Scott Radley: Hamilton’s Blake Moynes is still looking for love after The Bachelorette
He'd just finished a men's league hockey game some months back when the conversation somehow turned to his love life. Possibly because he's the last in his group of friends who isn't married, engaged or in a serious relationship.
As the discussion drew to a close it was agreed upon by all that he should apply to some TV dating show - any dating show - to see if he could change his luck. So when he got home, he fired up the computer, filled out most of an application and hit send. Then ...
It spiralled out of control and I ended up on the show," quips Hamilton's Blake Moynes.
That show would be The Bachelorette," just the biggest of them all with millions of viewers tuning in for their weekly dose of drama, tears, conflict, roses and possibly love. Millions minus him, that is. He'd never really watched. But his mom said he should do it so he went.
The fact that he's talking about it - he wasn't allowed to give interviews until now - gives away the ending of his part of the storyline, anyway. This week he didn't get a rose which meant he didn't win the love of the bachelorette and he remains in the hunt for a relationship. But the experience sure made for an interesting couple months.
The 30-year-old, who grew up in Burlington, says he went into this with true intentions. He wasn't just looking to pass the time and get famous. He doesn't date just for giggles these days. He's serious. He was truly invested in possibly finding a wife. So between March when it was supposed to be shot and August when it was (thanks to COVID for the delay) he did as much research as he could on Clare Crawley, the bachelorette he'd be wooing.
There's no way I was going to show up on Night One and not know everything about her," he says. It would have been a disservice to her and myself."
As viewers know, he seemed to have some kind of early vibe with her but she connected with another guy almost right away and in an unprecedented twist, the two bolted the show after just a few episodes. Though not before giving Moynes a moment to remember. For all the wrong reasons.
You see me get rejected by Clare with a kiss?" he says, of a moment he leaned in for a smooch and she shunned him. That was rough. And that was like episode two."
Moynes insists he doesn't really care what people think. Most of the time. Playing nude dodgeball, crashing another guy's date or creating a phallic-looking clay sculpture were no problem. Plus, he says he's a big believer in trying anything once. So, all good.
Still, that one blocked kiss kept him up that night thinking about the grief he'd be getting the day after it aired. He's a hockey player who's played at the university level in British Columbia. He knows guys in that sport can chirp. And will at any opportunity.
Oh, they did.
Ironically, the thought about the reaction he'd be getting back home stems from what really is the least-natural part of the entire social experiment. Namely the fact that the entire process is played out with cameras always in the participants' faces. Want to have a deep conversation? Cameras. Want to go on a date? Cameras? Want to make out? Cameras.
Yeah, he eventually got used to it. But it took a while. He just decided he'd present a true version of himself and live with whatever happened.
Ultimately, of course, it didn't pan out. The love part. He tried to find a connection with Clare but it never really happened. He did have true organic feelings" for her surprise replacement, Tayshia Adams. And she seemed to have some for him. Alas, during a tantric breathing exercise requiring her to look into his soul through his eyes on their final date, his potential future spouse felt unsure about his commitment and cut him loose.
Hey, if you're going to go down, may as well go down on a date in which a crystal guru is reading your chakras on the beach, huh?
I know, right?" he laughs. Rough way to go."
All may not be lost, however. When he started his run on the show, he had roughly 4,000 Instagram followers. He's now up to 105,000. Among those, at least a couple have let him know they'd be open to a date. So who knows, this could still turn into something.
As for what might've happened had he not been accepted onto The Bachelorette,"ccix:selection-start/>, there's a chance you still might've heard of Blake Moynes. Because he had applied to appear on one other show.
Oh yeah? Which one? Love Island? Paradise Hotel? Married At First Sight?
Naked and Afraid."
Scott Radley is a Hamilton-based columnist at The Spectator. Reach him via email: sradley@thespec.com