First Dates Mateo's golden rule of dating: Don't talk politics
TV's favourite restaurant manager is back for the new series of the popular dating show and says: "Keep it relaxed and chat about movies instead"
TV favourite Mateo Saina is back on our screens tonight with the return of the First Dates restaurant.
Maitre’d Mateo says when it comes to romance, dating apps dominated for a while, but now people realise nothing beats finding love in real life.
He reckons that’s what’s behind the success of the RTE show, which is now in its tenth series.
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The handsome host said: “Dating has evolved a lot since we started the show. Then we went into Covid and it was all online dating and now we are back to normality.
“As soon as people had the opportunity to sit down and have a drink with someone, they were there. You can text as much as you want but you get everything when you meet up, you get to do it properly. I think we’re a good platform for that.”
He said the fake side of online is off-putting, “In the era of social media, we post only our best sides. Everyone is trying to be a top model. Everything is an extravaganza, no-one is just being normal. But real dating is always going to stay there through it all.”
As front-of-house manager, charismatic Mateo’s job is to welcome singletons and make them feel comfortable ahead of what can be an exciting but nerve-wracking experience. The smooth-talker is often complimentary, which helps a lot.
In tonight’s opening show, he puts one of the daters at ease instantly by reminding him: “You’re a good looking man.”
Said Mateo: “He was sh***ng himself, he was shaking. He needed that boost. We are all beautiful, we are just different. We like different things. Some people might like more cushion than others. Why do I care? It’s better to be nice. That comes from working in the restaurant.”
However, he can be firm when needed, showing the army lessons learned when he underwent mandatory military service back in Croatia. One unfortunate candidate in the last series got a stern talking to when he arrived into the restaurant in too hyper a mood.
The 41-year-old Croat has been in Ireland for 20 years now and is one of the most popular personalities on TV. So it’s no surprise he’s at the top of the wish list to do Dancing With The Stars. But it's not for Mateo.
He has been asked by RTE so many times, he had to tell them to stop asking. “They did ask me, but I said No. Seven times I said No. I said: ‘Please don’t call me anymore, I am not interested in this.’” He doesn’t know why anyone would sign up for it.
However he’d like to do a travel show, like his counterpart in First Dates UK, Fred Sirieix, if the opportunity ever came up. Along with waitress Alice Maher and barman Neil Kenna, Mateo helps daters have a night to remember. From ten years on the show, he says the one thing he’s learned you should avoid on a date is politics.
“That will cause trouble before anything has even started. Avoid heavy topics like immigration, the far-right, politics and so on. There’s plenty of conflict between left and right so it's better to let these things go. Keep it relaxed and talk about movies instead.”
Dad-of-two Mateo is having one of the busiest years of his life, after opening Ian’s Kitchen by Mateo with top chef Ian Ussher, in Dublin’s Kimmage. It’s his first restaurant and he says he is: “flat out.”
He’s also dad to Isabella and Noah, aged 6 and 3, with fiancee Vjerana Visjnic.
RTE says the upcoming season of First Dates has a refreshed look, with new graphics and colour scheme and lots of surprises in store. Some twists include a feature from the programme’s oldest daters and a return of some familiar faces to the restaurant.
First Dates is on Thursdays at 9.30pm on RTE 2.
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