Cupid, Episode 4: Cheap Dates

Welcome back to a slightly late recap of Cupid, the show in which ten men remain to compete to win Lisa Shannon and her one million dollar dowry. Twenty men were invited to the game and ten were eliminated the previous week by Lisa and her two best friends. However, now the choice of man is taken away from the girls and put into America's hands. People can vote for their favorite and at the beginning of the next episode, the person with the least number of votes goes home.

While the audience controls who goes and who stays, plenty of feedback about the various dates are given by both Lisa and her sidekicks, Laura and Kimberly. The first challenge for the men was to find out how resourceful and thoughtful they were. They were given two hours (and some props of their choice), to hustle as much money as they could. Then they could spend it on their first individual date with Lisa.

Renda, the self proclaimed street hustler, set up a microphone and donned an afro wig. He sold street poetry and earned $47.24 for his date. He decided it would be cool if he bought Lisa an afro wig, and they hung out together on the street in outlandish outfits. He plans to be a straight up goof. So they dress in the afro wigs and referee jerseys and walk around together. They eat hot dogs. She looks over his writing, and gives her a zerbert, sort of a raspberry on her cheek.

Laura immediately expresses concern that, as a professional street hustler, he only earned $40. She also mocks the date, with the wigs and hot dogs, saying it was all about him, not Lisa. It's one thing to be down to earth, another to be down and out. He should be out. Kimberly thinks the date was fun, but too goofy. She didn't like the zerbert, but knows he and Lisa both love writing, and wants him to stick around.

In a chance to defend himself, Renda says he wasn't trying to be romantic, just to have fun. He said the date was about them having fun together. Lisa says it was about getting to know each other and having fun, and enjoyed the date.

Ben is next, and raised money by rolling roses out of napkins and selling them. He had no trouble, earning $86.28 plus a Euro. He took Lisa to a winery, where they both had the socks bored off them during the tour. Lisa appears to be bored during dinner and sits alone as Ben goes off to find napkins. He tells her about his farm background, but her body language indicates boredom.

Laura tells him that when Lisa picked Ben as part of the ten, she thought it was a mistake. Now she's positive and says all the wine in the winery would not have made it interesting. She asks America to not vote him back because it would be painful to see another date. Kimberly was impressed he made so much money (taking a slap at Renda), but says the date was boring. Ben defends himself by saying he was trying to show her a good time and he only left the table to get a napkin because the waiter forgot. Lisa liked the gesture to get the napkin, but tells him not to try so hard.

Hank is up next, and does George W. Bush impressions. He worked hard, but got $60.38. He spends the money on a picnic, with flowers and a variety of cheeses, walnuts, and wine. He tells her he was a hellion in his youth and they find a common interest in college football. He declines to kiss her.

Laura says Hank's been a favorite and thinks Lisa likes him too. She thought it was fine he didn't kiss her. Kimberly thought he'd be too buttoned up for Lisa, but felt he was creative in raising money. The picnic wasn't original, however, but she thinks they could have gone anywhere and had a good time. Hank thanks the girls and says he had a great time – he’s looking forward to the next date. Lisa admits she's smitten with him and just gushes. She had a great time and looks forward to a kiss.

Evan's turn. He break-dances and knocks himself out for money, and doesn't have much luck. He makes only $9.00 He takes Lisa to the beach where they build sand castles and he buries her in the sand. He points out a dolphin and she rubs the sand off her lips on his shirt. They kiss underneath towels.

Laura says it looks like they had a good time and he surprised her. She wants to see another date. Kimberly doesn't trust him, thinks he's a womanizer, and accuses him of kissing her only to find out how far he can go. She doesn't like him. Evan asks if he should get down on the floor so she can start kicking him. He says he'll prove himself. Lisa says she had a great time and the money wasn't important.

Joe's method of raising money is to sell hugs and affection. He tries to grab one woman, and is tossed back. He earns $51.60 and said it was the toughest money he ever made. He had planned to make $300 - $400, so his date will have to be scaled back. He takes Lisa to get a pedicure ($40), and then lunch ($40). Lisa thinks the date was thoughtful and they discuss the number of kids they want (three or four). They seem to have a good time together. He thinks Lisa was worth every penny of the date. Of course, he spent $80, and only earned $51... so something's not quite right.

In the studio, he's forced to admit he cheated. Laura doesn't mind; she thought the date was thoughtful, and who cares if he went over, noting that he didn't spend the money on a wig. Kimberly disagrees; saying that Lisa values honesty more than anything else. The other guys didn't cheat and he did. However, she likes him. He tells the girls to crucify him if he spent a little more money than he was supposed to, but says Lisa is a gem and is priceless. Lisa loved the effort he put into the date, but tells him to keep honest in mind for the next date.