Date Lab

Will a dating coach and a reality TV romeo click or just talk shop?

7:30 P.M. | BAMBU | PALISADES

Amy: I got [to the restaurant], and one of the chefs walked me over to the table. On a very superficial level, Piao wasn't my type. My dream date is Mr. Darcy -- tall, dark, a little retrospective and confident. Piao is the antithesis, more like a sprite.

Piao: She was 5-foot-8, brunette. Attractive enough, but I didn't think it'd be a match. I like girls who are a little shorter, and I sensed she was older. [Then,] I found out that she's a dating coach. That made me self-conscious.

Amy: Several years back, a friend came up with this idea to offer courses on how to enjoy and be successful in dating. Then, when I called off my engagement, I employed our principles reentering the dating scene. It was kind of cathartic. Starting next month, I'll be teaching courses.

Piao: When I found out that she recently was engaged, I'm going, Wow, I've never even been close. She does the whole guy approach of asking a lot of questions. She was going Barbara Walters on me.

Amy: You could tell Piao was nervous. He looked down a lot and got caught up on his words. I was curious as to what he'd submitted in the [Date Lab] questionnaire, and it came out that he was [on the reality TV show] "Beauty and the Geek." He was proud of it. I'd assume that when you're not used to getting attention and you unexpectedly garner a lot, it's easy to bask. He's attracted to these opportunities: He [said he also] was on a radio talk show and then tried for another reality show, and then he did Date Lab.

Piao: We were on different planes. She was saying how women evaluate men by what their job is, and she said something about "if you're only making $50,000." I'm thinking to myself, $50,000 is still a lot of money to me.

Amy: One [strange] thing was that I'd ask him trivial questions like, "Have you seen the movie 'Meet Joe Black?'" and he'd say yes, and then he'd say, "No, I didn't see it." It happened several times.

Piao: I just lied to her, basically. I don't know why. I thought it was funny. She was super-intelligent: She dropped a lot of words that I haven't heard in a long time. I was a big fan of that. The conversation was good enough that we basically closed down the restaurant. [At 10:30 p.m.,] they were mopping the floors, basically saying, Get out.

Amy: It was raining heavily, so he ran to his car and got an umbrella [for me]. It was really sweet. I would [rate the date] a 4 out of 5. On the first-date fundamentals, he did everything I advocate. He did listen and ask questions. And he was very open and forthcoming. His problem is, he doesn't feel comfortable around women.

Piao: I gave her a hug, and she gave me her card. I'd give her a 4. I'd like to know her better, but our being in different stages of our lives might hold us back.

Interviews by Christina Breda Antoniades

UPDATE: Piao called Amy that night to make sure she got home and again to dish about their interviews. They have no plans.

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