Guide • February 13, 2012

Heart Attack!

For Valentine's Day, our staff reviews 9 niche dating sites – but not before testing them out

Alikewise

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Zach, 26, Writer
I found where all the intellectuals hang out! But with that comes the constant feeling of being inadequately read. But if Camus-inspired tattoos and girls who wish they could live the plot of No Country For Old Men are your idea of a good time, read on.

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Cupidtino

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Jessica, 22, Intern
Newsflash: The Cult of Mac is obsessive. And everyone lives in San Francisco. I’ll admit that like Apple, the site’s design is sleek. But my welcome email included the words hybrids, BBC, HTML5, polar bears, Whole Foods, Coldplay, and Angry Birds.
Nerve Dating

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Georgina, 27, Business Development
Instead of user profiles, this site generates matches based on what you did last night, forcing you to stay engaged. So I had to cop to watching The Iron Lady while eating McDonalds. Like dating, this site requires work.
Blendr

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Dana, 28, Sponsorship Coordinator
Any app based on “How close are you to me right now?” is going to go from pen pal to sexting pretty quickly. In the first 20 minutes I received my first unsolicited pants-free photo. Yes, my mom is very proud.

Go to Blendr
HowAboutWe

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Lissette, 25, Webby Producer
For site design and age-appropriate normalcy, this site wins. The only downside is the need to constantly one-up everyone else’s date suggestions. “How about we work late and order takeout” can’t compete with white water rafting.

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Cheek'd

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Yoni, 25, Intern
In a Twilight Zone episode where shy people rule the world, this is how everyone would date. Though it is kind of thrilling to hand a complete stranger a flirtatious card, it’s a bit awkward when they say “What’s this?” and you just walk away.

Go to Cheek’d
The Onion Dating

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Chris, 25, Netted Editor
It turns out this site is only related to The Onion in name. I found this out when the company running it wanted me to join its other dating site, AdultFriendFinder.com. Happy Valentine’s Day!
Grouper

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Alison, 25, Internet Week Producer
Twenty minutes in, one of the guys took out his phone. Forty minutes in, we all wanted to go home. Forty-five minutes in, I dumped a glass of ice water in one of the guy’s laps. All told, not the worst hour of my life.

Go to Grouper
BeautifulPeople

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Yoni, 25, Intern
Am I bitter that the site’s members denied my initial attempt to join because I used a webcam photo? Of course not. Will I be sticking around the site to see how everyone’s acting careers progress? Of course not.

Go to BeautifulPeople