NEED TO KNOW
- Oli and Bronte bonded over shared struggles with cancer in a moment viewers called “cute.”
- The date took a messy turn when Bronte spilled pasta sauce on her dress, interrupting her mum Michelle’s date at the same restaurant.
- Oli’s card was declined several times while trying to pay the bill, sparking online debate about who should cover the cost on a first date.
First Dates Australia is back, and I, for one, am loving the show. One minute, I’m cringing behind my hands, the next I’m tilting my head and smiling at some good old romance.
The latest episode aired July 14, and there was a steamy pash between two of the daters (Jessica and Jason) and a mother-daughter duo who both went on dates in the restaurant.
Bronte, 21, and Michelle, 61, are both looking for love, and it’s fair to say it was a shock for Oli when his date’s mum greeted him at the bar.
I mean, come on — that is good television.
Despite the mother and daughter going their separate ways to enjoy their dates, they did find each other again during the night after some “painfully awkward” moments unfolded.
The ‘cute’ connection that took a messy turn
Oli and Bronte bonded over their shared love of exercise and light-hearted approach to being on the show.
The connection deepened when they explained they both had struggled with cancer at a younger age, with Bronte previously suffering from leukemia and Oli being diagnosed with a brain tumour at 16.
“Good on you,” Oli said when Bronte showed her Port-A-Cath mark on her chest.
“No, good on you. That’s ridiculous,” Bronte replied, the pair holding each other’s hands on the table.
Viewers were touched by the moment and were quick to say how much they liked the two together, calling them “cute” and joking that they should now get married.
“Love these two together! Adorable!” a third commented.
However, the date took a turn when Oli went to the bathroom, and Bronte spilled pasta sauce all over her dress (resulting in an interruption to her mum’s date with Brian so she could help remove the stain).
Things only worsened when it came to paying the bill, and Oli’s card declined — not once but, well, several times.
“I have to, it’s tradition,” Oli said, while desperately trying to pay the bill after Bronte offered to pay.
Should the man pay on the first date?
Admittedly, this was one of those moments when I was hiding behind my hands.
We’d be lying if we said we hadn’t all been there at one point of our lives — trying to buy something and realising, only too late, that you haven’t transferred enough money into your account, or maybe that it’s just too close to pay day.
But it sparked the age-old debate online around whether the man should pay on the first date or not, and people were divided.
“Poor guy, I felt for him!” one viewer wrote online, saying she thinks the man shouldn’t have to pay on the first date.
While some agreed, many others were firmly in the camp of ‘men pay on the first date’.
Now, I know this is a controversial topic, so I tread carefully.
But I will throw my hat in the ring and say, in my opinion, it depends who asked out who.
I think whoever did the asking out should pay on the first date, since they technically are asking someone out, so it implies you are the one putting your hand in your pocket.
If it’s the man, so be it.
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