If there’s one thing I know to be true, it’s that pickleball reveals their true colors on a pickleball court. Most dating advice is “pay attention to how they treat waiters at a restaurant” but I want to see how they behave on a pickleball court. Are they overly aggressive in a rec game with a new player? Do they get really mad when Darleen smokes them with her perfect drops?

Pickleball is a great place to take your eligible partner and see if you have court chemistry as good as Grayson Goldin and Hannah Blatt.

So, it was no surprise to me when I was watching Netflix’s new dating show called “Age of Attraction,” and during the third episode, the group of singles trying to make a match are playing pickleball. 

At this point in the show, the contestants are staying at a retreat in Whistler, Canada to get to know their potential partners. 

In the beginning of episode three, you hear the familiar pop-pop-pop sound of pickleball and see a racket club sign and I know we’re about to have some fun. 

We follow Pfeifer and Derrick, one of the featured couples who have a significant age gap, play their first game of pickleball ever. 

Like most people’s first time playing, Pfeifer is a bit awkward attempting to play. She’s whiffing the ball, hitting it like a baseball, and doesn’t know where to stand half of the time. 

However, it was such a great character reveal for her and her future partner, Derrick. Pfeifer is smiling, laughing, and making jokes about her skills on the court. Meanwhile Derrick is kindly reminding her to move back to the baseline before the serve. 

“They said this is for elderly people. They said anybody can play this game,” Pfeifer says as Derrick and their opponents laugh. 

But then Pfeifer talks about how optimistic she is about the budding relationship, we see some slow motion shots of her and Derrick hitting some drives. At one point, Pfeifer even jokingly tries to break her paddle. It’s clear this game was all about the fun of the game for these two.

By the end of their pickleball date, this couple came out stronger than ever. 

“The more time I spend with Derrick I just know that this is who I want to spend my time with here. We have similar interests and life goals,” she said. Hopefully, that includes more pickleball in their future. 

And because pickleball can truly be played by all ages, it’s the perfect game for the people to play on this show where their age remains a secret. Unlike other sports, you truly can’t tell how old or young someone is on the court by their gameplay. So it not only connects potential matches, it also maintains the original goal of the show to keep their age a secret. 

I may be biased, but personally think pickleball needs to be on every dating show. We’d have a lot more successful long-term matches if these TV couples hit the court together before they say “I do.”

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