When Dreamdates get Chuzi

MANILA, Philippines - As much as we take pride in the fact that we are a warm and friendly people, when it comes to romance, Filipinos are surprisingly reserved. Traditional Filipino courtship involves a lot of pakipot,pakiyeme, and major third-party intervention, and that’s only if the proverbial torpe finds it in himself to commence the courtship at all.

Now though, we’ve entered the age of technology. We’ve gone from newsprint and snail mail to iPads and e-mails. We can fit our entire lives – memories, schedules, to-do lists, favorite songs, movies, books — into 16 GB of disk space. Oddly enough, this bodes well for the old school Pinoy lover. Somehow, behind the filmy veil of a text message or wall post, timid Pinoys are able to set their inner Casanovas free.

Well, Juan and Maria can get it on even easier now, with the arrival of Chuzi, the newest online dating, entertainment, and lifestyle network for Filipinos, and Dreamdate, its television counterpart.

Why hire Hitch when you’ve got technology?

Like a perfectly-timed crescendo, Chuzi and Dreamdate promise to launch the local dating scene into the future. The show’s executive producer David Abrenilla says, “the idea was to combine all three media, online, mobile, and television.” Now, while dating games and websites are not novel ideas (Blind Date and Fifth Wheel were more popular than we care to admit), combining both concepts is pretty innovative. And in a country where everyone — pre-teens, co-eds, lola techie and even your friendly neighborhood Jejemon — is online and mobile-connected, the concept could not be more suitable. Add to that the fact that we go nuts for reality TV shows and love teams (and love teams formed on reality TV shows), and the idea becomes gold. It’s pure genius.

Chuzi is, basically, a digital matchmaker. David says, “With Chuzi, you are always the admirer. You don’t have to be constantly in front of your computer, because actually, Chuzi is doing the work for you.” You no longer have to ask your friends to set you up on a blind date, or even troll the Internet page after page, looking for someone you like. Once you register on the site (for free!), you simply tell Chuzi what you’re looking for and the system narrows down your prospects to five potential people so that choosing your dream date becomes much easier. Happily ever after isn’t as simple as that though, because of course you have to wait and see if the person you chose chooses you back. If that person does choose you, then a match is made, cue the hallelujah chorus. If the person chooses someone else, the cycle repeats itself until a mutual attraction is found.

Chuzi: A matchmaker for the digital age.

It is a game of trial-and-error, but you can’t deny its appeal, especially since the prize is a date with someone who you know likes you already. And because Chuzi is also a lifestyle network, you can even get tips on what to wear, where to eat, or what to do on your first date.

More than that, Chuzi is a giant casting call of sorts. The Chuzi users with the most admirers will be given a chance to be contestants on the TV show Dreamdate, hosted by the charming tag team of Bianca Roque and Andrei Felix.

The show follows the pattern of the website, altered slightly for a television audience. Every week, three guys and three girls vote for their dream dates in three segments. But instead of body shots or bathroom hook-ups — mainstays in most reality dating shows – the contestants base their choices on looks, personality, and talent.

Just like the website, Dreamdate also goes beyond matchmaking. “It’s like a 101 for the opposite sex to have a better understanding of each other,” Bianca shares.

Bianca, who is in a relationship, is ready to dish out dating advice whenever necessary. “I’m a real matchmaker. Ever since high school, I would love to have my friends get together, and I think this is what I love to do, so why not take it to another level?”

90s flashback: Jenny McCarthy once hosted MTV Singled Out, a popular dating game show way back when.

Andrei, on the other hand, is single and just up for some fun. “It’s gonna be really fun because aside from everything we’ve mentioned already that Dreamdate is the first dating game show with an online component, we have a lot of participants already, excited about it, talking about it. Even VJs on the radio, they’ve heard about it and they want to be part of it already. The show will speak for itself.”

On the whole, Dreamdate and Chuzi seem promising enough. Their fun, lighthearted, never-say-die approach to dating can help ease the nerves of even the most timid romantics. Anyone can be a part of it, too (and when they say anyone, they mean anyone — this might just be lola techie’s big break into cougarhood). Even those who are still somewhat skeptical are guaranteed at least an entertaining show.

And as for helping the bashful lover find true love, well, David says, “it’s not a guarantee that you’ll find your love for everlasting, but in the end, it’s still an opportunity.”

This, folks, is the future of dating.

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Dreamdate airs on Studio 23 every Friday at 11:30 p.m. starting July 15.

The Chuzi website launched last July 1. Visit www.chuzi.com to register.