Kyle Treasure, Davi Johnson, Kylie Neslen, Jordan Johnson, Christine Cooke and Katie Rex, members of Thirty Day Bae meet in Salt Lake City to discuss season two of matchmaking on Wednesday, April 3, 2019. Photo: Scott G. Winterton, Deseret News
SALT LAKE CITY — In a world of swiping left or right, one Salt Lake County matchmaking service wants singles to focus on commitment in search of their “bae.”
Thirty Day Bae (for the few who’ve never heard the term, bae is slang for your boyfriend/girlfriend and stands for “before anyone else”) started last year and set up a small number of couples, though they had about 250 applications.
Here’s how it works: applicants take a personality test, then are matched with their new girlfriend or boyfriend. The couple has to see each other at least five times a week. They are allowed two days on FaceTime or Skype during that week.
This goes on for a month, with no dropping out allowed.
A licensed therapist is available weekly for the pair. Couples also have to fill out a daily log, ranking things like chemistry, which is then published online.
Applications for the latest round opened April 7.
The Deseret News says the Salt Lake County-based company has plans to expand to Utah County. It is geared towards members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints but is open to everyone.
Co-creator Katie Rex tells the paper, “There are so many people readily available to you on Tinder or Mutual or whatever dating app you’re on, so if your date did one thing wrong, you just move on to the next person. Thirty Day Bae is testing the idea of commitment itself — what happens when you stick to one person and see how it goes?”
Most of the couples from the last time reported positive experiences, even if the relationship did not last.
Kylie Neslen, who is part of the executive team, is also an employee of the Deseret News, which is owned by Deseret Management Corporation. DMC owns Bonneville International, the parent company of KSL Newsradio.