Want to participate in Date Lab?
(Left photo: Dustin Fenstermacher/For The Washington Post Magazine)
Here's how it works: We search our database of thousands of Washington, D.C.-area singles until we find a pair with romance potential. Then we send them out on a blind date on our dime and write about what happened.
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Date Lab: He gives The Post props, but they go only so far
Two friendly foodies meet for dinner. What else can they want?
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Date Lab: Will her travel schedule shut down this couple?
They’re both world travelers. That should be good, right?
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Date Lab: He brought roses, she brought a surprise
Two divorcees seek great conversation. Then, there’s a twist
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Chalk up a big fail for the Predicto-meter
His favorite historical figure is Gandhi, hers is Walt Disney. This is a match made in ...
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Date Lab: They’re planning to see each other again...
But Kenneth and Connor are reluctant to call their next get-together a ‘date.’
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He’s willing to skydive ...
But is he ready to jump into dating?
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Date Lab: Weingarten, Weingarten make me a match ...
We let columnist Gene Weingarten pick a date. He said it was easy. But was it a success?
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Date Lab: Who would drive that far for a date?
His one-and-a-half-hour trip made her wonder: “Why are you here?”
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Date Lab: Can the left and right brain meet in the middle?
All you do to me is talk, talk
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Date Lab: Did you hear the one about the tallish guy?
We match up a 6-foot-1 guy with a 5-foot-11 girl who said short guys were deal-breakers, and ...
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Date Lab: Sparks follow drama on this blind date
Will these former sword fighters be friend or foe?
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Date Lab: In which Carolyn Hax helps us choose a date
Will the advice columnist be a better matchmaker than DL editors?
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He’s formally known as prince
‘I turn around, and she’s screaming and laughing’
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Date Lab: It ain’t over til the drag queen calls bingo
These daters seem like the kind of folks who are up for anything
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Date Lab: In which we shake things up a little ...
This week we introduce our shockingly accurate Date Predicto-meter.
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Date Lab: He directed traffic naked, but won’t date his roommate
In which we find another date for Ben ...
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What do you do when your date is not your type?
They’re both close to their families and dislike awkward silences, but ...
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Date Lab: Will a blind date with his second choice be first-rate?
After we let Tom make his own match, his first choice wasn’t available. Will his second choice be fun or a flop?
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Date Lab: In which we turn the matchmaking tables (again)
How well do daters know themselves? We let one guy take his pick from a set of potential matches.
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Date Lab Poll: Which bachelorette should Tom have chosen?
We ask a dater to choose from five bachelorettes. Which woman should he have picked?
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Date Lab: He’s new to Washington. ...
Will she be his tour guide?
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Date Lab: They’re teetering on the edge, so he makes a big move
Will it push them forward or set them back?
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Date Lab: When we get it wrong, can mom get it right?
Mom thinks that guy in Date Lab would be the perfect match for her daughter.
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Date Lab: A dater makes her own match ... or mismatch?
DATE LAB | We let her choose her date. Did she make the right pick?
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Do daters know themselves as well as they think they do?
We gave her three choices to see if she knows her match better than we do.
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Poll: Which bachelor should Claire have chosen?
We asked Claire to make her own match. Which bachelor would you have paired her with?
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In the end, she’s not coy about rating this date
DATE LAB | Perfectly pleasant people have a perfectly pleasant evening.
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Date Lab: It’s, like, that one with that girl and the bro-bro
There are not enough exclamation points.
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Date Lab: A perfect match
They’re a perfect match ... or they will be, if they’re ever in the same place at the same time.
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Date Lab: Gangnam style? Vamanos!
Heeeyyyy, sexy lady. ... This week’s blind date comes with a side of “Gangnam Style.”
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Date Lab: Adventures of Captain Oblivious and Supercop
It’s all fun and games ... until the cops show up.
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Date Lab: West meets East?
Two West Coast minds connect on an East Coast date.
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Date Lab: After experiencing a loss, will dating be a gain?
A widower jumps back in the dating pool. Will he sink or swim?
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The great bathroom disappearing act
Date Lab | She heads to the bathroom...and never comes back.
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Poll: What do you think?
Should he have kept the facial hair?
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Date Lab: To mustache or not to mustache?
His pre-date debate: Lose the facial hair or keep it real?
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Date Lab: He likes her ... but is she really being herself?
Is she holding back in her attempt to put him at ease on this blind date?
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Date Lab: Will his off-beat sense of humor keep them in sync?
They share an interest in books and museums, but will his eccentricities keep these two guys from connecting?
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Date Lab: Good thing we ignored his idea of a dream date
And on this blind date, her first impression turns out to be misguided.
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Date Lab: Her phone rejects him. Will she?
She’s the kind of girl he wants ... in the future.
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When a first impression isn’t all about what you see
DATE LAB | On this blind date, a visual impairment means the physical attraction isn’t first on the list.
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Dating’s tricky when you’re married (to triathlons)
DATE LAB | On this blind date, he looks young and she looks old. But they’re both the same age.
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Date Lab: Foiled by footwear?
She’s wearing flats, and he’s full of surprises.
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Date Lab: She needs a good man. He’s just glad they’d never met.
It’s not easy to find two attractive, single, Jewish Washingtonians who haven’t crossed paths yet.
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Date Lab: Maybe sorta kinda possibly a little bit?
These two are talking a wide circle around the possibility of a second date.
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Date Lab: No electricity? Maybe she can lend him a spark.
Will a post-derecho date pack more power than Pepco?
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He may not know how he feels, but she does
DATE LAB | They both say the date was great, but was there a romantic connection? We’re not sure the daters even know.
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Date Lab: He didn’t find her fiery side. Or her car.
The conversation was easy, but was it romantic?
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Date Lab: She’s got him pegged. (Or so she thinks.)
On this blind date, he’s not her type. Or maybe he is. Or maybe not.
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Date Lab: The ultimate trivia team, or a wrong answer?
They’re outgoing and have a lot of laughs, but are their interests too different?
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Date Lab: So tell me, what’s your demographic?
Things are going well ... until he tells her whom he usually dates.
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Date Lab: The last 10 minutes seal this blind date’s fate
The lesson this week? It ain’t over till it’s over.
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Date Lab: Where are they now?
We check in with past participants to see who found love after their Date Lab adventure.
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Date Lab: Well, he didn’t end up in the trunk of a car ...
They’ve got a lot in common, but enough to conjure a spark?
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Date Lab: Will he catch her blue-handed?
A methodical guy with an artistic side meets a creative type with a practical side.
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Date Lab
He’s tired of dating immature girls. Enter cool, confident Lindsey.
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Date Lab: She was trying to keep an open mind, until he said ...
What was the turning point?
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Date Lab: If this was the best ... we have concerns
A master class in miscommunication.
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Date Lab: Think that hair’s a deal-breaker? Think again.
What happens when everything on a blind date just clicks? “It was like I was messing around with a pickax and I hit a gold vein."
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Date Lab: He fits her type, but ...
... is he too young, too lawyer-ly or just too “D.C.”?
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Date Lab: Think positive
They have peppy energy to spare.
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Date Lab: What happens when your dating patterns change
Nerves, drinks and a possible sexual identity crisis.
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A sweet start for two hearts
DATE LAB | Kevin shows up with a sweet surprise on his blind date with Sean. Can it only get better?
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Date Lab: Will his boyish charm put him at a disadvantage?
He’s just a year younger than she is, but that might be a deal-breaker for a woman used to dating older men.
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Date Lab: Two comedians walk into a belated date ...
We first tried to set them up last year, but both were in relationships. Now, we get a second chance.
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Date Lab: We arranged the date, but not the live audience
It’s hard to get romantic while being watched by a restaurant full of people.
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Date Lab: Why you should listen to your mother
He’s not her type. But mom says her usual type isn’t working. Will she give him a chance?
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Date Lab: A first date that’s not their first date
They seem perfect on paper — a few years ago, they thought so, too.
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Date Lab: This date is very, very nice. Oh drat.
His heavy travel schedule makes dating difficult. And things change on date No. 2.
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Riled, readers? He is ready for you.
DATE LAB | They’re both a little edgy and a bit subversive. Online commenters — he’s ready for you.
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Date Lab: In which we play welcome wagon to the new kids in town
They’re both new in town. Will their wide-eyed ways bring them together?
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Date Lab: They go where the wild things are
They start the night at Zoo Lights, and carry on until last call.
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Date Lab: A tall order for a picky guy
He has a pattern of snap judgments — can she get past the first round of this blind date?
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Date Lab: A rare species: The kickballer who doesn’t drink
She’s captain of a kickball team ... but doesn’t drink alcohol. He thinks she’s cute, but will her aversion to booze kill his buzz?
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Date Lab: His date, Tom Brady or the other woman?
He thinks we made a great match ... but can his date compete with the lure of Monday night football and the distraction of another woman?
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Something’s just a little fishy
DATE LAB | On this outing, our intrepid daters leave the editors a memento in a doggie bag.
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Date Lab: 2011’s best quotes
It’s been a busy year in blind dating, with plenty of quotable moments.
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Date Lab: Better with bacon
Tony won our Date Lab “Pick Me!” challenge. See who we (finally) set him up with.
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Date Lab: A gentleman and a classy lady walk into a bar ...
They’re both fitness buffs. But can they work out a spark?
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Date Lab: Entering the realm of likability
Two singles are skeptical about this whole blind date thing. Enter four firemen.
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Is this date ‘oo-rah’ or ‘ruh-roh’?
DATE LAB | She loves military men; we found her a charming Marine. But will his plans send this date south?
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Date Lab: 99%-ers at a table for two
On this blind date, will a visit to the Occupy D.C. protesters make for a romantic after-dinner activity?
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Date Lab: He’s nervous. Cue flying chicken.
On this blind date, he’s smitten, but she’s not so sure.
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Date Lab: Not to cut you off ...
On this blind date, he’s looking for the male Tina Fey. But can he stop talking long enough to get to know his match?
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Resisting the urge to Facebook
DATE LAB | Before they met, we told him her name. Can he resist the urge to get a sneak peek?
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Date Lab: Will rock-climbing inspire romance — or just nerves?
Seth and Rebecca both told us they were interested in rock climbing, so we sent them to Sportrock in Alexandria for their blind date.
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Date Lab: They’ll always have Washington
This blind date is the right match at the wrong time.
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Date Lab gets stood up (and what to do when it happens to you)
What do you do when your date just doesn’t show? Experts weigh in on the why and how of getting stood up.
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Date Lab: If she danced on the bar, would he join her?
They have tons in common, but is he bold enough for her?
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Date Lab: Is it hot in here, or is it just the yoga studio?
DATE LAB | They both have a connection to law school. Will it bring them together?
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Date Lab: He’s not trying to impress, but it’s working anyway
He thinks she’s a cutie, and she likes his Southern charm.
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Date Lab: A second date might hinge on the donkeys
She’s an aerial dancer with pet donkeys. He’s a one-time Bollywood extra with a wry sense of humor. A match made in quirky heaven?
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Date Lab: Last call for love on this bar-hopping date
On this blind date, they hit up Columbia Heights hot spots until last call.
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Date Lab: Are these two sailing toward romance?
Is sailing the perfect summer date? Or is it too much for a first meeting?
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Have you been stood up?
Tell us about a time your date was a no-show, and share your advice for what to do when it happens.
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Date Lab: When being short isn’t a stigma
One half of this dynamic duo waited 14 months before he heard back about a match.
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Date Lab: Will the desert-island game leave them stranded?
On this blind date, he has a fashion conundrum, and she searches for answers to his questions.
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Date Lab: Will a faux palm reading reveal a strong love line?
He sticks his foot in his mouth early on — can this blind date recover?
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