends, and taking his dog to the park.

He describes himself by saying, “I’m like a side character on a Netflix show everyone is secretly rooting for” (love that) and says he’s looking for someone who is positive, genuine, active, and open-minded.

Oh, and they have to love dogs.

Then there’s Stephanie.

She’s 30 and loves working out, hiking, cooking, watching TV and movies, and checking out breweries.

She describes herself as “confident, hard-working, and caring” and is looking for a partner to share her life with.

She’s most attracted to men who are empathetic, ambitious, and a bit sarcastic.

Ideally, she’d like to find a hiking partner, and they also need to love animals, since she has two dogs.

I matched these two based on what they’re looking for in a partner, their shared hobbies, and … duh … their love of dogs.

Let’s see how it went, shall we?

Have you been dating during the pandemic?

Stephanie: Well, earlier this year I got out of an almost four-year relationship.

We lived together and everything, so I hadn’t been on many dates recently.

That was a significant relationship, so I needed time to process and work through that, but now I’m in a good place and am ready to date.

Carlos: I tried the apps, but the apps are kind of trash now.

It’s tough meeting new people now, especially for dating.

I’m also kind of new-ish here (in Charlotte). I’ve been here for about a year, so that can make things challenging, since I tend to like to meet people through friends.

How have you met dates in the past?

Stephanie: I was on the apps, but I wasn’t really meeting anybody.

I actually met my ex at a Meetup group.

I moved here in 2017 and didn’t really know anyone, so I got pretty into the Meetup world and was going to different groups and just meeting people.

I’m also a member of the Junior League, and so I was meeting friends of friends.

Carlos: Usually through friends of friends or through the apps, though I haven’t been using the apps so much anymore.

How was your date? What was it like?

Stephanie: We went axe throwing, which was really fun! I’m not very good, but it was definitely a cool experience.

He was a lot better than me (laughs). But either way, it was fun to step outside my comfort zone. We played a few games and chatted between in between.

Then we walked over to Catawba Brewing for a drink. We sat and chatted and had a good conversation. Or I thought we did…

I asked him if he wanted a second drink just because, you know, I was willing to. But then he said, “Oh, I actually have to go to my friend’s birthday party” which kind of caught me off guard.

Carlos: We went axe throwing. I’d never done that before, so that was fun. I really enjoyed that.

We’d throw, then take a break and talk. We did that for about an hour and then we went next door to Catawaba.

On a scale of 1-10, how would you rate your conversation?

Stephanie: I’d say an eight.

We had a lot of things in common. There were no awkward pauses in the conversation or anything like that.

That’s why the birthday party thing caught me off guard. I was thinking, “Wait, was I on a completely different date?”

Carlos: The conversation was good. I’d say it was probably like an eight.

We both have dogs, so we talked about that. We talked about TV shows we both like. We had things in common, though I do feel like we’re a little bit different.

The main thing I noticed was that she seems to be very work-oriented, not in a workaholic way, but that’s important to her.

I’m more of a person who works to live, versus the other way around. I try to prioritize my free time, being out and exploring. She’s working and going to school, so we differed on how we prioritize our schedules.

But it was a nice time. There was good conversation and the activity was fun.

On a scale of 1-10, how would you rate your chemistry?

Stephanie: I’d say maybe a six or a seven.

I don’t know if I had an instant connection with him, but I was like, “He’s a nice guy. He’s probably nervous. I’m nervous.”

And I’ve had relationships where I’ve had an instant connection with someone, but then it hasn’t ended up being a good relationship, so I’m open to the idea that it takes time to build chemistry.

I definitely think we had things in common.

I don’t know if I really felt a romantic connection, but I would have gone on another date with him to see if things developed.

Carlos: Because of the things I mentioned before, I’d say probably like a seven.

It was very pleasant, but I do think we see certain things differently.

On a scale of 1-10, how would you rate the date overall?

Stephanie: I’d say a three. It was a fine date, but it just caught me off guard when he abruptly was like, “I have to go.”

Honestly, minus the last 10 minutes, I’d say it was a seven.

After the last 10 minutes, it just had a weird vibe.

Carlos: Again, it was really pleasant. A nice time with good conversation and an enjoyable activity.

I’d say like a seven.

So how did you leave it?

Stephanie: Well, I asked for his number and so we exchanged numbers.

I texted him the next afternoon, that Sunday, and didn’t hear from him until Monday evening.

Then on Wednesday he texted and said that he had a good time but that we’re too different so he didn’t see it going any further.

Carlos: We kind of left it open-ended. We exchanged numbers and she did reach out to me.

I had some things going on over the weekend so I wasn’t able to get back to her until Monday. It was a really nice time, but I don’t know that I see things going further.

We’re just a little bit different. So I plan to communicate that to her.