Sparks Fly During Senior Dating Game

The annual Senior Dating Game, where Pali’s eligible bachelors and bachelorettes chose their ideal date, took place during lunch on Valentine’s Day.

The game has remained a prominent Pali tradition and Valentine’s Day activity, taking full effect this February, after being hosted over Zoom during eLearning last year. The event draws inspiration from a few different game shows, but is predominantly based on “The Dating Game,” which was must-see TV in the ’80s.

In Pali’s game, participating seniors played the roles of  “bachelors” or “bachelorettes” and posed a series of get-to-know-you questions to four faceless contestants. The questions varied from “What was the last show you binge-watched?” to “What is your biggest red flag?”.

A movable divider was used to create a wall between the contestants and participants in order to maintain the mystery aspect of the game.

“I did enjoy participating because it was really hilarious,” senior Cate Landis said. “I don’t think anyone was really taking it seriously, and it was cool to see people’s reactions both on and off the stage, especially when people came out from both sides of the curtain after each round was over.

“ASB did a really great job, and at the end of the day, it was all just fun and games,” Landis added. 

“We filled up Mercer Hall with attendees, and based on the crowd’s reaction, I would consider the event to have been a success,” senior and Associated Student Body (ASB) president Chris Clausen said. Clausen worked alongside the other senior ASB members to stage the event. 

“Given that this was the first time hosting this event since COVID-19, we are glad that the event went as well as it did and look forward to the class of 2023 continuing the tradition next year,” Clausen added.