Felicia Romano is a Marston Mills-based couples therapist who loves to watch reality TV dating shows.
But she also sees a problem with the typical set ups — the tropical islands, the impossible premises.
"I just think it would be cool for lay people in the world to see a dating experience that is actually just for real people," she said in a recent interview. "'Unglamorous' is the word I keep trying to come back to."
So she decided to make a career shift, and produce a new reality show — all about dating on Cape Cod. The project is called, “Who could love them?” So far, she’s recruited over 100 people — aged 20-72 — through social media, and fliers posted in coffee shops.
The majority have been women; she’s eager to hear from more gay people and straight men, specifically those over 50. Each of the interested daters fills out an online form.
"I basically have these filtering questions of like, 'Okay, who do you want to be set up with age-wise? Who do you want to be set up with gender-wise, sexuality, whatever,'" Romano said.
She’s also asking for hobbies, dating histories, and dealbreakers.
"This person wants someone who's over 5-foot-5. And this person wants someone who's not a Republican, and this person wants someone who is within their race," she said. "People put astrological signs."
Once Romano ends recruitment on Feb. 28, she plans to interview everyone who's participating on camera and start putting the puzzle pieces together: Who belongs with whom? The final step is to send people out on dates.
"So this part is a little bit contingent on funding," she said. "I would love to like actually film the dates and have it be like set in real places on Cape Cod. But if I can't get the funding, I think my plan is to create a set at the Cape Media Center and put people on dates there. "
Anyone looking to join the project as a dater, film crew member, or participating business for date spots can reach out to Felicia Romano at whocouldlovethem@gmail.com.
