First-Years Get Wild at 'Singled Out'

MTV took Chris Hardwick and Jenny McCarthy off the small screen years ago, but first-years got to relive the “Singled Out” magic again last night in the Science Center.

The prefect program has made a tradition out of the dating game show, which many said became as raunchy as the television program this year.

Prefect Carla M. Mastraccio ’03 described the banter bluntly: “A lot of naked people in cakes, a lot of comments about chocolate syrup.”

When Emily F. Stevens ’05, of Thayer Hall, took the stage with about 50 strapping first-year men, she went for the “package” category first. Her choices: “fragile, handle with care” or “wide load.”

“She knew what she wanted,” said prefect Jonathan M. Lee ’03 of Stevens’ “wide load” selection.

The first round ended abruptly after the second question, which dealt with contestants’ preferred kind of underwear. Faced with the choices of boxers, briefs or “just out there,”—“she went commando,” Lee said.

Once the pool was whittled down to a dozen guys, Stevens got down to business picking her suitors.

Two Matthews residents dressed in red jumpsuits and aviator sunglasses were a crowd favorite, but Stevens rejected those candidates in favor of three finalists.

The race was close, but after picking Noch’s over Tommy’s and “The Simpsons” over “Friends,” Brandon M. Terry ’05 of Canaday G was the big winner.

Damien T. Wint ’05 was up next.

“He did pretty well for himself, but he had a lot of help from the audience,” Lee said.

Mastracchio said the second half got even more risque, with female contestants vying for Wint’s affections. First question: Oral hygiene—spit or swallow? Overwhelmingly the contestants opted for the latter.

“They were targeting their answers toward what they guy would want—it tended to be a little risque,” Mastracchio said.

When he was a first-year, Lee said, the girls chose the other option.

It was too much for some. Martha Casillas ’05 said she thought it was “pathetic.”

“I don’t approve of the whole self-degradation teen culture thing,” she said.

It was “borderline lewd,” said prefect Thayer S. Christodoulo ’04, “but all in good fun.”

And the fun doesn’t stop there. The prefect program is playing cupid by sending the winning couples out in the Square. They will head to Bertucci’s for their dates.

“It’s not the Hong Kong, but it’s not the Top of the Hub,” Singled Out Host and Prefect Officer Michael J. Giordano ’02 said. “It’s in between.”

It’s “highly doubtful” the pairs will actually make it a love connection, Giordano said.

“I don’t think any of the past ‘Singled Out’ contestants have ever made it as couples,” he said.