DALLAS -- A U.K.-based dating website has crunched the data and determined that Texas has an inordinate amount of cities in its Infidelity Index.
Dallas ranks first and Fort Worth second on MyDatingAdviser.com’s list of most unfaithful cities in the nation. Houston comes in third.
In a study of 200 metropolitan areas, MyDatingAdviser.com used U.S. Census Bureau data to compare relationship satisfaction, life satisfaction, infidelity intent and affair activities, said Amy Pritchett, a London-based relationship writer and MyDatingAdviser.com editor.
Pritchett presented the rankings on the website, which offers and solicits dating advice.
“We also looked at the number of venues to meet for an affair, and the volume of searches on Google for affair hookup websites was also considered for the rankings,” Pritchett said in an email.
Tommy Habeeb, the Dallas resident who helped bring the reality television show "Cheaters" to widespread popularity 20 years ago, saw the dating website’s findings and couldn’t agree more.
“I believe there’s [more of] a focus on appearance, a focus on health, a focus on mental health in Texas than almost anywhere,” Habeeb said. “I really started to notice it when we started taping 'Cheaters.'”
"Cheaters," which was created by Dallas lawyer Bobby Goldstein, continues today with the premise of spotlighting couples in which one partner is sneaking around.
Habeeb, who went by the persona Tommy Grand, hosted "Cheaters" from its beginning in 2000 to 2002. He also hosts "STAG: A Test of Love," which profiles spouses-to-be before their weddings and captures their reactions to their partners’ bachelor or bachelorette parties.
From looking into where and why people cheat, Habeeb has his theories about patterns.
Over the years, he noticed a good deal infidelity was happening in the warmer climes in the southern U.S.
“It’s always warmer, and you’re outside more,” he said. “There’s the way we dress and the southern sweetness that comes off as possibly flirting.
“The next thing you know you’re out in the parking lot at lunch and bad things are going on.”
In her Infidelity Index, Pritchett ranked the top 10 unfaithful cities, listing the marriage rate, divorce rate, separation rate, happiness index and Google search trends suggesting interest in an affair.
Google searches were tracked for “affair” and “Ashley Madison,” which is a Canadian-based dating site marketed to people who are married or in a relationship.
On the upside, California is a haven for those seeking a faithful relationship. Pasadena, Torrance, Roseville and Visalia were ranked first through fourth for faithfulness. Back in Texas, Laredo was No. 5 and McAllen No. 9 for the metric.
When "Cheaters" first aired, the Dallas-Fort Worth area was the backdrop for the majority of the episodes. In discussions about the show’s locale, Habeeb said D-FW was not regarded as Ground Zero for infidelity.
“It was never planned out that way — we had no idea,” said Habeeb, who now produces a pet rescue show called "To The Rescue." “We were going to go and travel around the country filming, but because of budget [constraints] and trying to catch people in the act, it takes time, and they’re not all perfect cases.
“We tried to film in other cities, and we did. But then it became: Why? Why would we do that and spend all this money when we have an unlimited amount of material right here?”
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