These eight participants are in for a blind date that they could remember fondly or bitterly, and you have the power to decide who they will go with! Voting will go until Jan. 6, then the dates shall begin! Read all about them below and decide to either play devil's advocate or see if you can actually match up someone to a potential pairing.
Once you've decided… click here to vote! We will follow them on their dates and see if they will go on a second date, want to be friends or can't stand each other.
Check out their dates in detail in the February issue of 605!
Jessica Lappegard
Sioux Falls Roller Dollz
Jessica Lappegard, or “Frenchi Fistfighter,” is very active in derby in the Sioux Falls Roller Dollz. She is in her third season of hip-checking and shoulder-smacking. But what Jessica is really passionate about is her 10-year-old son. She works as an education assistant with kids with special needs. Jessica loves to walk her dog, bike, hike, skate and camp. Her favorite food is Mexican.
Priscilla Fox
Sioux Falls Skyleader
Priscilla is currently a senior at the University of Sioux Falls where she will be graduating in May with a BA in elementary education. She moved to Sioux Falls in 2007 to attend college from a small town in Nebraska and fell in love with the city. Priscilla works at Dakota Spirit and is also in her first year with the Sioux Falls Skyleaders. In her spare time, Priscilla loves to workout and spend time with friends and family. She’s a very outgoing person and loves meeting new people and going to new places!
Melissa Petrie
Marketing Specialist at Great Western Bank
Melissa grew up in Huron, S.D., graduating from Huron High School in 2004. She attended South Dakota State University in Brookings where she earned a BS in consumer affairs with minors in business and advertising. Melissa currently works at Great Western Bank as a marketing specialist. She loves her job and has always wanted to work in the marketing industry ever since she watched the movie "What Women Want." Melissa is a very social person and spends a lot of free time with friends. She also enjoys working out, playing volleyball, cooking, shopping and a variety of music (attending concerts is at the top of her list). Melissa tries to spend as much time as possible outside in the summer, whether at a sporting event or grilling on the deck.
Mel Naatjes
The Hot Morning Show on 104.7
Mel is a single mom of two “awesome girls.” She is the morning show co-host on the Hot Morning show with Andy and Mel. She has worked in the radio and TV profession for over 9 years. Mel loves photography, karaoke, cooking, music, concerts, going to comedy clubs, wine, and trying new things and foods. She likes to be random and enjoy other people’s randomness. Mel also loves spending time with her family and friends. She is recently divorced. After being married for over 10 years, the dating again is pretty new to her.
Jeff Meuzelaar
Owner of Musical Edge/Marketing
Jeff was adopted from South Korea. He grew up in Pella, Iowa and attended college in Sioux Center. Jeff has been living in Sioux Falls for about 2 1/2 years after graduating from Dordt College with a degree in marketing. After dropping out of the MBA program at the University of Sioux Falls and quitting his full-time job at a marketing agency, he started a web development firm with a partner. Recently, Jeff sold his shares in the firm and is now freelance in the marketing and website-development field. He also owns Musical Edge, a mobile DJ company that employs six staff members in Sioux Falls and Des Moines. Last, but not least, you can typically find Jeff spinning records at the 18th Amendment or The Lie'brary three to four nights a week. When he has free time outside of work, Jeff really enjoys snowboarding, fishing, golfing, and playing on the city-league softball team.
Brian Bieber
Social Services/Writer/Twitter Addict
Brian is a writer and social services professional. He grew up in Sioux Falls, where he spent his teenage years playing the bass guitar poorly in punk-rock bands. He received his creative writing/Japanese degree (practical!) from the University of Minnesota in 2002. While living in Minneapolis, he worked as an administrator (and occasional performer) at the venerable Twin Cities theater venue, Patrick's Cabaret, and founded Ache, a Minneapolis-based magazine of visual art, poetry and prose. Brian returned to Sioux Falls in 2004, where he began a career in the social services. He is currently the program coordinator for the Sioux Falls Family Visitation Center, an agency that provides supervised visitation services for children and their non-custodial parents. He is now in the process of developing a Sioux Falls-based non-profit arts cooperative with other local artists.
Jeff Halbritter
The Monday Lunch on 94.5 KCFS
Jeff lives in his mother's basement. He is just a regular guy whose interests include such things as Bigfoot, UFOs, monster trucks, Jerry Springer, professional wrestling, his 1982 Chevy Camaro and his sweet mullet. Okay, none of that is true, although Jeff does think that Bigfoot is “pretty gnarly,” as are mullets. If Bigfoot had a mullet, Jeff’s head "would explode." But in all seriousness, Jeff is part of a radio show called The Monday Lunch, on which he plays underground/independent hip-hop with Glenn Williamson. They are in contact with hundreds of independent artists from all around the country, so the stuff they play “you won't hear many places.” A vast portion of what Jeff does involves music, whether it be digging for stuff he hasn't heard yet, making it or promoting it in various ways. If he had to sum himself up a sentence, he'd say that he tries to have fun in any situation he finds himself in, and he tries to make the best of what he has.
Chris Dixon
Sioux Falls Storm Player
Chris describes himself as “hard working” and “motivated.” He loves children and is a quarterback for the Sioux Falls Storm Indoor Football League. Chris is originally from Billings, Mont. and is a Humboldt State University alum. He looks to make a huge impact in the Sioux Falls community like he did in his hometown. Chris established the Chris Dixon Foundation for Kids in the summer of 2007. He established the CDFK to provide the kids of Billings with a role model and plans to do the same in Sioux Falls.
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