“Boys do what they want to do, men do what they have to do.” – Adam O’Rourke
The Millionaire Matchmaker, “Julissa Bermudez & Adam O’Rourke”: Patti meets the clients
Julissa Bermudez is 31 and from Los Angeles, California. She tells the camera that she’s from the Dominican Republic and was raised in Queens, New York.
Check out our full and snark-tastic Millionaire Matchmaker episode guide and updates! Trash and treasure in equal increments, we promise.
Sidenote that I was born in Queens, grew up on Long Island, and lived in Astoria, Queens post-college for a spell. It’s one of the most diverse parts of the United States and I still have great affection for it and for New York City as a whole.
Julissa adds that many people know her as a TV host on networks like MTV and BET. I’ll add that I had never heard of her prior to watching this episode of The Millionaire Matchmaker.
She relays that when she’s dated successful men, she’s found that “all of a sudden, he needs to be the star,” and she finds herself “competing for the limelight.” She also wants to find someone where she can just be herself and feel comfortable with.
When Patti Stanger meets Julissa at a café, she mentions that her client used to date football player Larry Johnson. This confused me at first, because the Larry Johnson I think of in the sports context is the New York Knicks legend from the 1990s. But in this case it seems it’s the Larry Johnson who mostly played for the Kansa City Chiefs in the 2000s.
Another sidenote that this Larry Johnson has a litany of controversial and alleged criminal things associated with him, which you can check out on his Wikipedia profile if you’re interested.
Julissa tells Patti that she’s looking for a good-looking guy who is honest (she dated a guy for a year who had another girlfriend the entire time), good-looking, and romantic.
Patti’s assessment is that Julissa needs to take the confidence that she has in her career and “put it into her personal life.”
Next up we meet Adam O’Rourke, 33, from Malibu, California, who introduces himself as the CEO and founder of Snaphunt, a “mobile social media application.” Apparently, Adam also played drums and sang in a “heavy metal” band called 2Cents.
For what it’s worth, I had never heard of 2Cent nor Snaphunt.
Adam also tells us that he had recently lost 30 pounds, so “my rig is tight.”
Adam attributes his switch from the musician’s life to tech entrepreneur as helping him to be ready to settle down and have a serious relationship. When he sits down with Patti at The Millionaire’s Club offices, he also talks about how “boys do what they want to do, men do what they have to do,” which is a thick slice of cheese served up SoCal style if you feel me.
Patti wants to find someone for Adam who is settled in her life and who is into health and nutrition. Also important: avoiding the “crazy” partiers that Adam has been attracted to in the past.
Patti also advises that “your pecker’s going to do the picking,” which is… well, that’s Patti.
The Millionaire Matchmaker, “Julissa Bermudez & Adam O’Rourke”: the recruiting session and mixer
The recruiting session takes place at Leica Gallery in Beverly Hills, which Patti informs us is where the “hip cool culture people” are.
The set-up for this part of the episode continues to trend in an odd direction during this final season of The Millionaire Matchmaker. In this case, Patti wanders around the art gallery, chatting with small groups of men and women at the same time. It’s almost like the show is pretending that the attractive people are all there randomly and that Patt has hit the jackpot in terms of finding dates for her clients.
Next, Patti meets Julissa at a café (that is maybe the same day as their “initial” meeting in terms of the episode’s narrative?) and brings in comedian Tiffany Haddish to give her client dating advice. The only reason I’m bringing up this scene at all is because I saw Haddish perform at The Comedy Store in LA years ago and she was very funny and appealing.
The mixer is then termed a “dinner mixer,” in which selections for each client are brought in to get to know them better.
During the dinner, Patti did her typical move where she interrupts the flow of conversation with inane questions like, “Do you ever treat women like arm candy?” Almost as annoying: Patti interjecting about how Adam is a “Gemini, so he needs a lot of intelligence” in his women, which prompts an extended conversation about astrology.
After the meal, Julissa and Adam tell Patti who they want to go on a “master date” with, though we as the audience don’t get to hear, as there’s a dumb cliffhanger element in which we only learn who is selected when we’re shown the beginning of the dates themselves.
The Millionaire Matchmaker, “Julissa Bermudez & Adam O’Rourke”: Adam and Haley’s first date
We finally learn that Adam has selected Haley, the “grounded” gal with a “regular job” in fitness equipment sales. Haley tells the camera that she was surprised that he picked her as she sees him as “rock and roll” while she self-describes as Malibu Barbie.
Adam picks her up at the marina in a limo, and the two do seem to have a real rapport and a much more in-depth conversation versus the typical Millionaire Matchmaker first date.
The destination is Adam’s place at the beach in Malibu, where Adam’s plan is to cook for her. Haley suntans herself and Adam serves her out on the patio. He then pulls out his guitar and plays for her, which he tells the camera is “going in for the kill.” Haley tells the camera she was blown away by this.
Adam asks her out on a second date, and Haley happily accepts. The date ends with a kiss of the cheek.
The Millionaire Matchmaker, “Julissa Bermudez & Adam O’Rourke”: Julissa and Samuel’s first date
Julissa meanwhile picks Samuel, an entrepreneur who Julissa likes due to his warm personality, and also because he speaks Spanish and knows how to cook.
Samuel picks a Color Me Mine painting date, which Julissa doesn’t seem entirely thrilled with, telling the camera that it’s the kind of place she would only go to if it was with her young nephew. However, it’s an activity that allows the two to get to know each other, and Julissa reveals that she enjoyed the “intimacy” of painting little pottery-type items together.
Dinner is at an upscale café, which Julissa also seems to be appreciated. The conversation turns to what they like about each other and about their families. Julissa talks about how her family in the Dominican Republic wants her to get married but also supports her in her career.
Adam formally asks Julissa for a kiss at the end of the meal, and she agrees… to a kiss on the cheek.
The Millionaire Matchmaker, “Julissa Bermudez & Adam O’Rourke”: post-dates upshot
At the office, Julissa tells Patti that the date was great. She then says that Samuel reached out to her after the date, but she has been too busy to respond. Patti jumps right in and tells her if she doesn’t want to lose out on a great guy she’d better get back to him pronto.
Patti and David then call Haley, who relays that she was very “impressed” by the date. Patti however is unimpressed that Adam took her to his house and is also miffed that Adam had yet to communicate with Haley post-date as yet. Adam then arrives to the office, where we find out that Adam and Haley have been texting.
Patti will have none of this, telling Adam that he must call her by phone, and then goes into a lesson involving how women “go juicy goosey,” and I’m just going to leave it at that.
“I will pick up the phone,” Adam agrees.
The end of episode captions then tell us: “Julissa never called Samuel for a second date. She has taken Patti’s advice and is looking for a guy who puts her first.” And: “Adam and Haley see each other regularly. Adam is so happy he came to Patti for a fresh start in love.”
Some stats and info about The Millionaire Matchmaker – “Julissa Bermudez & Adam O’Rourke”
TV SHOW – The Millionaire Matchmaker
SEASON/EPISODE – Season 8, Episode 10
NETWORK/STREAMING SERVICE – Bravo
GENRE – Dating Shows, Reality TV, Trashtastic TV
AIR DATE – February 26th, 2015
GOOGLE PLAY DESCRIPTION – Julissa Bermudez is a gorgeous TV host from the Dominican Republic. She’s smart and talented, but she keeps attracting men who just want her as arm candy. Adam O’Rourke played in a band for years, but when they didn’t hit it big, he changed courses and started a successful software company. His quirky, funny rocker mannerisms aren’t finding him the beautiful girl next door to settle down with.