The Stanford Business Reporter

Four men and one brave woman: Four second-year men, Peter Brimm, Andy Choy, Paul Clement and Tad Glauthier prepare to battle for the affections of first-year Masha Korsunsky.

Did a few too many gutterballs and foot faults get Peter and Andy banished from the bowling floor?

Peter, Paul and Masha enjoy dinner. Are these the last two contenders?

Afraid he may be eliminated, Tad dons his secret weapon (much to the delight of his fellow bowlers).

Forget about fighting off lions and searching for water in Africa – read on to learn about how to survive the GSB dating jungle. Four second-year men vie for the heart of a beautiful first-year woman as they go head-to-head in "Dating Survivor."
The rules are simple: four men start on the date with the wonderful woman. Every hour one man is "voted-off" by the woman until only one man remains. The prize? Better than a million dollars, the winner gets the title and accolades of "Master Dater." The others will go home "Master…"

The Woman
Desperately searching for a woman to take on the four men, I picked the only first-year woman at FOAM the night before the accounting midterm. I knew that Masha Korsunsky, MBA1, was the right woman when she asked if I was going to be coming along as well.

The Men
After conducting an informal poll with GSB women about sexy, eligible second-year bachelors, an email was sent to the select few who made the cut. It was fantastic to see that four of the top five could participate (the other man was responsible for writing this article, so had to stay impartial).
Peter "let me take you to the airport at 5am" Brimm: known to go to extraordinary lengths to please his women, the other men better watch out for this quiet unassuming surfer boy.
Andy "Mr. Dating Game" Choy: unlike the others, Andy has experience when it comes to dating games. Will we see him utilize the "jacket move" that made him nationally famous?
Paul "Southern Comfort" Clement: this Louisiana gentleman is so smooth that he'll have his women screaming for more (if he isn't getting "blocked").
Tad "Women love me, Men want to be me" Glauthier: the master of comedy and improvisation has his women laughing all the way to his love den.

The Date: 8:05pm
As I escorted the lovely Ms. Korsunsky (Ms. K for short) into the auspicious halls of Palo Alto Bowl, we were greeted with the sight of Andy and Peter playing video games. Paul and Tad took advantage of get in some private time with Ms. K. After Peter presented his date with a brand new N'Sync CD and Tad gave her a beautiful bouquet, we made our way over to have drinks.
To help her decide she asked each of the men to tell a joke. Following this she had the men pose to judge them on their posteriors. When asked what she looked for in a man, she replied, "I look for someone with entertainment value." Fortunately, we were able to convince Peter, Andy and Paul to stay.

Victim #1: 8:55pm
Prior to the decision, Andy had these words, "I'm just glad to be here with three great guys, regardless of the woman." Bad move Andy. Masha dismissed Andy the words, "I only want to be here with people who want to be with me."
Andy's final words as he left were, "I am devastated. This is the worst thing that has happened to me. I want my jacket back."

Bowling: 9:00pm
We quickly realized why Masha was so happy to go bowling after she bowled two strikes to start off the game. The "Pennsylvania Bowling Champion" proceeded to humiliate the men. The final scores: Masha, 159, Paul, 133, Tad, 92, Peter, 86, and me, 99.
During the bowling, Tad, who had dressed perfectly for league night at Palo Alto Bowl amazed and scared us when he stripped to his leopard-skin boxers. Would this high-risk strategy get him to the next round, or was Ms. K unimpressed by what she did (or didn't) see?

Victim #2: 10:00pm
While Tad's boxers had sent the rest of us into shock, they definitely impressed a woman at the lane next to ours. While Masha was freshening up, Tad discreetly began talking to this new lady, and even got her email address. However, Tad wasn't discreet enough; Masha saw their dalliance.
As Ms. K proceeded to eliminate Tad, her final words to him were, "I have a low tolerance for infidelity." Tad's parting words were, "I feel shocked, hurt, cheated and violated. I've lost faith in womankind. My only hope is that she changes her mind before graduation. I saw this coming as much as N'Sync's rise to fame."

Dessert: 10:15pm
Masha, Peter and Paul, along with their chaperone, then made their way to Café Fino in Palo Alto for some dessert and live music. With only two men left, Paul decided to make his move by twirling his beautiful date around the dance floor, while a bemused Peter watched on.
Over a dessert of cheesecake, strawberry shortcake, tiramisu and crème brulee, the daters had an intimate conversation about life and values. An obviously touched and moved Masha was going to have a tough choice eliminating the final man, or was she?

The Final Decision: 11:20pm
Before Masha could issue her final verdict, Paul jumped in with, "please select Peter. I want to get sympathy from all the women reading this for coming so close but still losing." Unfortunately, he forgot that I was still at the table, with a notebook. So as Masha eliminated Paul, he was forced to leave without the woman and maybe no sympathy from the readers.
Congratulations to Peter for being awarded the "Master Dater" title an award more highly coveted than his "Presidents' Award."

Final words from the "Master Dater"
On his chances of winning: "I thought that with Tad's entertainment value and Paul's dancing I had no chance."
On being picked: "I was surprised and ecstatic. I also felt bad for Paul."
Qualities he looks for in women: "Piercing vision and clarity about the world, and passion and conviction about how they can help it."
On Masha: "Incredibly fun, with a smile that lights up a room. She's one of those people who makes you feel good to be around."
And finally, Masha's thoughts on her final choice: "I thought Peter was such a warm and genuine person. He is a true gentleman. His gesture of giving me the N'Sync Home for Christmas CD was extremely thoughtful. I'll probably exchange it for something more of my style, but I appreciated it nonetheless."

Despite protests from Hadlee, Heather, Daniela, Bryna and Emily, stay tuned for the "Temptation Island" edition of "Dating and Decisions."

Article Tools