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"They say they age of romance is dead - and you know what? They're absolutely right…the dating game is a jungle." With those words, Simon Cowell introduced the world of Cupid. Tossing a red rose to the wind, Simon went on, "The dating game is a jungle. It's embarrassing, it's awkward and it's ruthless, and this where I come in. We are going to cut right through that." Lisa Shannon is the beautiful woman of Cupid's affection. She grew up just outside Detroit, Michigan and is a successful copywriter. Lisa and her friends, Laura and Kim, will weed through hundreds of potential suitors and determine who will eventually vie for Lisa's considerable heart and mind, not to mention her good looks. Simon summed it up: "No soft focus, no violins and, most of all, no mercy. And remember: what these girls can do to a man will make your eyes water. Welcome to CUPID!" Host Brian McFayden explained that Lisa Shannon comes with a $1 million dowry, only if she and the last man standing marry and stay married for at least one year. The guys who pass the nationwide auditions will return to Los Angeles, where the girls will pick 10 of them to move into the bachelor pad and compete for Lisa's heart. At that point, America will play Cupid as you vote out men each week until one is left standing. Will America's choice for Mr. Right propose to Lisa? Will she accept his proposal? LISA SHANNON, KIM & LAURA Chicago, Miami, New York, Los Angeles: these were the cities where men would audition for Lisa. Each would have 30 seconds to impress her and her two friends. A man could advance to the next round only if two of the three girls said "yes." "I've been looking for Mr. Right," Lisa explained, "If it's anything I've learned from past relationships, it's that I'm not too great at picking guys." She added, "I've never left Detroit, so I'm not too sure what's out there." Next, Lisa introduced Kim and Laura, her companions in the journey. Kim works with Lisa professionally. "Kim is the powerful dreamer," Lisa noted, "She always will point out things that did not occur to you." On the other hand, there's Laura. "If Kim is the powerful dreamer,' Lisa remarked, "then Laura is the realist." Laura works at a hair salon, and she and Lisa have spent considerable time talking about men. "I've been married and divorced," explained Laura, "I don't want to see her go through that." Lisa summed up: "Based on my track record, I need some help. I know there's a guy out there for me. It's just a question of finding him." LAMBS TO THE SLAUGHTER The girls arrived in Chicago: the Windy City. Brian interviewed several men outside the auditions, including "SuperDan," who hoped that his name actually charms Lisa. "She's going to have to live with it," SuperDan explains dryly. Brian admitted his job finding Lisa a mate might be harder than he thought. Lisa's hopes were high as she entered the gauntlet of her first audition city. First in was Michael, a postal employee who has worked for 16 years carrying letters. Right off the bat, Laura noticed that Michael was quite confident. He replied that he was, indeed, charming: "Obviously, I'm not hard to look at. I've dated beautiful women." Laura then gingerly sat up and examined Michael's hair, which he admitted was treated. An increasingly nervous Michael explained that he had been married earlier, had a gambling problem, and that he had had an earlier drinking problem. Problems already. The audition was breaking down. "You lied to your wife about gambling?" Lisa asked, exasperated. Michael was a "shut out": 3-0. ( Michael makes his case  )
Things were not off to a roaring start. Simon remarked, "He's an ex-drunk, he's an ex gambler; welcome to Chicago! What I didn't know was the worst was about to come." Up next: none other than SuperDan. He made his entrance, barely saying a word. Laura tartly threw out, "I'm Laura, this is Lisa, this is Kim, in case you were curious!" Dan then proposed a martial arts demo. Still silent, SuperDan stripped down to his shorts and demonstrated fighting and kickboxing techniques with his training buddy. The girls laughed themselves silly over Dan's overactive audition. "I wanted to meet Lisa," said Dan, "My goal in life is to become an ultimate Fighting Champion and have you on my arm like a trophy." With that, Kim and Laura exploded. "You're out of here. See ya!" SuperDan beat a hasty retreat. "What the hell was that?" Kim asked after the audition. ( SuperDan struts his stuff )
WINNING LISA'S HEART Next through the curtain was Dominic, a 21-year-old student, who set up a romantic picnic on the floor of the audition room. The young, athletic Dominic, whose soft voiced impressed the girls, explained, "To tell you the truth, I don't think age matters if there's a connection." Kim asked if he was close to his family. Dominic replied, "Yeah, I'm close." To prove it, he brought in two women very close in his life: his mother and his little sister. Laura commented, "That's great." Lisa said, "You're so adorable." Dominic had won the girls over: he was in. ( Picnic with Dominic )
"When I started out on this, I had hoped there'd be hundred of Dominics out there. But I'm starting to realize it's like looking for a needle in a haystack." Lisa's point was proven when she met a guy with a parrot perched precariously on his shoulder. "I'm very mature for my age," he told the girls. Laura stung back: "Mature?! You're walking around with a bird on your shoulder. Done!" Next was an enormous body builder who shaved his armpits. Then a man who had no idea how old he was, a man who could barely carry a tune, a guy with a poem that bored Kim to tears, a skinny guy who was convinced he was a jock, a man who stripped to his boxers and danced, a Fabio-hair wannabe whom Laura critiqued as "Cheesy. Can you really see him as your future husband?" Other men waited in the lobby, hearing horror stories from inside and terrified of what awaited them when they eventually stepped before the judges. |
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