Posts tagged ‘events’
VH1′s The Pick-Up Artist 2 Recap Episode 6
This week on The Pickup Artist, the guys show how far they’ve come, and man, they sure don’t look like the same nerds we met six weeks ago. They were total pros out in the field and there was lots of making out going on. There was also a very Top Gun vibe what with all the wingmen – Rian and Greg easily filled the roles of Maverick and Goose as they competed against Matt and Simeon (er, Iceman and Slider) for immunity. There was no sexy, sweaty beach volleyball, but we did get a glimpse at a new, shirtless Simeon. Umm, Simeon. . .care to explain?
When Rian returns to the house with the last of Mystery’s medallions from last week, Simeon tells the group ”We’re the Fantastic Four right here.” With Brian now gone, the guys have lost a friend, but also a rival – they’re all one step closer to being the master pickup artist, but first, in a move to see whose day game it tops, they’re are hurtled into a sea of coupon-clippers and price checks at the grocery store.
Mystery explains that day game is like a watered-down version of the pickup techniques the guys are used to – body language must be toned down and negging should be kept to a minimum. Besides, no woman is going to get with you if she has Tofutti Cuties that need to hit the freezer asap. A subtler approach is called for. While Matt starts off strong, all the Luna Bar jokes in the world couldn’t stop him from losing momentum. He ends up nervously batting around an onion, which I wish was a euphemism, and leading Mystery to joke “There’s an eight-set of asparagus right behind you!” Poor Matt just couldn’t produce. Get it? Produce? Like the produce aisle? Sorry…
Next up, Rian enters boldly and heads straight for the chocolate fountain, always a good move, because where there’s a chocolate fountain there are most definitely single women congregating. He starts off well but then starts in on some “theater exercise” version of patty-cake, yet he still manages to number close a two-set of girls. The grocery store seems to be Rian’s element.
Maybe Simeon remembered the Sesame Street episode where the food in the fridge could talk to each other, because when it was his turn, he seemed to direct his opener at a wall of herbs rather than the girl next to him, and was shocked when the ladies weren’t responsive. He then forced a girl into conversation and somehow, despite her discomfort, got her phone number, all the while causing our judges to cringe.
“What I proceeded to do is the exact opposite of everything I had been told,” Simeon said while sauntering off into the employees-only room. Meanwhile, Greg couldn’t close any deals and froze after making chit-chat and faking interest in food samples. The fake perplexed look on Greg’s face as he fakes interest in what he just sampled and fake contemplates going back for more is genuinely entertaining.
Matt and Greg may charm the ladies at night, but their day game proved lacking and Rian was named the winner of the challenge.
Back at home, Matt confides to the gang that he feels like he’s dumbing himself down when he’s out in the field. “Who’s going to a club to talk about the Socialist policies of France? Nobody is! But that’s in my wheelhouse, you know?” Well Matt, you’re right. No one goes to bars, or the supermarket or even French Socialist club to talk about that. It looks like your wheelhouse shall remain a fortress of solitude. Later, Matt references Mel Brooks and Carl Reiner so actually, Matt might want to hit up Club My Dad if this is the kind of conversation he’s looking for.
Mystery, Matador and Tara arrive to teach a lesson about being a good wingman. These lessons include talking up your buddy in what’s known as “accomplishment intros” and preventing obstacles from getting between you and your target, in other words, warding off cock blocks. With the help of a wingman, the goal of this week’s field test is to make out with a girl. As the winner of the reward challenge, Rian was allowed to choose his wingman, and he decided to pair with Greg, leaving Matt and Simeon together.
Out in the field Greg and Rian successfully manage to get three girls to come sit with them in the VIP area. Greg makes out with his target in no time at all, leaving her awed by his smooth techniques.
Rian was left to fend off the other two girls – literally. He actually had both girls offering to kiss him and each other, and one of the girls even apologized saying her kissing was out of practice. Rian went in for an innocent “little brother” kiss with her and while it wasn’t a full-on makeout, for a guy who was trying to diplomatically handle a threesome without ever having kissed anyone, he did well.
Later when it’s Matt and Simeon’s turn, Simeon and His Magical Cowboy Hat get some action right out of the gate.
Matt and His Suit spend too much time talking business and he doesn’t make a move on his target until after Simeon comes by for some wingman motivation. Watching them and seeing how much their confidence has grown since the beginning of the show is exciting at this point. As soon as Simeon leaves Matt and his girl alone, they’re playing tonsil hockey in no time.
Having a wingman has made the guys wayyy less self-conscious.
“It’s official, we’ve built four really, really impressive pickup artists,” Doctor FrankenMystery tells his assistants Matador and Tara.
Since Matt and Simeon both achieved the makeout goal, Mystery chose them as the winners. Their styles complemented each other and ultimately that’s what won it for them. On the other hand, while Greg also accomplished the goal, he proved to be a selfish wingman by not helping in any way (perhaps he could have pulled one of the target girls off of Rian for a few minutes so Rian could collect himself), and now the two of them would be fighting for the last medallion.
We haven’t heard much from the guys in the way of playing the reality game – up until this point they’ve all been grateful for the lessons they’ve learned from Mystery – but now that it’s down to four, it’s getting competitive. “At this point, I really wanna win this competition and strategically I think Greg poses more of a threat than Rian does, therefore I would actually like to see Greg go home,” Simeon says. Cold, Simeon, cold. But this is an elimination show and there’s been no cattiness thus far, so it’s refreshing to finally see some strategy employed. We’re so close to one of the guys saying “I didn’t come here to make friends, I came here to win!” I can feel it.
Each guy was allowed to make his case for staying, and Rian made his point by saying that he doesn’t even kiss his family, so to have kissed one girl on the lips, even if it wasn’t a makeout, was a success. That tugged at the old heartstrings until Matador pointed out “You don’t kiss? That’s what we do man!” Touché. This guy must’ve killed at debate club.
Greg sealed the deal though when he said “I feel like I’ve grown one thousand percent, and I feel like I have the potential to grow another million percent.” How can you say no to that? That’s some solid math right there. Had Rian only played the numbers game, maybe he wouldn’t have been the recipient of this week’s Fuzzy Farewell Montage.
Courtesy of VH1. Click HERE to read original article.
VH1′s The Celebreality Interview With Brian
After watching this season of The Pick Up Artist, it’s obvious that Brian might be the show’s craziest contestant. He has made out with mannequins, admitted to practicing his kissing technique on ham slices, and coined more than his share of slang (”smokin’ balls,” anyone?). Turns out, Brian in real life is exactly like Brian on the show, and when we talked, our conversation had equal amounts ADD and TMI – that’s just how Brian rolls. Deep down though, he’s all about making friends with everyone. In fact, I think we ended the conversation with my promising to cook him dinner if he’s ever in New York. He may be off the show, but Brian’s not easily forgotten.
So tell me, what was it like meeting Mystery, was it exciting or did he just come across as a normal guy?
He was a bit different. When I first saw him I was like wow, he looks like a rock star. I thought we’d have to dress like him and I was like “I’m way too short to wear that trench coat,” and I didn’t know if I’d be able to pull off the Darth Vader goggles and cowboy hat. Everyone else that I’ve talked to from the show says that you’re the one person they all definitely keep in touch with.
I pretty much get along with everyone and there really wasn’t like any major drama and it’s not like a show where you get voted off, it’s all based on performance so you can do good for three or four challenges and the next challenge you screw up and get kicked off.
Read the rest of the interview after the jump.
Do you think that’s fair?
It’s maybe a little unfair ’cause Todd did really well and he just messed up on one challenge and just from his performance on the one challenge he got kicked off.
That’s what happened to you too, don’t you think? Up until that last challenge, Mystery, Matador and Tara had nothing but love for you and their reactions were always positive and they were impressed by your confidence.
I’m really confident, but I have approach anxiety that I couldn’t get over. Major, major approach anxiety. Capital major. Capital M-A-J-O-R. But now I’m still the same person, it’s just like I’m a better and improved Brian.
Have you put your training to use since the show?
Oh yeah. I’m lovin’ life right now. My results are more than one and less than one hundred. I’ve got to get to know you a little bit better before I let you know the real number.
So for your last challenge -
Which one was the last one, the one where we had to number close?
Yeah, you had to get a number from a bikini model.
Yeah, I was too intimidated by the skinny little thongs in between the girls’ butts. They were good lookin’ though.
So that made it harder?
It was so nerve-wracking, you knew there were cameras around and like, the first five-set that I walked into I said that they had orange faces and tans and all of them heard me say that and when I went around to open other sets they would be like “There’s the guy who told us we had orange skin!”
Have you learned your lesson? You should never call a girl orange.
Yeah, maybe I should’ve said they were too yellow instead. Hey, are you very experienced, sexually? I’m just wondering because I read on a blog, I was reading a bunch of stuff that people were writing about me, but then I read that semen is good for your skin and all these people on the blog were like “You should use the semen opener where you tell a girl semen is really good for her skin.”
I’m not so sure you should use that one.
I don’t think I would either. It was just coming from these crazy guys that worship me. Like all the messages I get on MySpace and Facebook are from guys, so many guys come up to me, it’s weird. I wish it was the opposite gender.
Maybe they look up to you.
But it’s like, tons of guys who add me and ask me for advice and hang out with me, it’s probably 80% guys and 20% girls, it’s horrible.
What do the girls say to you?
They say “Oh HA HA you are so hilarious. You’re so funny. I love you. Now when can I meet Mystery?” Every girl I talk to wants to meet Mystery or Matador and they wanna use me as a middle man. I took a girl to a party and she ended up hooking up with some other guy to try to get to Mystery.
Ew.
Yeah.
Do you like hanging out at clubs like the ones you went to on the show, or do you meet girls at school or in dive bars?
I like dive bars better, I went to a club on my birthday and they were only letting in one guy for every three girls and they weren’t letting my friends in so I was gonna walk out. You know where I like to hang out at? Under big tall trees and just chill, just enjoying nature. I love the outdoors, reading a good book, going to the beach.
Do you really like pickle juice?
Well, like I don’t like drinkin’ it, but I like, like, getting the giant pickles from a theme park. Have you seen that Zohan movie?
Nope.
I saw it. It’s pretty funny. Stupid funny.
Did you just see it?
No. I saw it in the theater. Adam Sandler is one of my favorite actors. And the guy from Superbad. And I like romantic comedies.
Do you want to act?
No, the thing is that I found a job on Craigslist and when I went in for an interview they referred me for The Pickup Artist and I’m like, I’m not an actor, I’ve never read scripts but I tried out and like 4 months later they called me and I was like, cool! I had very little investment in it, I hadn’t seen the first season, I don’t have cable. I don’t know anything about pop culture except that Lindsay Lohan and Britney Spears are drunk-asses. I haven’t even picked up the book The Game yet, I feel like I should read it.
If you’re having fun, you probably don’t need to read it.
Really, going out is all about confidence and having fun and having a good time with your friends and projecting your true personality. Vibrating with the crowd and showing the whole room love. Just love everyone and respect them.
VH1′s The Pickup Artist 2 Recap Episode 5
Courtesy of VH1. Click here for the original post. Also visit www.pickuptara.com for additional pictures and videos!
Bikini fashion show! No, it’s not the name of a cheesy 80s movie, it’s the field challenge our guys had to undertake this week and man, oh man was it AWK-ward! Of course this outfit never ceases to surprise, so even though three of ‘em hit on the same girl, hyperactive Simeon was the only one who could close the deal and get her number. The rest failed miserably. Simeon was the week’s big winner and SHOCK of all shocks, Brian was the dude sent home.
But first, someone grab the keys to the Range Rover because we’re heading to the Scottsdale Plaza Resort! This week’s reward challenge sees the guys involuntarily signed up to be the prizes in an auction at a fancy-pants spa. Before they can even protest the idea of being paraded around like cattle, Mystery adds insult to injury by telling them they ain’t got no DHV. That’s “Demonstrations of Higher Value” in Mysteryspeak, and in layman’s terms it means selling yourself. I think. The explanation was vague, and I was left to infer the definition of DHV all on my own. Come to think of it, I still think Kino Escalate is an SUV equipped with electronic gambling machines, so I’m not entirely sure what most of Mystery’s man-lingo means. But in this case, at the auction, the guys are supposed to think of stories that will literally sell themselves to the highest bidder.
Matt takes this to mean that he should introduce himself as a high caliber, culturally elite oenophile and starts rehearsing a story about going to Tuscany to study cheese and wine. Simeon talked about the time he and his Sherpa got caught in a monsoon, and Brian seemed to glaze over at his tale.
If the snippets of these guys rehearsing their DHV stories were any indication, I worried for the charity that would benefit from this auction. Poor, poor Defenders of Children, times may be tough this month.
Brian presented himself first to the roomful of prim and proper ladies, and was purchased for a respectable price, likely because he wouldn’t stop shaking his booty at them.
Final bid: $575
With $575 as the amount to beat, Matt took the stage and continued his story about being taught the ways of the world by an Italian woman. Unfortunately that’s as sexy as it got because his lessons were about what stinky cheese goes best with Chianti. The stories worked though, Matt earned himself an $850 bid, and unless one of the other guys could top that, he might be living out “Under My Tuscan Son” with one of these charitable Arizona socialites.
Matt praises the group of women for their good sense to bid on him:
Final bid: $850
The other guys weren’t quite as at-ease on the stage as Matt, judging from their awkward physical DHVs and low bids.
Rian tried to woo with his come-hither bedtime look:
Final bid: $450
“I don’t want to brag or anything, I just want to tell you I’m a great person,” Simeon totally bragged.
Final bid: $575
On his 24-month service mission, Greg explained how he “left a boy and came back a man.”
Manly though he was, he still couldn’t beat Matt. Final bid: $800
Has Matt lost a reward challenge like, ever? As a prize, he got the company of wing woman Tara whose presence and general hotness will aid him later on when he’s out in the field.
Right Tara?
I thought so.
The field test was to pick up a hired gun, a woman whose job relies on her beauty. “A bartender…a go-go dancer…a bikini model,” Mystery says, clearly after having just watched an episode of Laugh-In because when was the last time anyone in real life referenced a go-go dancer? The guys must use different techniques to pick up a bikini model after attending a swimwear fashion show, so they tested hypothetical compliments and negs with Tara. Matt clearly felt confident after hearing Brian’s line “You are the orangest girl I’ve ever met.”
The guys watch the bikini fashion show and then are let loose amongst the throngs of thongs. What you are about to read about was shot using hidden cameras. There are no actors in the club, only real people. . .
And this was where it started to get painful. While swimming in a sea of models, Greg acted awkward and hovered, Brian’s formerly cute “I like pickle juice!” did him no favors and the moment he told one of the models she had “the orangest tan he’s ever seen”, the girls scattered. Remember those Dawn dish detergent commercials where one drop of Dawn on a casserole dish immediately repels whatever grease was on the dish? One drop of Brian was all these girls needed.
Rian, Matt and Simeon all end up trying to mack on the same girl and while she was warm to Rian and cool to Matt, she ended up being hot for Simeon. Guys, take a note from Simeon – offer to take a girl out for mani-pedis because while we can handle small talk and flirting, we can’t abide cracked heels. Simeon’s manic personality and rock-star cowboy persona finally pays off and the girls are on him like nail glue.
When the challenge was over, Mystery addressed the guys in a storage room/Ultimate Fighting cage.
He’s disappointed in Matt who, even with a wing, can’t even pull off getting a phone number but tells all the guys that, aside from Simeon, who’s the obvious winner of the challenge, they could all be on the chopping block since no one else got a phone number.
Ultimately Matt and Greg were awarded medallions and Brian and Rian were in the bottom two. Never would I have thought Brian would be here – I was sure his confidence and craziness had bought him a one-way ticket to Pick-Up City. I’m amazed at Rian’s progress too, but his lack of confidence had been a worry – he does good work out in the field, but I’m starting to think that all his crying is reversing that dry heat Arizona is so known for.
Mystery calls Brian’s persona “one-note” and Tara tells him he doesn’t listen to girls and for those reasons, Rian is awarded the final medallion. In what seems like genuine sadness from everyone in the room, Mystery, Tara and Matador all say goodbye to Brian, who can’t keep his emotions in check and takes a moment to cry before sailing off into a Fuzzy Farewell Montage.
I’ll miss Brian. . .and his hair. . .and his love of pickle juice. . .but I think it’s his spelling I’ll miss most of all, especially as he bids us farewell: “I’m a new person. I’m ready for a real K-I-S-S, infinity S’s. On my lips. Instead of a mannequin this time. Or a guy.”
The Pickup Artist 2 Recap Episode 3 Sexy Nurses and Hard Weiners
SPECIAL THANKS TO VH1, CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE ORIGINAL ARTICLE!
The Pickup Artist 2 Recap – Episode 3 – Sexy Nurses & Hard Weiners
Last week in the Pick Up Artist, Karl beat Kevin by an inch and hung tight. “I can’t be in the final two again,” he says at that start of Sunday’s show, “Coming that close to elimination has really lit a fire under my ass.” Must have been a small fire; Karl couldn’t step up his game and he got the boot after a weak showing in the field. The week couldn’t have been better for Greg, though. He won the reward challenge, the field test and a compliment of the highest order from one of his lady friends. . .
Mystery invites the guys to a doctor’s office for their reward challenge and explains that when approaching a woman, a man’s “body can potentially cause some problems – sweaty palms, shortness of breath, racing heartbeat.” Oh man, this challenge was so Kevin, it’s too bad he’s not there for it – that guy was a bundle of involuntary swamp ass (his words not mine!) and inopportune mouth-vomit. This “bio-feedback” could affect their game but can be controlled. Mystery introduces a doctor who studies this kind of behavior and who has a very scientific machine that tracks their physical responses to sexy nurses.
The doctor advises them that the way to control their nerves is to regulate breathing and warm their hands. Enter Nurse Samantha, who makes it impossible for the guys to control any bodily function and may be the only nurse to make her patients feel worse while tending to them. I’ll give her points for her extra-friendly bedside manner, though. Matt is the first patient, and when Samantha starts to disrobe, his breathing gets wild and he stares blankly at her or becomes mesmerized by boobs. It’s hard to tell: he’s focused on his Lamaze breathing.
Meanwhile, the waiting room where the rest of the guys are, the air is thick with anticipation. There’s pacing, there’s nail-biting, Simeon is doing yoga to control his hyperactivity.
When it’s Brian’s turn, he explains that he controls himself by shutting his eyes to imagine that Samantha had a dog face with whiskers. Just what a sexy nurse wants to hear, right?
In fact most of the guys will themselves to look away or go for the sleepy-eyed look – moves I’m not sure would work in real life. If you approached a girl looking as chilled-out and eye-averting as this bunch, I’d ask you where you buy your pot and if you’re okay to drive.
Greg and Todd both seem happy and relaxed, and Todd’s electrodes were so mellow that they kept popping off his head.
Because of his controlled breathing and, we assume, warm hands, Greg is named the winner of the reward challenge. As a result, he’ll get to spend the night in the surveillance truck with Mystery, observing the other guys on hidden camera, a definite advantage since he’ll learn from their mistakes. Back at the house, the guys discuss the fact that their biggest fear of the day was, to put it indelicately, having a visible boner. “The reward challenge was not to go camping; we didn’t need to pitch a tent,” Matt tells the guys. “I was like, don’t smile, otherwise you’ll give me a hard wiener,” Brian says, explaining his strategy with Samantha.
Mystery, Matador and Tara stop by the house for a lesson in body language so that, one hopes, these guys will never have to fear the wiener again. And who should show up to help out with this lesson but last season’s Master Pickup Artist, Kosmo! Whose medallion actually glows!
Kosmo has been busy traveling the world and teaching other men how to approach women. The guys this season are immediately smitten with him – he’s the reason they signed on for the show and they want to live a life like his. They break into groups to learn some key moves, like the over-the-shoulder and the body rock, but then they find out that leaning into a conversation is bad strategy. As the guys prepare to go out that night, Kosmo reassures them that “Women are human. Can you believe women are going to die one day just like you?” Come on, Kosmo, don’t go spilling all our secrets. Mortality is just the tip of the iceberg, everyone. I can say no more.
Out in the field, the guys will be judged on how well they use their body language and their ability to bring a girl to an isolated location. While Todd successfully works a set of girls into his VIP booth, the rest of the guys have a harder time. Karl starts to flail in the field and eventually asks a two-set, “Would you girls ever date a guy in a wheelchair? What if it was brand-new wheelchair with power locks and air conditioning?” You can see he’s lost his mojo, and Mystery is bewildered. “I don’t know what happened there. He initiated the chat but didn’t reach their spirit!” Um, ya think? Air conditioned wheelchair jokes have never made my soul flutter, I think we need to work on Karl’s material.
Greg, who had been watching the monitor in the truck the whole time, heads out into the field (by the way, can we discuss the fact that the descriptions these guys are given when they walk in the club keep getting better and better – Greg “has nervous nostrils”, Karl “has only seen boobs on TV,” Rian “sleeps with teddy bear” – hilarious) with a definite advantage.
Greg manages to get his set to agree to join him in the VIP section and tells the girls how he donated his long hair to Locks of Love, at which point one of the girls in his set is all “Oh my God, hair giver!” and I worry that the show will never again provide a compliment quite like that. It’s all downhill after “hair giver.”
After the field test is complete, Mystery lauds the group dressed as an extra from Shakespeare in Love.
Greg is chosen as the winner in spite of his nervous nostrils, and picks Matt and Brian as his wingmen. Greg tells Mystery he chose Brian because “He lifts everybody up, how could you not love this guy?” I wonder if he means that literally, because Brian really does lift everyone up in the club. They receive yellow medallions, which represent cleansing. I don’t know how it always comes back to Coming to America, but cleansing in this context makes me fondly chuckle thinking of “the royal penis is clean, your Highness,” and I don’t think the guys can make that happen till at least episode 6. . .
Mystery however, doesn’t approve of Greg’s choice of Matt as wingman and if Mystery had things his way, Matt would be the one going home this week. But he’s Matt! He may not have Lauren Hutton teeth anymore, but we still have a soft spot for the guy! Alas, Matt is safe, as are Simeon, Rian and Todd. Poor Karl foreshadowed his own demise throughout the episode and ultimately, he received the fuzzy farewell montage this week.
Tara’s Rules Of Engagement By Josh Rotter On GayTvBlog.com
(“The Pickup Artist 2″ cast, courtesy of VH1)
THANKS TO JOSH ROTTER. PLEASE CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE ORIGINAL ARTICLE! or on PickUpTara.com.
In the game of love, or even lust, many of us are losers, even those of us who are successful in all other aspects of our lives. Maybe we have everything else, the perfect job, the nurturing home and family life, and tons of great friends; but for some reason we just can’t seem to find that ideal partner who so many of us crave.
Why is that, you’ve certainly wondered. Is it because as men we’re too visually stimulated to select anyone who falls short of Brad Pitt? Is it because we approach dating as we do everything else in our lives, with too much entitlement and not enough compromise? Or conversely, were we so oppressed growing up that we don’t think that we’re worthy?
We could continue posing theories ad nauseam, but we think it’s time for some answers. To get them, we decided to hit up world renowned pickup guru Mystery’s wing-woman Tara (and his co-star on VH1′s “The Pickup Artist 2,” on which they aim to mold the next generation of cassanovas) to get her take on gay dating and what we can do to better our chances at winning over Mr. Right — for a night or a lifetime.
And yes, we know she’s a woman, but sometimes it’s good to get an outsider’s perspective. And let’s face it, Tara does attract guys and we’re guys who want to attract more guys, so let’s begin. Class is now in session.
Tara, please explain your role on “The Pickup Artist 2.”
On the show and behind the scenes, they call me a ‘wing-girl.’ On the show I’m giving the woman’s perspective of how I like to be treated, what I think of the pickup, and just helping them be more comfortable with women, and showing them that I’m not a scary monster out to get them and that women can be nice. So I’m a coach on and off the show.
So as a ‘wing-girl’, you help men pick up women by teaching them what women want, but how about teaching people how to pick men up?
We’ve actually had a lot of gay guys and women writing and asking why we don’t include them, because they obviously have the same trouble, too. I think a lot of the same principles can be applied, but a lot of those things come more naturally to gay men and women, like not giving your all the first time you meet, and holding back and flirting. For example, one thing we teach is the ‘Neg,’ which is a compliment that’s a little negative, like saying, ‘I like your hair, is it real?’ So you’re giving a compliment, but the other person doesn’t know where they stand. If someone approached a guy and said, ‘Hey, I think you’re amazing and I want to be your boyfriend,’ the guy would think you’re really aggressive and weird.
Which celebrities would you want to pick up?
Angelina Jolie and Meryl Streep. Your next question is probably, ‘Are you a lesbian?’ But for some reason the first thing that comes to mind is women. I don’t know… I think women are so beautiful and complex and amazing. But for guys, I’ve always had a huge crush on Owen Wilson. That goes back to the whole visually stimulated thing, because he’s not the most attractive guy — he’s no Brad Pitt — but there’s something about him. I also like Will Ferrell, because I love his humor and the stuff he does. I imagine him to have a wonderful personality.
OK fine, so you can be won over by great personalities; but aren’t guys generally all about looks?
I agree with that for men and women in that the first time they see someone, they’re not saying, ‘Hey, what a great personality, I’d really love to get to know you,’ they’re seeing someone’s physicality and what they look like. But I think that gay men are more like women in that they’re more into personality. A lot has to do with the chemistry of the two personalities and the personalities matching up. But obviously even when men are attracted to women, it’s not all looks. I think men are more visual, but if someone has a shining, amazing personality, and makes the man feel the best that he can, I think he will be attracted to them.
But don’t men want a challenge? If you make them feel too good, won’t they get bored, and start shooting for someone less attainable?
It’s about treating them really well, but not being clingy, like a leech that hangs on every word and following them around like a puppy dog. It’s about showering them with love but knowing how to have a life of your own. I always say that there are three relationships; there’s each individual’s personal relationship and then their relationship together.
OK, let’s talk about some of the places where men meet each other. Are you familiar with gay bars and clubs?
Oh my god, am I? I used to live in Spain and I loved going to gay clubs, gay after-parties at seven in the morning and it was the best thing ever, because I didn’t get bothered; and when guys would drag their straight friends there, hoping to convert them, as one of the 10 girls there, I would sweep up the ones who did not want to turn over.
How would you say that gay clubs differ from straight ones?
There’s a lot more sexuality in gay clubs, which is interesting to me, because the whole concept of sexuality stems back to society and its views of what’s OK and what’s not OK. In society, if a guy sleeps with as many people as he wants, he’s a pimp and a superstar. If a woman does it, she’s categorized as a slut and a whore. So I think there’s a huge difference between gay and straight clubs. Gay men can show their sexuality because they’re men and gay women can as well, because they’re not being judged by men. At straight clubs, people bend to society’s directions on what is and isn’t ok, so gay clubs are more fun and loose.
Are clubs a good place to meet a potential suitor?
It depends on where you go, because people should go to places where they’d meet a mutual sort of person. But so many people think they have to have a few drinks in order to hit on a person. But one of the great things about the show is that it teaches the contestants to be the best person they can be, magnify wonderful qualities, and it gives them confidence, so they don’t need five drinks to do it and can do it at a bookstore and coffee shop.
Online dating… Good or bad?
I think there are pros and cons… The pros are that online you’re able to do a pre-screening, look at their stats, and communicate back and forth, like ‘I like skiing, and you like skiing,’ ‘I like Italian food, and you like Italian food.’ You get to know things upfront that you wouldn’t if you met in person. If you told someone in a club that you’re looking for a long-term relationship, that doesn’t really go over well. On the flipside, in a club you can tell if you have chemistry with people or if you don’t, instantaneously.
What are the do’s and don’ts when you’re meeting people online?
Personally, I would not go online and correspond with someone for a month and share intimate details with them before meeting them. It should be, ‘What do we have in common?’ and then meet within a week — or don’t and stop contact.
What are deal breakers when it comes to dating in general?
A huge deal breaker for guys are people who don’t listen, and eye contact is big for a lot of people, because it’s so annoying when you’re trying to talk to someone and they’re not listening. Also, don’t be crude or overly sexual.
How should men be approached?
It’s great to approach a man, because it’s forward and shows confidence and that’s great. But you can’t be too cocky, because if you come up and are dominating, then you’ll scare him off, because he’ll feel like you’re taking over. Other no no’s are the pump and dump, because if you want to have something prolonged, you can’t be sexually aggressive right off the bat.
So no sex on the first date?
I say no, but I’ve done both. Guys say it doesn’t matter, but somewhere in the back of their head, because of society, they’re thinking, ‘If he had sex with me, how many other people has he slept with?’ so they’re not likely to take you as seriously. I also don’t think that relationships ever come from that. Don’t be sexual too soon, because then there’s nothing to build on; you can’t have a sexual relationship and then build a relationship on that. You should start with a friendship, so you have a real foundation first.
Why do guys freak out after sex?
Maybe they freak out because they think the other person is a slut or really easy. Or maybe they’re thinking, ‘I hope I didn’t go too far, because I do not want a relationship, and I hope they didn’t fall in love with me.’ A lot of guys have a fear of commitment, because of the biological bullshit of spreading the seed.
What do you think of the whole “Maybe he’s just not that into you” idea?
I think it’s a great idea. Sometimes he’s just not that into you and sometimes you’re just not that into him. I’ve listened to my friends say that their relationships aren’t going anywhere, and when I ask, ‘Do you love him?’ They say ‘No.’ But some people are more comfortable in that situation than being alone. I think you should just be upfront and not lead people on, because then it’s just a bad situation.
Well, thank you Tara for such a great interview.
Thank you, too. It was cool to think opposite of ‘The Pickup Artist,’ and focus on women and gay men approaching men. They really need to do a gay version of the show with gay contestants.
Aside from her co-hosting duties on “The Pickup Artist 2,” Tara continues to pursue acting and writing, and she’s the founder and web mistress of pickuptara.com, where she helps straight singles connect. Tara lives in L.A. and is single.
You can catch Tara on “The Pickup Artist 2,” which airs Sundays at 10PM ET/PT on VH1.
