“Unless I do something about it, I cannot go back to sleep.” – Brian Holloway II
“LA has some of the richest people in the United States,” Patti Stanger tells us as another season of The Millionaire Matchmaker jumps off. This makes for fertile territory for her and The Millionaire’s Club to match up wealthy clients with presumably not wealthy but hot people.
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We also learn that Patti has lost 30 pounds and has renovated The Millionaire’s Club offices. And meanwhile office staffers Rachel and Destin got married in the off season and have a child named… Sin. Yes. That’s the child’s name. The couple has also adopted a somewhat less goth-y look.
The Millionaire Matchmaker, Daniel and Brian (“Wounded Wally and the Mama’s Boy”): client intros
Patti, Destin, and Rachel have lunch at a place called Killer Shrimp, which becomes the venue for them to discuss this episode’s client roster. Weird locale, restaurant-as-product placement, or both? I’ll let you be the judge.
In any event, Daniel Negreanu is first up, a world poker player champion who is “top three in the world,” Destin tells us. Patti busts out her iPad, and we see a video of Daniel, who tells us that he’s from Toronto but has been living in Las Vegas for the past 15 years.
He also claims to have earned $15 million by way of poker tournament winnings, and has a home that is between 5,000-6,000 square feet (though he notes that it does not include a stripper pole).
Daniel is a vegan, and wants to be with a woman who can be okay with that. He’s also been cheated on in the past, which will obviously be on his mind when assessing future relationships. He’s looking for an “Anna Faris type,” who is fun and cute. “Be bubbly and lively,” declares Daniel.
Patti announces that she likes Daniel and then says, “So Wally the Wounded is not going to be wounded anymore when we’re done with him.” Destin and Rachel choose not to correct Patti on Daniel’s name, which is probably for the best.
Meanwhile, Rachel segues into describing the other client, Brian Holloway II. Patti blurts out a laugh at the mention of “the second,” and then Rachel goes on to say, “He is the epitome of Richie Rich meets Arthur.” Looks like someone’s been keeping up with their ‘80s pop culture, if nothing else.
In Brian’s intro video, he lets us know that he lives in West L.A. and that he “wasn’t born with a gold or silver spoon… I was born with solid platinum.”
He then goes on to talk about how the first gift he ever received was a “silver cloud Rolls Royce.” There’s not a hint of irony or self-deprecation in these statements: the Smug Factor is strong with this one. We also find out that his family’s scrap metal business sold “in the range of $3.6 billion.”
“Brian is one of these privileged, pompous kids from Britain who basically reminds you of Arthur,” we’re told.
Oh, and Brian has a boat named Morning Wood, because “unless I do something about it, I cannot go back to sleep.”
“This is like a nasty nerd who can’t get it,” Patti says, adding, “no offense.”
And then we get yet another Arthur reference as Brian himself says that he’s modeled his life after the movie. And yet… there’s no mention of the titular character’s debilitating, harrowing descent into alcoholism (that’s played for laughs), but let’s just set that part aside for the moment.
A “surprise reveal” follows (heavily emphasizing those quotes, mind) when Brian heads toward Killer Shrimp by way of the Morning Wood, which is heading towards the shore.
And queue the Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous-esque theme music. Crazy, right?
And, wouldn’t you know it, Brian’s mother is also aboard. The Morning Wood, that is. I’m no psychologist, but paging Dr. Freud…
“I run most things through my mother,” Brian says, again without a hint of irony.
Meanwhile, we learn that Brian is 40, divorced after a 14-year marriage, worth “several million,” and hates being alone.
Patti mostly throws softballs at Brian during her initial interview, stymied by mom’s presence perhaps, and then tells the camera that she needs to find him a wife, “not another mama.”
Patti then meets with Daniel, who has flown from Vegas to LA. We learn that Daniel is 37, and that he has standup arcade games, a golf course, and all kinds of other toys at his palatial home. He does show an unusual amount of self-awareness (by The Millionaire Matchmaker standards) in saying that he has done a bad job in the past of choosing women that he is able to trust, and therefore needs help in finding a romantic partner.
After Daniel describes his reasonable desires when it comes to a life partner – personality, wit, non-cheater, etc. – Patti “surprises” him by announcing excitedly that she’s decided to bring in the astrologer Christopher Renstrom to give him a reading.
Ah, an astrologer! That’s just the thing!
Daniel’s smirk in reaction says a lot. A lot to make me like him more.
Renstrom tells Daniel that as he’s now gone through the requisite period of heartbreak in his life according to “the charts” or whatever, he’s now at a place in his life to find everlasting love.
Oh, serendipity, thou art The Millionaire Matchmaker.
The Millionaire Matchmaker, Daniel and Brian (“Wounded Wally and the Mama’s Boy”): the recruiting session
Patti’s mission for Brian is to find “an Anna Farris type with a lot of personality,” whereas for Daniel, a woman “who can bring out his inner grownup” is the target.
Not much of an exciting or spicy note went down during the recruiting session, and Patti even refrained from yelling at anyone (at least on camera).
Contenders for Brian include:
- Jessica – who has her own clothing line. Patti likes her “banging body”
- Jady – 26 and a graphic designer. Patti thinks she “looks like a poodle” (in a good way, I guess?), and wants her to “add spray tan” before the mixer
- Ryan – a Penthouse pet. She’s told by Rachel that “you look like you’re wearing a lab coat”
And for Daniel:
- Sam – a medical distributor and vegan (a plus for the vegan Daniel)
- Lindsay – a speech pathologist who’s into poker, also vegan
- Cody – internet marketing. Patti likes her look and body, but advises her to fix her hair
The Millionaire Matchmaker, Daniel and Brian (“Wounded Wally and the Mama’s Boy”): the MIXER
As the fellas wait for the ladies to come out, Brian tells Daniel that he’s looking for “number two,” meaning a second wife, and Daniel quickly quips back, “Why don’t you just use her name?”
Our poker player wins that hand, people.
Brian attempts to charm the ladies with his British accent and a vibe of inherited money self-satisfaction. “As Oscar Wilde said, ‘I have the simplest of taste. I’m always satisfied with the best,’” he tells a group of women, who giggle in unison in response.
For the mini-date round, Brian selects Jady the graphic designer and Carrie, a receptionist, because she has freckles. And Daniel, who acquitted himself well overall, goes with Lindsay (for the “vibes”), and Cody.
Brian grew bored with Carrie quickly but perks up when Jady tells him that her softball team is called Morning Wood… which seems like a crazy coincidence, but then again, ain’t love crazy, too? She seems like a genuinely down to earth gal from a small town, which also seems to appeal to Brian.
Brian ends up picking Jady for his “master” date, while Daniel goes with vibes-throwing Lindsay.
The Millionaire Matchmaker, Daniel and Brian (“Wounded Wally and the Mama’s Boy”): Brian and Jady’s first date
The date, appropriately enough, takes place on Morning Wood, which sports (so to speak) a jaunty United Kingdom flag. The destination is to be Catalina, which by way of ferry takes three hours and 15 minutes, the interwebs tell me.
In any event, somewhere offshore, Morning Wood starts spouting a lot of smoke from the engine-y area.
“We had a little bit of rockiness,” Brian tells the camera. And then add in that Jady got seasick from being moored at sea. To her credit, she handled being (very) sick at sea in a rather classy way.
But not great first date omens, shall we say.
Later, safely back at the dock in Redondo Beach, they finally have a meal. Brian seems impressed that Jady pulled through and tried to make the best of it (something my mom refers to as “resurrecting the day”), and the date seems to conclude on more of an upbeat note.
The Millionaire Matchmaker, Daniel and Brian (“Wounded Wally and the Mama’s Boy”): Daniel and Lindsay’s first date
Daniel whisks Lindsay off to Las Vegas via private jet – and pops the sham-pag-nee, as he calls it, on board.
When they arrive, Daniel takes her to a private backstage tour of the Cirque du Soleil “O” show. Lindsay seemed impressed, and it seemed to be the right level of special-but-not-too-crazy first date move pulled off by Daniel, who of course is a professional risk taker by way of his poker playing career.
The two are then invited to partake in a Russian dance class by the Cirque du Soleil cast, which again goes well, and both Daniel and Lindsay seem to enjoy the experience.
Then it’s off to a restaurant called Jaleo, where they are presided over by Chef Jose Andres, who Daniel explains will hook them up “with a really sick vegan meal.”
Over dinner, the couple’s banter is fun and a little flirty. Daniel busts out his deck of cards at one point, and they play a hand with the notion that the winner will host the next date in their home city. Lindsay wins, but it’s really a smooth win-win maneuver for the potentially long-distance couple.
And then the next hand yields a first kiss. Daniel: winner at poker, and winner at life perhaps?
The Millionaire Matchmaker, Daniel and Brian (“Wounded Wally and the Mama’s Boy”): post-dates upshot
Back at The Millionaire’s Club office, Destin and Patti call Daniel via streaming video, and lo and behold Lindsay “surprises” everyone by popping up in the background as well.
Patti proclaims that Daniel is no longer a Wounded Wally, and it turns out that things are going so well that the couple announces they are now “monogamous” (which, of course, via Millionaire’s Club bylaws means that Daniel and Lindsay are now allowed to go further down that couple-y road, if you can dig).
The gang, including Rachel, then call Jady, who relays the tale of rough seas. The big news here is that Jady is indeed interested enough in Brian to go out on another date with him. Brian then shows up at the office, and Patti is in as good a mood as we’ve seen her when she tells him that Jady relayed that he was a perfect gentleman during the date.
Patti then adds that it looks like Brian is leaving his “mummy boy ways in the dust.”
The end of episode credits then tell us: “Daniel is so happy he gambled on love. Daniel and Lindsay are still going strong.” And: “Brian and Jady went on a make-up date where the boat stall. Second time is a charm. Jady and Brian made it to Catalina and are still dating.”
No word on what went down at the Catalina wine mixer, however.
The Millionaire Matchmaker, Daniel and Brian (“Wounded Wally and the Mama’s Boy”): where are they now?
Daniel Negreanu has a bunch of IMDB credits, many of which involve appearances on poker-related unscripted TV shows e.g. Poker After Dark (21 episodes) and High Stakes Poker (75 episodes, spanning from 2006 to 2022). He’s also appeared in movies, including portraying poker players (naturally) in X-Men Origins: Wolverine in 2009 and a movie called Bodied in 2017.
The biography page on Daniel’s personal website details his various poker winnings and doings through 2013 but no further, and doesn’t mention his personal life beyond living in Las Vegas and having a best friend named Mushu.
Oh, and by 2018 it looks like Negreanu was dealing out a MasterClass in the art of professional poker playing.
I couldn’t find much about Brian Holloway II, though he’s listed these days on LinkedIn as the owner of Holly Development, Inc. “I look forward to working with you on your next home project!”
Some stats and info about The Millionaire Matchmaker – Daniel and Brian (“Wounded Wally and the Mama’s Boy”)
TV SHOW – The Millionaire Matchmaker
SEASON/EPISODE – Season 6, Episode 1
NETWORK/STREAMING SERVICE – Bravo
AIR DATE – January 10th, 2013
GENRE – Reality TV, Dating Shows, Trashtastic TV
STARS – Patti Stanger, Destin Pfaff, Rachel Federoff, Daniel Negreanu, Brian Holloway II
GOOGLE PLAY DESCRIPTION – Daniel Negreanu is a 37-year-old World Class professional poker player who is done gambling with love. Patie’s second millionaire is divorced, 40-year-old, family money heir Brian Holloway II. He’s a total Mama’s boy who brings his very English mama with him to meet Patti. Can Patti help Brian cut the apron strings and grow up?