April 10, 2015 at 6:00 a.m. EDT

Interviews by Amanda McGrath

Bartender Emma McIntosh, 24, likes her men tall, quick-witted and generous; government fellow Taylor Murray, 25, goes for interesting, sardonic brunettes. A Taylor Swift song is stuck in her head; he likes "The Big Lebowski." We sent them to Rice in Logan Circle.

Date Predicto-meter

Our highly analytical tool for determining whether our daters will hit it off.

Emma: He looks like a very average-looking guy. Honestly not really [my type]. He's not a bad-looking guy, but I like really tall guys, maybe with a little more character.

Taylor: When I went to give her a hug, she was pretty awkward, and it wasn't the best start. I just didn't get a great vibe.

Emma: We ordered some sake, which neither of us liked very much, but it was interesting to try it. We both said we'd never been on a blind date before.

Taylor: We talked about how the concept was strange. We thought you guys had sent some spies [because] the table next to us kept looking at us.

Advertisement

Emma: We joked around a little and figured out what we have in common: a love of traveling, the West Coast, socializing, music. I learned he was a big soccer fanatic, which I can't really relate to. But it's nice to be passionate about something.

Taylor: We had both studied in the U.K. We were both in bands growing up.

Emma: I found out that he plays the saxophone, which I thought was very cool and unusual — definitely a plus. I shared that I used to play guitar. I also explained rave culture and electronic dance music, and he seemed very interested.

Taylor: I think we're at different stages in our lives. She's a bartender, and she doesn't really know what she wants to do. I work for the federal government, so it's something more permanent or career-oriented. I'm not saying what I do is somehow better than her, but we were just kind of different.

Advertisement

Emma: He didn't seem like the most confident guy.

Taylor: She's pretty cool. But I also felt like she was a bit shy or nervous, or a combination of both.

Emma: He definitely had a sense of humor. I might have thrown him off with mine a little bit. I have a very, uh, strong personality and strong sense of humor that can sometimes be a little overbearing and nonstop.

Taylor: It sort of felt like I was interviewing her. I feel like a good conversation is give and take, and I wasn't getting much give.

Emma: We kind of discussed [going somewhere else], but it was raining out and I had a bit of a commute back, so we decided not to.

Taylor: I got her number because I thought it was the polite thing to do. But I don't imagine that I'll use it.

Emma: We discussed keeping in touch, but I honestly don't think that there will be a second date.

Advertisement

Taylor: [My type is more] I guess flirty? Or bubbly? And usually those kind of girls keep my attention more. I don't want to sound like a jerk to her — I just didn't get the romantic feel.

Emma: While I did not find myself attracted to Taylor, I enjoyed meeting him and had a lot of fun in the process of getting to know him.

Rate the date

Emma: A 3 [out of 5]. He seems like a really cool guy, definitely someone I could see myself being friends with. There was just no chemistry.

Taylor: Hmm, I have to think about this. Girls and metrics are pretty dangerous. A 2.5. Like I said, I just didn't get the romantic feeling. But I enjoyed talking to her — or figuring her out through a series of questions.

Update

You’ll be shocked to hear that there’s been no further contact for these two — oh no, wait, that’s not shocking at all.

Read previous stories and fill out an application.

For stories, features such as Gene Weingarten, @Work Advice and more, visit WP Magazine.

Follow the Magazine on Twitter.

Like us on Facebook.

E-mail us at wpmagazine@washpost.com.

ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7uK3SoaCnn6Sku7G70q1lnKedZLmqssSsq7KklWS6orPAs6CnnV%2BptaZ5wq6prJ1dpLNuwMeeZJqvm6yus7CMn6Crq6Ritbazjmtnam1fZYFwfJJoamlskpiFc4CMnJxtal1mfqaAjJppmm9dboJyg8BsmHBoZWWDoL%2FTqKmyZpipuq0%3D