The new season of First Dates Ireland is like Tinder for older people, the show’s maitre d’ has claimed.
The popular dating show follows groups of hopefuls looking for love over the course of dinner in central Dublin.
Filmed in the Gibson Hotel, the fifth season of the programme will hit our screens in January and, according to Mateo Saina, older generations are set to take over.
He said: “The diners now are more cautious.
“We don’t have the problem maybe we had in season one where people were coming on to promote themselves.
“Now it is considered in Ireland as a good place to meet somebody.
“Particularly for the older generation. You know they are going for one reason and that is to meet someone.
“And we are all secretly rooting for them behind the cameras because we know it means a lot to them. We have a good few more in the new season – they are cool characters and my favourites. Because you know they are genuine.
“It is like their Tinder and they want the date to work rather than just be on TV.”
Mateo was speaking at the launch of Three’s Connected Restaurant which virtually links up diners in Ireland and New York.
The maitre d’ added: “We are doing this five years and I am excited but calm everything is going to be as we imagined.
“As a team we are like a family and have gelled. We never had scripts, everything is as live.”
While Mateo is keeping tight-lipped on this year’s daters, he hinted love might truly be in the air.
He said: I can’t say too much about this season but there were a couple of great matches.
“You can expect some great characters in season five and who knows what will happen down the line?”
