Around GMA

Article Inside Page

On a fine Saturday evening, after thirty minutes of flirtatious conversation, Hya finally met her date Clear -- and the whole thing was live-streamed via Zoom.

“It was a terrifying experience, but one I don't regret doing,” she tells GMANetwork.com on Monday.

“Because it made me put myself out there despite the pandemic. A safe way to date and get to know a person.”

The pair took part in a Zoom Speed Dating, a streamed quarantine version of the popular organized social activity. In this edition, the couple was chosen by the administrators of a group of friends from The Sobrang Late Show.

Before their first-hand meeting, Hya and Clear were selected based on a Google Form Sheet, they submitted that matched their interests and aspirations. When GMA spoke to Hya after the show, she tells us that her end goal was to have fun and meet a new friend.

Whether or not Hya and Clear's connection actually lasts after the show, the way they met is an example of how the dating culture is changing due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Source: The Sobrang Live Show (FB)

While the pandemic has made traditional dating impossible, this gives us a sneak peek at what's to come in the love department: more video chats, less location filtering, and even a matchmaker behind the scenes.

“Actually it's a random, funny story because it started as a joke,” tells Kate Tamondog, one of the hosts of The Sobrang Late Show, to GMANetwork.com on a separate interview.

“At 900 likes, we asked our viewers that if we reached a thousand likes, then we're gonna do a Zoom Blind Date for everyone.”

What started as a plea for a thumbs up ended up as the infancy of a new version of speed dating.

“We woke up to more than 5,000 likes, so we had to do an emergency meeting for it,” Kate recalls.

“During the meeting, that's when we realized that it made sense because a lot of people right now are craving human connection, and that's what we wanted to give.”

Source: The Sobrang Live Show (FB)

The Sobrang Late Show has a very laid back approach for finding their applicants: Fill out the Google form that asks a participant's name, their education, interests, and of course, what they're looking for in a potential partner.

“We also cater to LGBT applicants and cater to any gender in the application process,” adds Pacholo Lozano, another host of The Sobrang Late Show.

The more rigorous process follows right after as the group sifts through their applications carefully to select their pair.

“We really take time to read the profiles of each participant,” Pacholo says.

“After we have successfully chosen our pairs, we verify, authenticate their profiles, and we message them one by one to inform them before the Zoom Blind Date starts.”

There are two options for the said virtual blind date: a private Zoom date or a live-streamed version of it for the world to see.

Kate explains, “The first one is we put them in one meeting and put them in breakout rooms. We can see or hear their conversation.

“And then the second one is where we stream it live on our show.

“We ask them several questions about their lives and do a face reveal, and it's always so exciting because the moment they see each other, the tension goes up.”

This isn't the first of it's kind, though.

In the United States, Yale juniors Ileana Valdez and Patrycja Gorska founded the platform OkZoomer that services students at any accredited college to find love online. And it also started with a simple Google form, mind you.

One benefit of Zoom matchmaking is that you can meet your match anywhere in the world. While our parents might have met the love of their lives within their circle, the millennials and GenZ-ers are expanding their circle in the realms of the virtual world.

As the pandemic continues, more and more people might be tempted to gamble that virtual matchmakers can hook them up with the right person online.