The Dating Game — The Crescent

Reported by: Aurora Biggers

Illustrated by: Carla Cieza Espinoza

NEWBERG, Ore. - Deep in the thralls of “ring by spring” season, one of George Fox University’s (GFU) highly anticipated events takes place annually: “The Dating Game.”

In an ABC network’s “The Bachelor/The Bachelorette” style show, GFU’s Associated Student Community (ASC) gathers single students looking for romance and, in one time-sensitive and intense evening, allows them to vie for their bachelor and bachelorette’s affection.

In 2019, Brian Preap, now a GFU alumni, played the role of bachelor in “The Dating Game.” As a member of ASC, Preap had little choice in the matter, since the pre-selected bachelor dropped out at the last minute. “I wasn’t looking to date,” he said.

The women who auditioned and made it to the final cut — the live show — faced multiple challenges and question rounds to help Preap choose his final date. Though the game is good-natured and not nearly as high stakes as “The Bachelor” or “The Bachelorette,” the players can always hold out hope that the clouds will part and their true love will glide across the gilded stage. For Preap, this minor miracle almost didn’t happen.

Jen Burke, GFU almuna, was a contestant in the 2019 dating game, but Preap didn’t give her the rose at the end of the night. The rose, given to the bachelor’s and bachelorette’s winning date, is of course a nod to the ABC show’s prolific rose ceremony.

But a little over a year later, Preap and Burke are engaged.

“So, Brian, you didn’t end up choosing Jen, did you,” I not-so-inconspicuously mentioned that Preap had chosen another woman as his final date. “I did not,” he said, and glanced at Burke with an ‘I-will-never-live-this-down’ expression. The couple was driving home from a Chipotle run when I called them over Zoom. Preap chuckled nervously.

Burke just laughed, jovially shouted, “Lame!” and the two burst into laughter. For whatever reasons Preap didn’t choose Burke that night, they definitely seem right for each other now.

Burke grew up watching “The Bachelor” and even promised herself that when she turned 21, she would apply to be on the show. “My friends and I joked like ‘okay, Jen, this is just your training. You’re training to go on ‘The Bachelor,’” Burke said. But Burke won’t be applying for “The Bachelor” like she planned. Her training became a little more real than she anticipated.

After “The Dating Game,” Preap’s friends pressured him into trying to connect with Burke again. “My buddy, Izzy, was like ‘dude, why didn’t you pick Jen? You guys had chemistry,’” Despite his initial resistance, because he “wasn’t looking to date,” Preap eventually found Burke and asked her out. Burke decided to give him another chance.

When Burke and Preap decided to make their relationship official, Preap gave Burke a rose and apologized for not giving her the final rose at “The Dating Game.” A little more than a year later, Preap would apologize to Burke again and extend the ultimate final rose, this time with a ring — a Neil Lane ring, the official ring designer for “The Bachelor.”

Burke and Preape agree that they, in part, owe their relationship to GFU and “The Dating Game.” “Oh yeah, there’s no way we would have met if it wasn’t for Fox [GFU],” Preap said.

“Yeah, and without ‘The Dating Game,’ I mean, we didn’t know each other before,” Burke said, “we probably wouldn’t have met.” She added, “You can find good ones at Fox!”

Burke and Preap are busy with post-graduate life, planning a wedding, and navigating love in the time of COVID. For them, “ring by spring” really did come true, though maybe only in spirit — they like to argue that the engagement was three days into fall, so they escaped the “ring by spring” curse.

All the same, this Hallmark-esque love story managed to tease the inner romantic out of even this true love cynic.