Georgia during her First Dates NZ experience with TradeMe addict Jeremy. Photo/TVNZ
When it comes to first dates, admitting to addictions is a risky business.
Jeremy took the risk, and it nearly went horribly wrong.
The West Auckland auto electrician was featured in last night's episode of First Dates NZ, a show which pairs singletons looking for love then films the results.
Jeremy met actress Georgia at an inner city bar, and their date seemed to be going well.
He was looking for someone who was "motivated, slim, good looking," and she wanted someone to have "adventures" with in Auckland after a recent relocation.
Their age gap - Jeremy's 27, Georgia's 19 - wasn't an issue. "She can hold a conversation fine ... (it) doesn't bother me," he said.
She said: "That doesn't bother me. I usually hang out with older people."
But conversation between the pair then turned to hobbies - and things soon got awkward.
"Do you have any hobbies," asked Georgia, hopefully. "Anything artsy?"
"Basically just playing around with cars and I have an addiction to TradeMe," replied Jeremy, who decided then to reveal just how bad his devotion to the auction site was.
"I literally have an addiction to it. Just buying stuff I shouldn't after a few beers ... and bringing them back to the house. Bad decisions when I'm drunk. We've all made those, mine's just on TradeMe. It's not too bad, I can hide it in the shed somewhere. Usually cars and bikes - (They're) my weakness, I've got seven bikes in the house."
Jeremy soon regretted bringing up his late night auction habit, when Georgia revealed why she wasn't a fan of bikes and no longer rode one.
"Not a fan of bikes anymore, because I was riding a bike once and that's when I got hit (by a car)," she said. "Interesting first dates story, I know."
Despite flirting with disaster, the pair agreed to meet up again.
But a postscript at the end of the episode said that despite exchanging a few texts, the pair hadn't met up for that second date.
Elsewhere, radio brand manager Scott thought he'd lucked out when he met wine adviser and yoga enthusiast Matty.
"The best thing ... was her confidence. I thought she was an actor ... I like someone that's like that," he said after she walked into the bar and introduced herself.
She seemed keen on him too. "I was really taken aback with how similar we were."
The pair seemed to hit it off, high fiving each other at the end of their meal and agreeing to another date.
But the show's postscript said she'd ghosted him after leaving for a yoga retreat in Bali.
A little less lucky was postgrad student and self-confessed geek Aimee, 26, and her date Tim, 33, a teacher.
The pair, both bisexual, struck up a bond geeking out over comic books.
"I'm more of a DC girl than a Marvel girl," said Aimee when Tim admitted he had a Marvel Universe encyclopedia.
"We discovered we had a lot in common, and I love how open I could be about my geeky side," he said. "She was cool about that ... I do find her attractive."
Tim was keen, but Aimee wasn't - and their end-of-date interview was hand-wringingly awkward.
"Do you want to see each other?" was the question asked.
"I would," said Tim.
"I would like to catch up as friends," said Aimee.
Tim, quickly changing his tune, replied: "Yeah that's what I think as well, yeah."
* First Dates NZ can be streamed here.
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