I still can't get over the fact that I was cast to be on a dating show. LOL. I know it's not the bachelorette, but I am not sure I am cut out for that kind of dating show... So when this opportunity presented itself to me, I was like "whaaaaaat"?!?!It all started when this casting agency slid into my DM's. They reached out and said they "liked my vibe" and wanted to get on a call. From there, they asked to Skype, where I answered questions like, "what's your name, age, city you live in" ; "what do you do for work?", what do you do for fun?", and the hardest question to answer..."what are you looking for in a significant other?"Side note: every-time I have told this story, people wanna know how I answered that last one... so here is what (I think) I am looking for. I am looking for a partner in crime, someone I can be myself around, who can make me laugh, be spontaneous and support my creativity. I want someone who can Netflix & chill AND would be cool jumping up on a table restaurant and dancing like no body is watching LOL.. Know someone like this? Are they single? Send them my way. plz and ty.A few weeks later, I got a call saying I was cast!! I was so shocked and couldn't believe that they actually liked me enough to pick me! And this is when the wild ride begins.They then asked me to set aside 7 days to for them to set me up with my "match". So they "found my match" from watching my casting video, and trying to find someone who would vibe with me and align with what I am looking for. After a few weeks, they found someone who they believed would be a good match , and set us up to meet and record our blind date. At that moment, I had mixed feelings of anxiety and excitement. Lots of people were like " omg this could be the moment you find Mr. Right.", but I was just focused on not looking like a complete weirdo on TV. hahaha.I shared the good news with my mom, who immediately began to panic, thinking I was going to be kidnapped or something. We came to a mutual understanding that she would be worries and I would be just fine. After we settled that, I had to figure out what to wear... AHHHHHHH. Thank goodness for Clothe and Arrow, my sister and my best friend for having the cutest things! I had to bring four different outfits and from the support from those three, I was able to pull together some awesome outfits all with different vibes. The producers ultimately would choose the final outfit, but finding 4 solid outfits that were TV ready aaaand all that I felt comfortable in. And of course, I did all of this the night before. hahah.The day of the shoot, I woke up at 5am, I needed to shower, do my hair and makeup, pack my car and get to Beverly Hills by 10am. If you follow me on instagram, you'll know all about my back saga haha, so my sister, Jessica was the REAL MVP and not only drove me there and back, but also helped maintain my sanity and kept me feeling cool and confident. I literally have ZERO clue how I would have done this without her, #forevergrateful .So once we got to LA, we followed the instructions and called the shuttle to take me to the shooting location. One of the other daters came in the shuttle which helped my nerves to hear someone else was nervous too haha. After 30 minutes of winding roads up into the Hills, we made it to the set! YAASSSSSSS. We were escorted into some mini-mansion where were split up and sent into separate rooms until it was time for our date. They set me up with snacks, mimosas and some water, while I waited. Thankfully I brought a notebook, so I could write and a true crime book (which I later found out - thatI had already read.... :| ).The following are excerpts I wrote while I was waiting in the room, with no service, no tv and no human interaction.. ha.

2:30 PM: It's been FOUR hours now in this room. I'm ready for another mimosa or meet this mystery man!!! It is super cold in this room and I can't leave. Soo i'm living my best cat life, lying on the floor, being warmed by the sliver of sunlight I found by the window.

5:30 PM: It's been SEVEN hours now... I was told that my date may not even show up?! uhhh WTF does that even mean? Classic life dude. haha. Watch, I get stood up on a freaking dating show... that would happen to me. it's kinda annoying, but I am just going to stay positive and see the good in this situation. Like, this is a "forced vacay", where I still get paid, I wrote two blog posts, and get to try something new, even if it's not exactly what I expected. I could either choose to focus on the annoying things - or just accept what is and just be grateful for the ride.

6:00 PM: Producers came in and said that I should start getting ready! They chose the outfit they wanted me to wear and prepped me on what I should start to think about for my pre-date interview. AHHHH, the nerves are really getting kicked into overdrive right now...7:30PM: LOL. WTF. HAHAHA. This would legit happen. The guy never showed up. I GOT STOOD UP. The producers came into my room after NINE HOURS of waiting, to tell me the guy isn't showing up... haha, yeah I kinda figured that. The call time was at TEN IN THE FREAKING MORNING. AND IT IS LATE, THE SUN IS GONE AND THE DAY IS BASICALLY OVER. so yeah, i kinda figured that out producers.... thanks.

dating show, behind the scenes, single life, single life stories, real life stories, dating stories, blind date , take risks, be brave, chase your dreams, inspirational quotes,

Obviously, I was frustrated, and rightfully so. Thankfully, this was a paid gig so I got compensated for the time lost, BUT STILL. how ruuuuude. So after I got this news, I went through a huge rollercoaster of emotions.I was obviously angry- no need to explain why. Disappointed, because I was really looking forward to this. Sad - it was hard not to take it personal and think there was something wrong with me... I had this reoccurring thought like - are you just meant to be alone forever? HAHA, don't worry I got over that one quickly, but doesn't mean it didn't cross my mind. Embarrassed, I mean I share my life online, and really hyped this up hahah, EVERYONE knew about this, and I now had to tell them, it wasn't happening, because the guy stood me up.I broke the news on my IG stories (since I was documenting the entire day) and instantly was showered with love and support. The whole thing became quite overwhelming and I had to turn off my phone and process on my own. My sister came and picked me up, after I was shuttled down off the set and back into Beverly Hills - where she took me to Eataly to get some bombbbb ass pasta and strong gin and tonics haha. My sister drove home and I fell asleep on the way back.When I woke up in the morning, I had a mini-migraine and just took the morning to process all that went on. I had a shit ton of messages from friends and family who wanted all the details, but I needed to work through this on my own time before sharing with the rest of the world. I cleaned my room, cleaned my car, cleaned the house, showered, did my laundry -- hahah can you tell cleaning helps me destress? lol. After, I meditated, journaled and talked to a few friends who gave me the space to openly explore all the things I was feeling.All in all, yeah, it didn't turn our how I imagined it - but I am a strong believer in things happening for a reason. I know there is a silver lining in all of this. It may not present itself to me anytime soon, but I know there is always something good that comes out of taking risks and trying new things. So hey, I got cast on a dating show - and got stood up. But it made for a good story, right? hahaha. As always, thanks for growing with me.

xoxo

C

ps: some Pintrest inspo I found that made me feel good and aligns with my beliefs about risks and living life

That one time I went on a dating show - and got stood up.