After the Jumbo Love Match

With Valentine's Day just around the corner, students are searching for love all around the Tufts campus. One place they just might find it is the ever popular TUTV television show Jumbo Love Match. On the eve of the quintessential "couples" holiday, the Daily steps in where the cameras left off, following two recently Love-Matched Jumbos on their first date.

Last Wednesday, sophomore Jackie Kossman appeared on Jumbo Love Match and selected junior Joe Hill from a group of three male contestants. Kossman says she picked Hill because of his sense of humor: "His answers were really funny," she said. "He made me laugh."

The two contestants, who had never seen each other around campus prior to meeting on the show, were pleased with the results. "When I first saw him, I was like, 'He's really cute,'" Kossman said.

Hill 's first impression of Kossman was positive as well: "I was satisfied -- I wasn't disappointed at all," he said.

At first, Hill thought that few students actually went on follow-up dates after the show. "I thought [Jumbo Love Match] would just be a fa‡ade," Hill said. "Then I asked [Kossman], 'Do you really want to do this or not?' and she was like 'Yeah.'"

Kossman had to go out of town over the weekend, so the two contestants didn't waste any time. They decided to meet the following day, Thursday, at the campus center.

Unfortunately, Kossman woke up on Thursday feeling so ill that she was unable to attend classes. However, not wanting to push the date back, she toughed it out and anxiously waited for Hill to arrive that evening.

Kossman was scared she would be uncomfortable during the date. "I kept thinking, 'What if it's the most awkward thing ever?'" she said, adding that she was "concerned it was going to be [filled with] painful silences."

After Hill entered the campus center, he and Kossman boarded the Joey to get to Davis Square. At first, the bus ride was extremely uncomfortable for the contestants. "It was kinda awkward because we didn't really know each other," Hill said. "I kind of feel people out before I open up to them, so I was just letting her say whatever she wanted."

Kossman felt awkward as well, but tried her best to initiate a conversation. "I was like, 'So, what's your major?" she said.

The couple attributes much of their initial unease to self-consciousness. "I watch game shows a lot on TV," Hill said. "So I was trying to be conscious about the way I was acting."

Luckily for both, the awkward silence only lasted about five minutes. "Because we're both from Boston, we talked about a lot of stuff like that," Hill said. "We talked about how it is to be at school and what we thought about Tufts in general."

When they arrived at Picantes, a Mexican restaurant in Davis Square, Kossman and Hill could not stop talking. "We didn't even look at the menu for 30 minutes," Kossman said.

The two students laughed together, telling each other embarrassing college stories. Kossman told Hill about her humiliation during the Naked Quad Run, when she fell and split her chin open. "She's a really funny girl," Hill said.

They also spoke about their relationship histories: Hill has a girlfriend who is studying abroad in Paris, and Kossman just ended a relationship two weeks ago.

"I didn't really go into it thinking we were going to fall in love or anything like that," Hill said. "Because I do have a significant other."

Their past, however, did not affect the couple. "We both made it clear that we had no expectations about what was going to happen," Hill said. "Because if you expect something to happen, you'll probably just get disappointed anyway."

When he and Kossman finally ordered and the food arrived, the lactose-intolerant Hill tried his best to force his entr‚e (which included cheese) down. Though she was surprised, Kossman found Hill's culinary needs endearing : "He's a big tough dude," Kossman said. "I thought it was cute because he [said], 'I'm lactose intolerant.'"

The date did not end at the restaurant. "I wanted her to still chill with me afterwards," Hill said. The couple decided to go to Sligo's, a bar in Davis Square. At the bar, Kossman and Hill continued to talk. "By that time, we were friends," Hill said. "We were just chilling."

After Hill bought the first round of drinks, Kossman offered to pay for the second. She took out her wallet, however, and realized that she only had one dollar. Kossman ran to the ATM in embarrassment. "Luckily, he was in the bathroom," Kossman said. "So he didn't notice."

Since Kossman was still not feeling well, she and Hill decided to return to campus at 10 pm. Thwy plan to go to the movies this weekend and attend the Robert Randolph concert at Dewick on Tuesday.

So how will things end up? With Hill's girlfriend in Paris, Kossman "in between relationships," and Valentine's day right around the corner, this Jumbo Match might just be love.